Our story — Meet Gerald
I grew up in Cygnet, down in the Huon Valley, where the apple orchards run right to the edge of the Huon River. My dad worked at the timber mill at Geeveston and my mum ran a small sewing room out of the back of the house. I spent a lot of time in that back room watching her work, which I didn't think meant much until I was in my late thirties and suddenly needed it to. Cygnet is a small town. You know your neighbours, you know who's struggling, and in 2019 I was the one who was struggling. The consultancy work had dried up and I had two kids in school and a mortgage that didn't care about any of that.
Before Eucalyptus Nest I spent about twelve years doing contract work through GDL Contract Consulting, mostly logistics and supply chain work for mid-size manufacturers across southern Tasmania. I knew how goods moved, how margins got eaten, and how many small producers in the Huon Valley were making genuinely good things but couldn't get them in front of anyone outside the region. I'd helped a few of them with freight and warehousing questions over the years, nothing formal, just the kind of help you give people you know. That background turned out to matter more than I expected when I started thinking seriously about what I could actually build on my own.
The decision happened on a Tuesday in March 2019. I sat down with a spreadsheet and worked out I needed to clear at least $4,200 a month to keep the house. I wasn't looking for a calling, I was looking for a number I could hit. I started talking to four producers I already knew in the valley and one supplier I'd met through a freight client up near Deloraine. By June that year I'd placed my first small order, around 80 kilograms of stock, and shipped it through a fulfilment contact in Hobart. The Eucalyptus Nest name came from a walk along the Huon foreshore. It stuck.
We're still based in Cygnet. The operation is bigger now but it runs out of the same town, and most of the people I work with are within an hour's drive. We shipped to just over 1,100 customers in the last financial year, which still surprises me when I think about that first spreadsheet. I don't have a grand plan written on a whiteboard somewhere. I have a list of suppliers I trust, a small team who know what they're doing, and a pretty clear sense of what I'll say no to.
— Still working off that spreadsheet. — Gerald, Gerald Edward Lowe
Journal
How I finally found a leather supplier worth trusting
After three dead ends and one very long phone call, I found a tannery in South Australia that actually answered my questions.
I spent about six weeks last summer chasing down kangaroo leather suppliers. Not because I had a romantic notion about native materials, but because the numbers made sense and I needed them to make sense. Rent on the Cygnet place had gone up again and I had about four products I was seriously considering stocking. The cricket bat was the one I kept coming back to, partly because the margin was real and partly because I'd watched my son play on a synthetic bat that cracked in its second season and thought, there has to be something better. So I started making calls.
Most of the calls went nowhere. Two operations I contacted in Queensland didn't return emails. One bloke in regional Victoria was lovely but couldn't supply the volumes I needed, even at the small scale I was starting at. Then someone in a small business Facebook group mentioned a tannery outside Bordertown in South Australia, family-run, processing roo hides that were already harvested under the national commercial kangaroo management program. I rang them on a Tuesday afternoon and the woman who answered actually knew the product inside out. She talked me through tensile strength, moisture behaviour in Australian summer heat, the whole thing.
What I liked, beyond the quality of the conversation, was that she didn't oversell anything. She told me the leather had a break-in period of roughly 8 to 12 hours of use before it really settled into a bat. She told me the grain could vary between hides and that I should expect some variation in finished product. That kind of honesty is not common when you're a small buyer and the supplier knows you're not ordering in the thousands. I ordered a trial run of 12 bats and drove the cost per unit down to something that actually worked.
Getting those first 12 bats in and photographing them on the back deck in March light, with the Huon Valley just sitting there being ridiculous in the background, was one of the better mornings I've had running this business. The leather had this warm reddish-brown tone that no stock photo was ever going to capture properly. My daughter picked one up and asked if it was real. I said yes, it's real, and it's from an animal that was already part of a regulated cull, which is a complicated thing to explain to a ten-year-old but she seemed to accept it.
