Oi mate. My wife's a Sydneysider. I stole her from you guys five years ago. We're in the US, but she misses you. ....And I turn wood on a Stubby Lathe!

So....

• No experience with that particular species of tree and different woods can behave differently in drying. So you might wanna find another aussie bloke to ask about that wood particularly.

• You can see, looking at the ends of the log, that there are already some cracks showing. You should put some kind of sealer on those open-grain ends to help stop that (unless you want cracks in your finished work) You can buy special sealers, but you can also use any old paint you have around. The idea is to slow down evaporation of water through the open cells exposed by the cuts.

Sporadic rainfall??? We heard they were having to save you guys off roof tops.

• You don't want the drying log exposed to rain (....more water to soak into the wood mate) or the sun (speeds up the drying too much)

• You really want slow drying not fast. If you do keep the log outside, the need to raise it up off the ground so that air can circulate all around the piece and you need to cover it with a tarp to keep rain off. ...If the ground is actually flooding, you need to raise it up high enough to not get caught in that water. Shade is better than in direct sun, even with a tarp cover.

• You don't wanna quicken the process so moisture absorbent is a waste. The log will eventually balance to the local relative humidity.

• Yes, there are electronic moisture meters available. Bunnings might have 'em. Pick up a snag while your there lol.

Cheers.