Tasmania is the smallest and most southern state of Australia, situated some 250 kilometers south of the continental mainland. The island contains a very diverse range of natural elements: rugged mountains, alpine moors, rich agricultural land, gentle valleys with historic towns and villages, hundreds of lakes, and sweeping white beaches.

Tasmania lies on the latitude 42 degrees South. The only other landmasses that share this latitude are the South Island of New Zealand and southern Chile. All else is the vast expanse of the Great Southern Ocean with its prevailing westerly winds, known in this latitude as the "Roaring Forties."

It is in the valleys of the remarkable and inhospitable western mountain region with over 100 inches of rainfall that the Leatherwood tree grows as a rainforest under-story tree. The Leatherwood tree typically grows 10 to 15 meters, occasionally reaching 30 meters in height, attaining maturity at around 250 years old.

The trees begin to flower in mid-January and continue until early March. The tree bears an abundance of extremely delicate white flowers with a fresh piquant scent. Leatherwood is so named because of the leathery texture of its leaves.