FAQ
Blackspur Co. – Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is oilskin?
Oilskin is one of the oldest performance fabrics in use — a tightly woven natural cotton treated with oils and waxes to create a water-resistant, wind-resistant, and highly durable material.
It has been trusted for generations by stockmen, sailors, and outdoorsmen because it works — not in theory, but in the field.
What makes Blackspur Co. different?
We take a different approach to most modern brands.
- We prioritise natural fibres and highly refined ingredients
- We avoid unnecessary synthetics like PFAS and silicones
- We encourage customers to treat and understand their own gear
- Our products are designed to be worn in, not worn out
This is not fashion oilskin.
This is working material — refined through real use.
Where are your products designed?
All Blackspur Co. products are designed in Australia, informed by decades of real-world use across bush, coast, and field conditions.
Are your products suitable for heavy outdoor use?
Yes. Our garments are built for real environments — rain, wind, abrasion, and extended wear.
They are designed to perform in the same conditions oilskin has been trusted in for generations.
Oilskin Performance & Feel
Is oilskin fully waterproof?
Oilskin is highly water-resistant, designed to repel rain and weather effectively.
Unlike synthetic rainwear, it is also breathable and durable, making it better suited for long-term wear rather than short bursts of protection.
Will my garment feel stiff at first?
Yes — and this is intentional.
New oilskin often feels firm or structured. Over time, with wear and movement, it softens, conforms to your body, and develops character.
Why does my oilskin look different over time?
This is called a patina.
A patina is the natural evolution of the material:
- Creases from movement
- Subtle tonal variation
- Softening in high-use areas
It is not damage — it is a record of use, and one of the defining characteristics of premium oilskin.
Will it feel tacky after treatment?
In some cases, yes — particularly with traditional or oil-rich blends.
This is normal and temporary. As the garment cures and is worn, the finish settles into a dry, balanced feel.
Treating & Maintaining Your Oilskin
Do I need to treat my garment myself?
We encourage it — but it’s not mandatory.
Treating your own garment:
- Builds a deeper connection to your gear
- Allows you to customise performance
- Is part of traditional oilskin craftsmanship
How often should I reproof my oilskin?
Typically every 12–24 months, depending on use.
You may also spot-treat high-wear areas (shoulders, hood, sleeves) as needed.
Can I over-treat my garment?
Not permanently.
Oilskin is forgiving. If too much product is applied:
- Reheat the fabric
- Allow excess to absorb or wipe away
- Let it cure properly
Most issues resolve with heat, airflow, and time.
What if my oilskin feels too stiff?
- Wear it — movement softens the fibres
- Apply gentle heat and flex the fabric
- Adjust your blend next time
Oilskin naturally softens with use.
What if it looks patchy?
Patchiness is usually a distribution issue, not a lack of product.
- Reheat the area
- Lightly brush or spread
- Avoid adding more until it evens out
Can I wash my oilskin?
No — avoid machine washing or detergents.
Instead:
- Wipe clean with a damp cloth
- Brush off dirt when dry
- Reproof when needed
Ingredients & Safety
Are your ingredients safe?
Yes.
Where applicable, our ingredients are:
- Food-grade or highly refined
- Derived from natural or well-understood sources
- Free from PFAS and unnecessary synthetic coatings
What is the difference between gum turpentine and d-limonene?
Both are natural solvents used to help blends penetrate fibres:
- Gum Turpentine → Traditional, pine-derived, deep penetration
- d-Limonene → Citrus-derived, cleaner profile, biodegradable
Both evaporate after application and leave no residue.
Why not use synthetic coatings?
Many modern coatings prioritise:
- Speed of production
- Uniform appearance
- Low cost
We prioritise:
- Longevity
- Breathability
- Natural performance
Blends & Recipes
Which blend should I choose?
It depends on your environment and preference:
- Heavy rain / harsh conditions → More wax, more structure
- Everyday wear → Balanced blend
- Flexibility / comfort → More oil, more movement
There is no single correct formula — only what suits your use.
Can I customise my own blend?
Yes — and we encourage it.
Oilskin is not a fixed system. Adjusting ratios allows you to:
- Change feel
- Change durability
- Change water resistance
What happens if I get the blend wrong?
You won’t.
Different blends simply produce different characteristics.
You can always:
- Reheat
- Adjust
- Reapply
Oilskin is a craft, not a formula.
Shipping & Orders
Do you ship Australia-wide?
Yes — we ship across Australia.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes — international shipping options are available at checkout.
How long does shipping take?
Delivery times vary depending on location, but typical estimates are:
- Australia: 2–7 business days
- International: 7–14+ business days
Will I receive tracking?
Yes — all orders include tracking details once dispatched.
Returns & Support
Do you offer returns or exchanges?
