60 
An old log, cut thirty years ago at Otford, on the Illawarra Line (30 miles 
south of Sydney), and found a few years ago, was over 5 feet in diameter, and 
almost perfectly sound. This is an instance of the proximity of merchantable 
cedar to Sydney at one time. The Sydney market thus obtains its principal supply 
from the Richmond and Tweed River districts. 
There is but little cedar on the Hawkesbury now ; at one time it was 
plentiful. The following refers to this river :— 
Government and General Order, 2nd April, 1802. 
It has been represented to the Governor that some of the settlers at the Hawkesbury are making a 
traffic of the cedar growing on or about that river. He strictly forbids any cedar being cut down but by 
his particular permission to the officer commanding at that place. If any cedar logs are brought from any 
part of that river to any other settlement without the Governor’s permission, such logs or planks will be 
seized for the purposes of Government, and the boats or carts containing them confiscated to the public 
use .—(Historical Records of New South Wales, iv., 736.) 
It was the presence of this valuable timber on the Dorrigo which constituted 
the discovery of the Spaniard whose name the district and mountain bears, and 
which has largely caused the country to be opened up. There must have been 
enormous quantities of this timber on the Dorrigo Reserve at one time, but now 
very few mature trees remain standing, and I did not see one which was fit for 
cutting. I was told, however, that a few still remain dotted through the forest, 
but their existence is only known to timber-getters. Unfortunately, Dorrigo cedar 
is not of a high class, being pale and porous, and far inferior to the Bellinger or 
“ River ” cedar in quality. At the same time, it is still a valuable timber, and is so 
low in price that there is no doubt that there would be a much larger demand for 
it were this fact known to the general public. Glenfernie Forest Reserve once 
contained a large quantity of cedar, but it is now cut out, owing to its proximity to 
the Armidale-road. There are only a few small trees now. Some of the cedars in 
the Dorrigo and Glenfernie had great buttresses. 
The following list of New South Wales Timber Reserves containing Red 
Cedar is furnished by the Forest Department:— 
County. 
Reserve. 
Remarks. 
Clarke 
1,662 ) 
Matured and young cedar, mostly in gorges, in all stages 
29,433 / 
of growth. 
Buller 
4 
Large quantities, matured and young. 
,, and Drake 
1,120 
Small quantities, in very rough places. 
,, and Clive 
24,267 
Scattered matured and young in the ravines. 
n ... ... 
33,219 
Small quantity, young. 
Dudley 
158 ) 
A fairly large amount of matured cedar in patches in 
,, 
3,753 f 
rough country ; good growth of young timber. 
Drake 
6,369 N 
9,999 ) 
,, 
11.452 ( 
11.453 ( 
Moderate quantities of both matured and young cedar. 
22,413 ) 
,, 
27,774 / 
