Sandalwood brings sweet smell of success .
It contains an aromatic oil that is used in incense sticks, perfumes, cosmetics and medicines. Although the tree is native to Asia and the Pacific, there is also an Australian variety that has been harvested from the bush under licence and sold on the world market for more than 150 years. Our native species, which is similar to the traditional tropical tree, has been pulled from the bush for more than 150 years and today Australian sandalwood supplies almost half the world demand. And that is not surprising considering it naturally occurs throughout vast areas of Western Australia and across the border into South Australia. There is also a closely related northern species called santalum lanceolatum that grows in the basalt country of north Queensland and although not as high in oil rich heartwood, it too, has been cut and shipped to Asia since the late 19th century.