Santalum spicatum is native across much of the southern two-thirds of Western Australia and extends into South Australia, growing through dry and semi-arid landscapes where suitable soils and host plants allow it to survive prolonged periods of low rainfall.
Its human history reaches far deeper than the modern sandalwood industry. Aboriginal peoples across Western Australia have longstanding cultural and food relationships with sandalwood, including the use of its nuts as a food resource. The tree formed part of Country and Indigenous knowledge systems long before European commercial harvesting began.
By the mid-1840s, Western Australian Sandalwood had entered international trade. Demand for its intensely fragrant heartwood grew strongly in Asian markets, helping create one of Western Australia’s oldest export industries. The aromatic oil contained within that heartwood remains central to the species’ value today, particularly for perfume, incense and cosmetic applications.
The story now extends from wild harvest into deliberate regeneration and plantation forestry. Western Australian sandalwood plantations are managed over decades to allow valuable heartwood and oil to develop, while large-scale regeneration programs continue to return millions of seeds to suitable landscapes. It is a rare Australian native whose cultural history, ecology and international aromatic trade remain deeply connected.
