Tilling Timber Townsville returns to city as part of an ambitious regional expansion

A timber business which first appeared in Townsville during the 1980s has returned to the city, ready to provide the products for the next construction boom. See where they are.

Recognising Townsville’s potential for strong construction growth over the coming years, a family-owned timber wholesaler has returned to the city after several decades, bringing with it a product range to support the industry.

Founded as a small factory in Eltham, Victoria by Norm and Judy Tilling in 1963, the Australian-owned Tilling Group established a presence in Townsville in the late 1980s, where they imported solid timber products like Douglas fir from the United States.

Tilling made the decision to relocate its business to Melbourne and shift focus towards

Engineered wood products (EWPs) – a class of building products and materials are fabricated from raw wood, combined with resins or adhesives, that look and act like wood but are designed to be stronger, more reliable and durable.

Under the management of the Tilling’s son Glen, the company has grown to become the country’s largest wholesaler of engineered wood products including the SmartFrame range of Timber I-Joist, Laminated Veneer Lumber and Glued Laminate Beams.

Tilling Timber Townsville territory manager Rita Fisher said Townsville and Newcastle had been selected as the first locations for an ambitious regional expansion.

A long-term lease was signed for the former-Bunnings Trade Centre warehouse at 8-16 Jay St, Bohle, with Tilling opening just before Easter.

Tilling Timber Townsville has opened at 8-16 Jay St, Bohle. Picture: Google Maps.

“They’ve identified Townsville as an area that’s going to grow quickly once building starts picking up again,” Ms Fisher said.

“We’re really supporting the timber retailers … (like) Cleveland Trade Centre, Parkside Timber and Hardware Parks, Big Hammer Building Supplies, and the Bunnings Network … so we don’t sell to the public.

Products available from Tilling Timber Townsville. Picture: Supplied.

“It’s probably more for builders and homeowners looking for a lightweight, renewable and energy efficient option instead of concrete for their subfloors.”

She said Brisbane had previously been the nearest distributor for engineered wood products.

Tilling Bulk Timber. Glenn Tilling and Rita Fisher at the Tilling Bulk Group at the Bohle. Picture: Evan Morgan

“(Townsville’s) an area that’s very under serviced by the industry at large. (If) something went wrong on a building site, it would take weeks to fix it, whereas now we can get someone sorted out within a couple of hours.”

“It’s about servicing the industry, making sure that when work picks up, we’re ready and we’re organised, fully stocked so that builders can worry a little bit less about lead times and running out of materials like they were dealing with after Covid.”

Products available from Tilling Timber Townsville. Picture: Supplied.

There were “great signs of life” that building was starting to pick up in the region, with confidence growing and “a lot of high end construction underway”.

“Once interest rates level out, I think Townsville will kick on really quickly and we’ll start seeing a lot more building happening,” she said.

Tilling Timber will host its grand opening celebration on Wednesday, May 15 from 5-9pm.

For more information, visit: www.tilling.com.au

Originally published as Tilling Timber Townsville returns to city as part of an ambitious regional expansion