Summary
By the mid-20th century, the Julimar area, already impacted by decades of unregulated logging since the 1860s became the site of a significant industrial operation: tannin extraction. This production heavily relied on Wandoo logs from Julimar to produce up to 10 tonnes of "Myrtan" tannin daily, leading to further extensive logging.
Written by Greg Warburton, JCAFA
Original Article: June 2025 edition of the Toodyay Herald.
Pastoral allocations in the Julimar area date to the 1860s.
By the Depression era, many of these leases had reverted back to the crown under conditional purchase.
However, the Eucalyptus forests had been exploited without regulation for decades.
In the early 1900s, the Cook family came from Victoria and capitalised on the plant diversity of these extensive woodlands to produce high quality honey.
The access tracks and registered apiary sites they established for their operations are still used today.
As early as the 1920s, Sam C Cook recognised the value of the Wandoo trees and was appalled at the unrestricted logging and ringbarking that was occurring.
He petitioned for their protection by regularly writing to the Conservator of Forests, imploring that, “The forest should be reserved as a valuable asset for the country.” Julimar State Forest wasn’t gazetted, nor controls implemented, until 1956.
However, by this time, another commercial activity was in full swing in the Julimar Forest.
Prior to synthetics, there was high demand for leather goods along with the chemicals needed to process and preserve it.
The chemical compound tannin extracted from Wandoo and Powder Bark Wandoo (E. wandoo & E. acceedens) was excellent for this purpose.
In the late 1940s a company called Plaimar had its eyes on the resource in Julimar.
They already had two factories; an operation in Toodyay would be strategic, being close to the forest and a rail line.
The company spent 280,000 pounds ($560,000) building a processing plant and infrastructure, including two 40 metre high chimneys. A weir for industrial water supply was constructed across the river, creating a reservoir 9 metres deep.
Houses were built next to the factory and in town to accommodate employees and their families. The historic Mongers building was renovated for single men’s accommodation (demolished 1968).
Production commenced in 1951 whereby Wandoo logs were reduced to sawdust, which was super-heated in huge boilers to extract the tannin. The waste liquid was discharged into the Avon River.
Daily production aimed for 10 tonnes of tannin, or “Myrtan” as it was branded, which required 120 tonnes of Wandoo or 5 to 6 semi-trailer loads. Ninety percent of this timber came from the Julimar Forest.
Heavily loaded log trucks were a common sight in Toodyay and the network of tracks in the forest that now attract off-road enthusiasts were the logging roads.
In the early 1960s, production stalled at the Extracts operations due to issues with export tariffs and declining demand.
However, management were able to adjust to market conditions by reengineering and expanding. Still utilising Wandoo wood they produced a drilling mud additive for the oil exploration industry.
This proved successful and the company won a State Government export award for its innovation. Production continued apace as did logging in Julimar Forest.
Then, in 1971, the Industrial Extracts Factory closed down. This was a big blow for Toodyay as over 70 employees left town, local businesses lost out and school enrolments declined.
Today, there are many reminders of the “Extracts” era in Toodyay.
The factory building is now workshops and office of a local earth moving company.
The weir is a spectacular viewing point for the Avon Descent and the houses built for employees are occupied by local residents. Perhaps the most salient reminder is the thousands of huge tree stumps in the Julimar Forest.
