Final run from Clem’s shed • In 14 active carts • 27 left
Clem's Hand-Carved Wood Spirit Birdhouse
Clem's Hand-Carved Wood Spirit Birdhouse
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Clem's Hand-Carved Wood Spirit Birdhouse
A Hand-Carved Wood Spirit from the Otway Ranges
Clem Hollis, 72, outside Forrest, Victoria — 44 years carving the old “watchers” the Otways timber men left behind. These are among the last he will ever make.
“I don’t decide the face. The grain tells me where the nose goes. I just take away what isn’t him.”
What arrives at your door
Why the birds actually choose it
Carved from one solid piece of timber. No glued seam to swell and crack in a wet week — the way flat-pack plywood does, usually with a nest still inside.
The open mouth is cut to roughly 40 mm — right for pardalotes, tree martins and feathertail gliders, too small for mynas and starlings.
The deep-carved hood overhangs the entrance like a verandah. Rain sheds down the face and off the chin, never into the nest.
The small hole below the beard isn’t decoration. It drains any water that gets in and lets heat escape when the afternoon turns.
Thin plywood turns into an oven on a 40 °C day. Thick solid walls hold the heat out and hold warmth in on a cold spring night. Clem calls it “an esky for eggs.”
Left untreated, the timber weathers to a soft silver-grey over the years and becomes part of the garden — instead of peeling like a painted box.
“A tree hollow takes ninety to a hundred and ten years to form, and only about one tree in eight ever carries one. That is why artificial hollows matter so much here. But most boxes sold in Australia fail on two counts: the entrance is cut too wide, so a myna or starling simply takes it, and the walls are too thin, so the box cooks a brood on a forty-degree day. A solid-timber house with a 40 mm entrance, an overhanging brow and a drained floor is exactly what a pardalote or tree martin is looking for.”
Dr. Alison Rourke, Ornithologist · The Hollow-Nester Project, Ballarat
Perfect for
The quality, in plain terms
- One solid block — no glue, no seams, no joints to fail.
- Hand-carved — every face unique, cut by a 44-year carver.
- Built for weather — overhanging brow, drained floor, thick walls.
- Right-sized entrance — 40 mm lets natives in and keeps mynas out.
- Ages beautifully — silvers to a natural patina outdoors.
30-Day Peace of Mind
Live with your wood spirit for a month. If it isn’t everything you hoped, email us and send it back — no questions, no fuss. Clem would rather it find the right backyard than sit in the wrong one.
Each piece is carved by hand from natural timber, so small variations in grain, colour, face and dimensions are normal — they are the signature of a real maker, not a factory. No two watchers are exactly alike, and yours is the only one of its kind.
Product details
| Material | Solid hand-carved timber (blackwood / myrtle beech) |
| Finish | Natural, untreated (weathers to silver-grey patina) |
| Set includes | 1 wood spirit birdhouse + hanging cord + story card |
| Approx. size | 28–30 cm H × 16–18 cm W × 15 cm D |
| Entrance hole | ~40 mm (fits pardalotes, tree martins, feathertail gliders) |
| Weight | ~0.7–1 kg |
| Design | Hand-carved — each face one of a kind |
| Placement | Hang from a branch, hook or verandah |
| Care | Brush out once a year; no treatment needed |
| Maker | Clem Hollis, Forrest, Otway Ranges, VIC |
| Shipping | Free shipping Australia-wide |
| Reviews | 4.9 / 5 · 1,200+ birdhouses in gardens |
The Last of the Watchers
The Last of the Watchers
A note from the shed:
Clem Hollis has carved wood spirits — the old hooded “watchers” the Otways timber men left in the stumps — in an old dairy shed outside Forrest, Victoria since 1982. More than 3,000 of them, every one from a single block, no glue and no seams. Two winters ago the neuropathy reached his fingertips. The strength is still there; the feeling is not, and a carver who can’t feel the edge can’t cut the fifty small strokes that turn a lump of timber into a face. His specialist in Geelong told him plainly that it does not come back. There are 57 finished houses left on the seasoning shelf. When they are gone there will be no more.
Free Shipping Australia-Wide
Free Shipping Australia-Wide
Free shipping Australia-wide
- Delivery time: 3–7 business days
- Every piece is hand-packed and tracked
- Approx. 28–30 cm high × 16–18 cm wide × 15 cm deep, around 0.7–1 kg of solid timber
- Entrance ~40 mm — right for pardalotes, tree martins and feathertail gliders, too small for mynas and starlings
- Hangs from the supplied cord on a branch, hook or verandah. Untreated — it silvers outdoors
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@backroad-goods.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@backroad-goods.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (AEST). Whether it’s about your order, where to hang it, or which birds you’re hoping for — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Hang it in the garden, live with it a week, and if it isn’t right, email info@backroad-goods.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, no hassle.
How is each one made?
How is each one made?
Clem cuts blackwood and myrtle beech and stacks it to season for two full years before he touches it. Each watcher is then carved from that single block — no glue, no seams, no joins to fail. The hood is cut deep so rain sheds off the face instead of into the nest, the mouth is opened to roughly 40 mm, and a small vent is drilled through the beard to drain and to let heat out. Nothing is stained or sealed: left untreated, the timber silvers over the years. No two faces are alike, because he doesn’t sketch one first — he waits for the grain to tell him where the nose goes.