Yes — subject to our returns policy.
Items must be:
- Unused
- In original condition
What if I need help choosing products?
We’re here to help.
Reach out and we can guide you based on:
- Your environment
- Intended use
- Preferred feel and finish
Final Word on Blackspur Oilskin
Oilskin is not a disposable material.
It is something you learn, refine, and live with.
It changes over time. It improves with use. And when cared for properly, it becomes something worth holding onto — and one day, passing on.
That’s what Blackspur Co. is built around.
What is the map printed inside Blackspur garments?
The map is known as The Blackspur Trail.
It is a unique Blackspur creation inspired by Australia's vast landscapes, historic travel routes, frontier history, Indigenous heritage, and the enduring spirit of exploration that has shaped the Australian outback for thousands of years.
The trail follows a route across some of Australia's most remarkable landscapes, including the Great Australian Bight, the Nullarbor Plain, Mount Connor, Uluru, the Henbury Meteorite Craters, the Simpson Desert, Brewarrina Fish Traps and Lightning Ridge.
Is the Blackspur Trail a real historical route?
The trail itself is a fictional route created by Blackspur.
However, the locations featured on the map are real places of historical, cultural and geographical significance.
Many sections of the trail draw inspiration from genuine exploration routes, stock routes, trade paths, droving tracks, prospecting expeditions and stories passed through generations of Australians who travelled these remote regions.
What is the story behind the map?
The map accompanies The Legend of the Blackspur Trail, a bush tale about a mysterious Traveller who set out in search of a legendary black opal said to exist somewhere beyond the known opal fields of Lightning Ridge.
Along the way, he crosses deserts, mountains, rivers and ancient landscapes, gathering stories from stockmen, prospectors and the First Peoples of the land.
The tale eventually fades into mystery, with the Traveller and his faithful dingo disappearing beyond the maps and into legend.
Whether the black opal truly existed is left for each reader to decide.
Is the story true?
The Blackspur Trail legend is a work of fiction inspired by Australia's history, landscapes and folklore.
While the Traveller, the dingo and the legendary black opal are fictional, the locations featured throughout the trail are real places with fascinating histories that continue to inspire travellers today.
The intention is not to recreate a specific historical event, but to celebrate Australia's spirit of adventure, resilience and exploration.
Why did Blackspur create the trail?
Blackspur was founded on a love of the Australian outdoors.
The Blackspur Trail was created to capture the feeling that draws people into the bush, onto the water, across the mountains and into the remote corners of the country.
It represents curiosity, self-reliance, resilience and a desire to explore beyond the next horizon.
The map serves as a reminder that some of life's greatest experiences are found not at the destination, but along the journey itself.
Can I visit the places shown on the map?
Absolutely.
Every major waypoint featured on the Blackspur Trail is a real location that can be visited.
Many travellers choose to use the map as inspiration for their own Australian adventures, whether that's exploring the Nullarbor, visiting Uluru, witnessing the ancient Brewarrina Fish Traps, searching for opals at Lightning Ridge, or simply experiencing the vastness of the Australian outback.
Why is the map printed inside the garment?
The Blackspur Trail is intended to be discovered.
Just as old explorers carried maps and journals tucked inside their coats, every Blackspur garment carries its own story hidden within.
The liner serves as both artwork and inspiration—a reminder that adventure is never far away, and that every journey begins with a single step beyond the familiar.
What does the Blackspur Trail represent?
The trail represents:
• Adventure
• Exploration
• Heritage
• Resilience
• Self-reliance
• Respect for the land
• The enduring spirit of the Australian outdoors
Most of all, it represents the belief that the greatest treasures are not always what we find at the end of the journey.
They are the stories, experiences and memories gathered along the way.
The country remembers.
The trail remains.
The rest is legend.
The Blackspur Trail
Historical Notes from the Trail
Head of the Bight
The Head of the Bight stands where the vast limestone cliffs of the Great Australian Bight meet the Southern Ocean. These cliffs, rising more than 100 metres above the sea in places, form one of the longest uninterrupted sea cliffs on Earth.
For thousands of years the coastline was known to the Traditional Custodians of the region, who understood the rhythms of the ocean and the seasons of the land. Long before modern roads crossed the Nullarbor, Indigenous trade routes connected people across this country.
European mariners viewed the coastline with a mixture of awe and fear. Strong winds, hidden reefs and remote waters made these shores unforgiving. During the nineteenth century whalers operated along parts of the southern coast, enduring brutal conditions in pursuit of the Southern Right Whale.
Today the Head of the Bight remains one of Australia's great wilderness landscapes and one of the best places in the world to witness migrating Southern Right Whales.
The Nullarbor Plain
The name Nullarbor comes from the Latin nullus arbor meaning "no trees", yet the plain is far from empty.
