Almost five years to the day after the Black Summer bushfires, Hyne Timber—one of Australia’s largest producers of structural timber products—has opened its new 4700m square metre storage facility in the heart of Tumbarumba, one of the areas most heavily impacted by the fires.
The new storage facility—joint-funded by the Australian and NSW Governments’ Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund and the Australian Government Forestry Recovery Development Fund—can store 4,000 cubic metres of timber, known as ‘Rough Sawn, Kiln Dried’ material.
Joining the Hon. Michael McCormack MP, the new Mayor of the Snowy Valleys Council, Councillor Julia Ham, and several stakeholders, Jim Bindon, the Hyne Group CEO, emphasised the facility’s importance in extracting maximum value from its feedstock.
“Many team members and contractors have been involved in the delivery of this storage facility including local companies, Joss Constructions and Wagga Fire. You should all be proud of the smooth project management and successful completion,” Mr Bindon said.
“This facility is a critical asset to protect our products from adverse weather exposure and extract the maximum value from our pine log feedstock since the bushfires.”
Jim Bindon, the Hyne Group CEO, on the new 4700 square metre facility.
“Operational efficiency for this mill has never been more important, and I thank both the Australian and NSW governments for their support of bushfire recovery funding, which contributed to the delivery costs. This support made our investment viable.”
According to Tara Moriarty, the NSW Minister for Agriculture, Regional NSW and Western NSW, the project demonstrates the shared commitment of both the Australian and NSW Governments to building stronger, more resilient regional economies.
“The increased storage capacity at Tumbarumba Mill will ensure this important timber processor can maintain its production of timber supplies for the building sector while securing those local jobs the community relies on,” Minister Moriarty said. “The Australian and NSW Governments are backing projects in the Snowy Valleys region that will boost preparedness for future disasters, encourage economic recovery, aid tourism and bring people together.”
More about the Tumbarumba mill
Acquired by Hyne Timber in 2001, the Tumbarumba Mill is located on the western side of the NSW Snowy Mountains and is the 140-year-old timber giant’s single largest investment. The Tumba Mill, as it’s affectionately known, processes ~620,000 cubic metres of log a year, or the equivalent of ~25,000* timber framed homes.
“In fact, the daily volume of structural framing produced on-site would stretch from Tumbarumba to Melbourne,” according to Hyne Timber, who said all by-products generated are either used as biofuel to heat the mill’s heat plant or sold to customers, including Visy.
- To learn more about Hyne Timber, click here for Wood Central’s special feature, celebrating its 140-year anniversary.
