Fast Fact Tag: eucalyptus wood

No. Some of the earliest documented didgeridoos were made from bamboo or hollow cane, not eucalyptus wood.

Collet Barker’s 1829 account describes a “large hollow cane” about three feet long. Ludwig Leichhardt described the Eboro in 1845 as “a long tube of bamboo”, and John Lort Stokes wrote in 1846 of an ebroo made from bamboo about two to three feet long.

Later writers also recorded wooden instruments. Herbert Basedow described both bamboo trumpets and instruments made from a long hollow limb of woolly-butt eucalyptus. Baldwin Spencer likewise recorded trumpets made from bamboo or hollow tree branches.

The evidence shows that eucalyptus wood was an important traditional material, but it was not the only one. Bamboo, cane and other naturally hollow wood were also used in different northern areas.

Not always. In parts of northern Australia, naturally hollow branches were common enough that makers could select a suitable piece rather than bore out a solid log from end to end.

Baldwin Spencer wrote that in northern parts of the Northern Territory it was “very rare” to find branches that were not hollow, making it easy to find one suitable for a trumpet. Herbert Basedow also described long hollow limbs being used.

The instrument still needed preparation. Writers recorded trimming the tube, smoothing the mouth end and adding wax or resin so the lips fitted tightly. Bamboo instruments also had internal sections removed where necessary.

So a traditional wooden didgeridoo could involve skilled selection and finishing rather than simply drilling a solid branch. The exact method depended on the material and local practice.