I've since reordered twice and the relationship with the Bordertown tannery has stayed straightforward. They flag lead times early, which matters when you're running lean inventory. The bats have had one return in eight months, and that was a sizing question, not a quality issue. For a product I was genuinely uncertain about when I started, that's a result I'll take.
Breaking in your hiking boots before the trail does it for you
The worst time to discover your boots need breaking in is somewhere on the Overland Track with 14 kilometres still to go.
I started stocking the Outback Trail hiking boots in May and within the first three weeks I had two customers contact me with blisters. Both were experienced walkers. Both had assumed that because the boot felt fine in the lounge room, it would feel fine on day two of a multi-day walk. This is such a common mistake and I felt genuinely bad about it because I hadn't included any break-in guidance with the order. So I'm writing this down partly as a resource and partly as a note to myself to do better.
The Outback Trail boot uses a full-grain leather upper over a Vibram sole, which means the upper is stiff when new. Not uncomfortable stiff, just unyielding in a way that becomes very apparent once your foot starts to swell on a long descent. The standard advice is 20 hours of wear before you trust them on anything serious. I'd revise that slightly: 20 hours on varied surfaces, not just walking to the car and back. Wear them to the supermarket, wear them on a weekend walk around Lake Barrington or up kunanyi if you're in the south, wear them somewhere with a bit of incline.
There's a specific point on the boot where the heel counter meets the Achilles that will rub if you haven't softened the leather there first. A light application of neatsfoot oil, rubbed in with a cloth and left overnight, speeds this up considerably. Not a thick coat, just enough to start the leather moving. Do this twice over two weeks before your first real outing. The sole also needs time to flex and settle. New Vibram soles are grippy but slightly rigid; after 10 to 15 kilometres of real terrain they start to conform and the whole boot feels like a different thing.
I tested a pair myself on the South Cape Bay track in late June. Cold, wet, some scrambling near the coast. By the end of day one I had zero hot spots, which is the result you want. I'd worn them for about 18 hours across three weeks beforehand, including one wet day at the Cygnet market where I was on my feet for six hours straight. That market day was probably the most useful preparation, actually. Standing on hard ground for hours is harder on the heel than walking.
If you're planning a Tasmanian winter walk and you've just bought new boots, start the process now. Don't wait until the week before. The leather needs time and so does your foot's relationship with the boot. Twenty hours sounds like a lot but it passes quickly if you're just wearing them around your daily life.
Why I cut the wetsuit range down to one model
Stocking four wetsuit options sounded like good range management until I looked at what was actually selling and what was just sitting there.
I launched with four wetsuit options in the Sydney Surf Pro line back in February. A 3/2mm full suit, a 4/3mm, a short-arm version, and a women's specific cut in the 3/2. My thinking was that range equals reach, and reach equals sales. By September I had sold 31 of the 3/2 full suits, 4 of the 4/3s, 2 short-arms, and 0 of the women's specific. Zero. I'd tied up money in stock that wasn't moving and I'd been telling myself it would pick up in spring. It didn't.
The women's cut issue I understand in retrospect. The fit photography I had wasn't good enough, the sizing guide was generic, and I hadn't done enough work to reach the women who actually surf in southeast Queensland and northern NSW where most of my wetsuit buyers were coming from. That's not a product problem, it's a me problem. But even if I fixed the marketing, I was looking at a slow turn on a product that needed a warehouse and capital I didn't have. So I made the call in October to clear the three slow movers at cost and go all-in on the 3/2.
Running a single SKU is not glamorous but it is clarifying. My reorder conversations with the supplier became simpler. My stock emails to myself stopped being confusing. I knew exactly what I had, what I needed, and what margin I was working with. The 3/2 full suit is the right call for most of eastern Australia from about April through to October, and in Queensland it covers a longer window than that. It's the product that actually fits the buying pattern of my customer.
There's a version of this business where I have a broad catalogue and a team and a fulfilment centre. That version is not this version. Right now I'm packing orders on the kitchen table in Cygnet after my kids are in bed, and the fewer decisions I have to make at 9pm the better the decisions I make. Simplifying the range was a financial choice but it was also a sanity choice, and I don't think you can separate those two things when you're running something this small.
