Goenpul Woodworks

Dale Ruska created Goenpul Woodworks. Each of the hand turned, and polished wooden bowls and boxes are made at Moopi Moopi Pa (One Mile) on Terrangeri (North Stradbroke Island).

All the timber is collected from around the Island. The blackboy (aka grass tree) has to die and be burnt by several bushfires before it can be used. Other timbers come from dead or fallen trees. All timber collected is done from a First Nations basis, refusing all Government permits.

Blackboy (aka grass tree) can grow for hundreds or even thousands of years. Cypress can also grow for the same amount of time. Trees on the Island that have a trunk base greater than one meter have been dated over one thousand years old.

The plant environment of Terrangeri is unique, known as a wallum environment specific to large sand dune islands off the east coast of Australia. Wallum environments grow in mostly sand, very slowly over long periods of time.