Beneath the seemingly endless horizon lies one of the world's largest limestone karst systems, containing caves, sinkholes and underground waterways formed over millions of years.
For countless generations Aboriginal peoples crossed this country using intricate knowledge of water sources, seasonal changes and songlines connecting distant regions.
The Nullarbor later became a formidable challenge for explorers, telegraph workers, camel teams and motorists. Travellers crossing the plain quickly learned a lesson still relevant today:
The country rewards preparation, humility and respect.
At night, the Nullarbor offers some of the darkest and clearest skies in Australia, revealing a spectacle of stars that has inspired travellers for generations.
Mount Connor
Rising dramatically from the desert floor, Mount Connor is often mistaken for Uluru by first-time visitors.
Known to local Indigenous communities for countless generations, the mountain stands as a prominent landmark within an ancient cultural landscape.
Its distinctive mesa-like profile has guided travellers through Central Australia for centuries. Early explorers, stockmen and cameleers used the mountain as a natural navigation point when crossing the interior.
Though less famous than nearby Uluru, many experienced outback travellers consider Mount Connor one of the most striking landmarks in Australia.
Uluru
Uluru is one of the most recognisable natural landmarks on Earth and holds profound cultural significance for the Anangu people, the Traditional Owners of the region.
The rock itself is estimated to be over 500 million years old, having formed through immense geological forces that shaped the Australian continent.
For the Anangu, Uluru is far more than a geological feature. It is a living cultural landscape connected to stories, law, identity and responsibility that have been maintained for countless generations.
Visitors often describe their first sight of Uluru emerging from the desert as one of the most memorable moments of any Australian journey.
Henbury Meteorite Craters
Approximately 4,700 years ago, fragments of a meteorite struck the earth south of Alice Springs, creating a field of impact craters now known as the Henbury Meteorite Conservation Reserve.
What makes Henbury particularly remarkable is that some Aboriginal oral traditions appear to describe a fiery object falling from the sky, suggesting cultural memories of the event may have been preserved across many generations.
Standing among the craters today, visitors can see physical evidence of a cosmic event that occurred thousands of years ago, connecting the Australian landscape to the wider story of the universe itself.
Simpson Desert
The Simpson Desert is home to the world's longest parallel sand dunes, stretching across Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Far from being empty, the desert supports a surprising diversity of wildlife including dingoes, reptiles, birds and specialised plant species adapted to extreme conditions.
For generations, Aboriginal peoples navigated this country through deep environmental knowledge and careful management of scarce resources.
To modern adventurers, the Simpson remains one of Australia's ultimate wilderness challenges, demanding resilience, preparation and respect.
Strzelecki Desert
Named after Polish explorer Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki, this vast region has played an important role in Australia's pastoral history.
The Strzelecki Track later became one of the great outback routes, used by drovers moving cattle between remote stations and railheads.
Harsh conditions, dust storms, floods and isolation shaped the character of those who worked here.
Today the landscape remains a powerful reminder of Australia's frontier history and the determination required to survive within it.
Thargomindah
Located beside the Bulloo River system in south-west Queensland, Thargomindah occupies an important place in outback history.
The town became one of Australia's earliest hydroelectric-powered settlements, using artesian water pressure to generate electricity in the late nineteenth century.
For drovers, teamsters and travellers crossing western Queensland, Thargomindah served as a vital centre for supplies, communication and community.
Even today it remains a gateway to some of Australia's most remote and beautiful country.
Brewarrina Fish Traps (Baiame's Ngunnhu)
The Brewarrina Fish Traps are among the oldest known human-made structures on Earth and represent one of Australia's most remarkable examples of Indigenous engineering.
Constructed from carefully placed stones along the Barwon River, the traps were designed to guide fish into holding ponds where they could be sustainably harvested.
Beyond their practical purpose, the traps also served as important gathering places where communities met to trade, share knowledge, celebrate and strengthen cultural connections.
Many visitors regard Baiame's Ngunnhu as one of the most significant cultural heritage sites in Australia.
Lightning Ridge
Lightning Ridge is world-famous for producing some of the finest black opals ever discovered.
The town's opal history began in the late nineteenth century and quickly attracted prospectors from around the world seeking fortune beneath the dry plains of north-west New South Wales.
Life on the opal fields was rarely easy. Miners endured isolation, heat, drought and uncertainty in pursuit of a stone that might never be found.
Yet it is this spirit of perseverance, hope and adventure that continues to define Lightning Ridge today.
The black opal remains one of Australia's most unique natural treasures, displaying brilliant colours hidden within dark stone.
Beyond the Ridge
Beyond Lightning Ridge lies a landscape where maps become sparse and horizons seem endless.
This country has always belonged to stories.
Stories of travellers.
Stories of stockmen.