The cleared stock sold through in about five weeks, mostly to a surf school on the Sunshine Coast that bought the remaining 4/3s in bulk. I made almost nothing on that sale but I made back the capital, which is what mattered. The 3/2 restock arrived in early November and I've already moved 14 units heading into the southern hemisphere summer.
Using the yoga mat in the shed all winter, honestly
The Koala mat has been sitting on a concrete floor in a cold Tasmanian shed since June and I have some thoughts about that.
I put a Koala Yoga Mat in the shed last June. Not as a test exactly, more because the house was full and the shed was where I ended up doing the 20 minutes of floor stretching I do most mornings before the kids wake up. The shed in Cygnet is unlined, unheated, and faces south, so from June through August it was regularly sitting at 4 or 5 degrees in there at 6am. I want to be honest about what that experience was like because I sell this mat and I think it matters.
The natural rubber base gets firm in the cold. Not unusable, but noticeably less forgiving than it is at room temperature. In the first week I noticed it would take about 10 minutes of use before the mat warmed up enough to stop feeling like I was on a slightly padded concrete surface. By July I started rolling it up the night before and bringing it inside, then carrying it back out in the morning. That fixed the problem entirely. The mat retained enough ambient warmth from being inside overnight that it felt normal from the first minute of use.
The surface texture held up well. The natural tree rubber top layer on the Koala mat has a grain that grips in bare feet and I was worried that repeated cold-warm cycling would affect that. After nine months and probably 200 sessions I can't see any degradation in the grip texture. There's a slight compression mark near the centre where I always start in the same position, which is just honest wear. The mat is 4mm thick and that centre area might now be closer to 3.5mm. That's not a complaint, that's use.
What I didn't expect was how much I'd come to appreciate having a dedicated space for it, even if the space was a cold shed. There's something about walking out there in the dark in winter, pulling on a jumper over my pyjamas, and doing half an hour on the mat before the day started that made the whole routine stick. I've tried doing it inside and I always get interrupted. The shed had no interruptions. The mat was just there, rolled out on the concrete, doing its job.
I've since moved it back inside now that autumn is here and the mornings have turned mild again. It cleaned up fine with a damp cloth and some diluted tea tree oil, which is what I recommend to customers. If you're using this mat in a cold space, the overnight warm storage tip is the only real adaptation you need.
Customer reviews
Sarah M. — Bondi, NSW — 2024-03-14 — 5/5
Wetsuit fits perfectly
Ordered the Sydney Surf Pro Wetsuit on a Tuesday and it was on my doorstep by Thursday — faster than I expected for a cross-country delivery. The sizing guide on the website was accurate; I went with the measurements rather than guessing and it paid off. It's comfortable in the water and the zip hasn't given me any grief after six sessions.
Tom B. — Brunswick, VIC — 2024-05-22 — 4/5
Good bat, one small gripe
The Kangaroo Leather Cricket Bat is solid — good weight and the leather grip feels different from the standard rubber you get on most bats. Took a few net sessions to get used to it but I'm glad I stuck with it. Only reason for four stars is that the oil care instructions weren't included in the box; I had to find them on the website.
Priya K. — Fitzroy, VIC — 2024-07-08 — 5/5
Yoga mat does the job
I've gone through three yoga mats in two years and the Koala Yoga Mat is the first one that hasn't started peeling at the edges after a month of daily use. It has good grip even when I'm sweating. Fair warning for anyone with latex allergies — check the product page before buying.
James R. — New Farm, QLD — 2024-09-03 — 4/5
Hiking boots broke in quickly
Got the Outback Trail Hiking Boots for a trip through the Grampians and they were comfortable by day two, which is better than most boots I've owned. I followed the advice to size up half a size and it was the right call. They're not waterproof, which I knew going in, but worth mentioning if you're shopping for wet-weather hiking.
Chloe W. — Surry Hills, NSW — 2024-11-17 — 5/5
Running shorts — finally a decent waistband
The Emu Ridge Running Shorts don't roll down when I run, which has been a problem with every other pair I've tried. They arrived well-packaged and the stitching looks like it'll hold. At $39.95 I bought two pairs.
Marcus T. — Fremantle, WA — 2025-01-09 — 4/5
Solid wetsuit, minor delivery delay
The Sydney Surf Pro Wetsuit is well made — the seams are flat and it doesn't restrict movement in the shoulders the way cheaper suits do. Delivery to Fremantle took six business days on standard shipping, which is on the longer end but not unreasonable. Would order again.
Nadia F. — West End, QLD — 2025-02-28 — 5/5
Gift wrapping was a nice touch
Ordered the Koala Yoga Mat as a birthday gift and added the gift wrap option at checkout. The packaging was neat and the handwritten note was a genuine handwritten note, not a printed version — my friend noticed and commented on it. The whole order arrived two days before I needed it.
Ben S. — Hobart, TAS — 2025-04-11 — 5/5
Local pickup would be great but happy either way
Nice to support a Tassie business. Ordered the Kangaroo Leather Cricket Bat and it arrived next day, which I wasn't expecting even though I'm also in TAS. The leather is in good condition and the bat came with a cloth bag for storage. Good value for what it is.
Shipping
We ship all orders from our workshop in Cygnet, Tasmania. Standard orders go out with Australia Post and typically reach metro addresses in 3–8 business days. If you're in a regional or remote area, allow 5–12 business days. Express orders are dispatched via StarTrack and arrive in 1–3 business days to most metro locations, or 2–5 business days for regional and remote destinations. Orders placed before 2pm AEST Monday to Friday are dispatched the same day. Orders placed after that cutoff, or on weekends and public holidays, go out the next business day. All prices shown include GST.
Shipping is free on all orders over $100 AUD. Orders under that threshold are charged a flat $9.95 for standard Australia Post delivery or $14.95 for StarTrack express. Once your order is dispatched, you'll receive an email with a tracking number so you can follow it through the Australia Post or StarTrack portal. We pack orders in recycled cardboard boxes with paper fill — no polystyrene. Larger items like the wetsuit and hiking boots are boxed separately to avoid damage in transit. We don't currently ship internationally.
If your order arrives damaged, take photos of the packaging and the item before doing anything else and email us at hello@eucalyptusnest.com.au within 48 hours of delivery. Include your order number and the photos and we'll arrange a replacement or refund depending on what's available. Damage claims submitted after 48 hours can be harder to process through the carrier, so the sooner you get in touch the better. We'll cover all costs associated with damaged goods — you won't be out of pocket.
Returns
You can return most items within 30 days of the delivery date, provided they're unused and in their original packaging with proof of purchase. To start a return, email hello@eucalyptusnest.com.au with your order number and the reason for the return. We'll reply within 2 business days with return instructions and a return address. Change-of-mind returns are accepted within this window, but the cost of return postage is at your expense unless the item is faulty or was sent incorrectly. We recommend using tracked postage for returns — we can't process a refund for items lost in transit on the way back to us.
Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply to all purchases from Eucalyptus Nest. If a product has a major fault, is not fit for purpose, or doesn't match its description, you're entitled to a repair, replacement, or refund regardless of our standard 30-day return window. These statutory rights exist independently of our store policy and cannot be excluded. If you believe your item has a manufacturing defect or doesn't perform as described, contact us with details and photos and we'll assess it promptly. We take product quality seriously and will work to resolve any genuine fault without making you jump through hoops.
Refunds are processed back to the original payment method within 5–7 business days of us receiving and inspecting the returned item. You'll receive a confirmation email once the refund has been issued. The following items are excluded from change-of-mind returns: products marked as sale or clearance at the time of purchase, wetsuits that have been worn in water, and any custom or personalised orders. These exclusions do not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law in cases of fault or misrepresentation. If you're unsure whether your return qualifies, just email us and we'll give you a straight answer.