Stories of prospectors.
Stories carried by the First Peoples of the land for countless generations.
Whether one follows the Blackspur Trail in search of history, adventure or simply the experience of standing beneath a vast inland sky, the lesson remains the same:
Australia's greatest treasure has never been hidden beneath the ground.
It has always been the journey across the land itself.
Black Spur Drive
Few roads in Australia capture the spirit of adventure quite like the Black Spur.
Winding through the towering forests of Victoria's Yarra Ranges between Healesville and Narbethong, the Black Spur has long been regarded as one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the country. Beneath the immense Mountain Ash trees—among the tallest flowering plants on Earth—the road twists through cool rainforest gullies, fern-filled valleys and mist-covered ridges that seem unchanged by time.
Yet the history of the Black Spur reaches far beyond the modern road.
Long before the arrival of European settlers, the forests and ranges were known to the Traditional Custodians of the region. Ancient pathways crossed these mountains, connecting communities through trade, ceremony and shared knowledge of the land. The forests, waterways and ridgelines formed part of a living landscape understood through generations of observation and stewardship.
As Victoria's gold rush expanded into the mountains during the nineteenth century, the route became an important link between settlements and mining districts. Bullock teams, horse-drawn coaches, prospectors, surveyors and settlers all travelled through these forests, enduring steep gradients, mud, fallen timber and unpredictable mountain weather. In those early days, a journey through the Spur was considered an expedition rather than a drive.
By the early twentieth century the Black Spur had become famous for another reason—its extraordinary beauty. Photographers, artists and tourists travelled from Melbourne to experience the giant forests. German-born photographer John William Lindt established a retreat in the area and helped popularise the region through his remarkable images of the towering Mountain Ash forests and fern gullies.
The forest itself has witnessed both destruction and renewal. The devastating Black Saturday bushfires of 2009 swept through much of the surrounding region, forever changing towns such as Marysville and leaving deep scars across the landscape. Yet like much of Australia, the forest endured. Today young Mountain Ash trees rise beneath surviving giants, a reminder of the resilience that defines both the country and the people who live within it.
Travellers who pass through the Black Spur today often speak of the same feeling. The air grows cooler beneath the canopy. Sunlight filters through ferns and towering trunks. Mist drifts through the gullies after rain. Lyrebirds scratch among the leaf litter, crimson rosellas flash between the trees and the distant sound of running water echoes through the valleys.
It is a place that encourages people to slow down.
To listen.
To look beyond the road ahead.
And perhaps to imagine the countless travellers who passed this way before them.
Stockmen.
Prospectors.
Surveyors.
Photographers.
Explorers.
And all those whose stories have become part of the forest itself.
The Black Spur is more than a road.
It is a journey through one of Australia's great mountain landscapes—a place where history, wilderness and adventure continue to meet beneath the tallest trees in the world.
What does Blackspur Mean?
The name Blackspur draws inspiration from the geographical meaning of a spur—a lateral ridge, ridge of land, or descending shoulder extending from a mountain, hill or main ridgeline.
Throughout Australia's history, these elevated spurs and ridgelines served as natural pathways, lookout points and navigation markers for explorers, stockmen, prospectors, surveyors and travellers crossing the continent.
The "Black" of Blackspur carries its own symbolism. Across Australia's sunburnt country, fire has shaped the landscape for countless generations. From mountain forests to inland ranges, bushfires would often sweep upwards toward the ridgelines and spurs, where wind and terrain combined to drive the flames to their fiercest intensity.
Long after the fire had passed, the high country remained marked by darkened timber, charcoal earth and weathered ash. Travellers crossing these ridges often found their boots stained black by the soil beneath them and their hands marked by the remnants of ancient fires. To us, the colour black represents resilience rather than destruction—a reminder that
Australia's landscapes have always endured hardship, renewed themselves, and emerged stronger with time. It is the colour of weathered campfires, seasoned stockman's leather, ironbark shadows at dusk and the timeless ash-grey ridgelines that have guided generations of travellers across the continent.
From such high ground, one could gaze across vast valleys, forests, deserts and distant horizons, searching for the next river, waterhole, mountain pass or unexplored country beyond. The spur represented possibility. It offered perspective. It was often the place where a traveller paused, studied the landscape before them, and chose the direction of their next adventure.
For Blackspur, this meaning lies at the very heart of the brand.
It represents curiosity, exploration and the enduring human desire to look beyond the horizon. It symbolises the spirit of those who venture into the unknown, whether crossing mountain ranges, following remote tracks, casting a line into unfamiliar waters or simply seeking the next great adventure.
The Blackspur is not merely a place.
It is the ridgeline from which new journeys begin.
It is the high ground where stories are discovered.
It is the moment before the trail disappears into the distance and the adventure truly begins.