BSP KnifeWorks

13/10/2026

Brian Goodwin of Wanganui Aerowork in the JetRanger, dropping us into Wakelings Hut in the Ruahine for a 10-day stint. Blackie and Matty Scott pictured. This was my first trip with Brian, and it would be the first of many.
Matty Scott was a mountain of a man, about 6'5", strong as an ox and a great packhorse when there was a deer to carry out. He’d been at school with me, a year or two behind, and years later we ended up working together in the Ruahine.
After that we lost touch.
Then, completely by chance, we ran into each other again one night at Waipoua Hut on Lake Waikaremoana in Te Urewera National Park. I’d been walking around the lake with my family, and Matty came across in a jet boat with his wife to stay the night.
It was one of those wonderfully random meetings. After all those years, there we were in the middle of nowhere, sharing a hut again. We had a great catch-up that night.
I haven’t seen or heard from him since.
Brian was one of those pilots you trusted in any conditions. In country like that, it meant something.
I remember another trip when we’d been at Ikawatea Forks Hut for a week, maybe 10 days. I don’t remember exactly, but we had a day and time arranged for Brian to pick us up.
He was late.
Maybe an hour. Maybe two or three. It was a long time ago, so I can’t remember how long, only that it was long enough for us to start wondering if we were going to get picked up that day.
Down in the Ikawatea Valley the weather was actually fine, but fast-moving clouds were skudding across the tops and you just knew the weather up there wasn’t good.
Then we heard it.
The rotor chop of the Hughes 500D coming in over the ridge.
After all that waiting, it was a bloody satisfying sound. Mind you, let’s be honest, rotor chop is always a satisfying sound.
A few moments later Brian dropped onto the helipad outside the hut, jumped out of the chopper and came over to us.
“F**k, I got lost up there,” he said, indicating the Ruahine tops.
“It’s blizzard conditions.”
Then he just said, “Righto, let’s go.”
The trip out was rough. I distinctly remember the chopper swaying hard from side to side in the wind, feeling at times as though we were banking 45 degrees each way. I’m probably exaggerating with the benefit of 35 years’ memory, but that’s how it felt.
At one point Brian dropped us down low across the Makirikiri to try and get out of the wind. It worked for a while, but eventually we had to climb back into it to get over a high ridgeline before we could land.
It was rough.
Brian dropped us near the old Springvale Suspension Bridge on the Napier-Taihape Road. By then the weather was closing in fast and getting worse by the minute.
We’d barely finished unloading our gear when he looked at the sky and said, “Got to go. I’ve got a party to pick up up the Rangitikei before it really turns to sh*t.”
And that was Brian.
No fuss, no drama. He knew the country, he knew the weather, and he knew his machine. He was one of those pilots you trusted completely when the conditions were anything but.

10/10/2026

Handmade on the Gold Coast. Made to earn their keep.

Twenty years farming and a lifetime of hunting taught me what I value in a knife. A comfortable handle. Good geometry. A profile that suits the job.

That experience goes into every knife I make.

For the paddock, the bush, the boat or the kitchen.

BSP KnifeWorks.

See the knives currently available https://bspknifeworks.com.au

03/10/2026

Back in the workshop this morning. Skinning knife in 8Cr14MoV stainless steel with a Pin Oak handle and brass pins. I'm loving that grain in the Pin Oak. Available if anyone wants it.

03/10/2026

First Beaudesert Market done and dusted.
Reasonably successful too. Sold a drop point utility knife, a couple of kiridashi and a handful of accessories, so definitely worth the trip out there.

What I probably enjoyed most though was the people. A very different demographic to Tamborine Mountain, but no less interested in what I’m doing. In some ways maybe even more so.

Hunters, farmers, abattoir workers, outdoors people and even three blokes who make their own knives.
Lots of people who actually understood knives and wanted to talk steel, heat treatment, grinds and what they use their knives for. That stuff I can and do talk about all day. 😂

There was something else today that I’m still getting used to though. A couple of people came up and said, “Oh, I follow you on Facebook.” I still find that a bit weird. Not bad weird. Just weird.

I’ve spent most of my life being pretty anonymous. I’ve never really had any desire to be noticed. I’m quite happy disappearing into a workshop, doing my thing and letting the work speak for itself. So having someone I’ve never met before know who BSP KnifeWorks is, know some of the knives I’ve made and actually take an interest in what I’m doing is quietly satisfying, slightly odd and honestly pretty humbling. There’s a small part of my brain that still thinks, “Why the hell are you following me?” 😆

But I’m grateful for it.

Thanks to everyone who stopped today, had a yarn, bought something or just showed some genuine interest in what I’m doing.

Good first day, Beaudesert.

We’ll see you again next month.

19/09/2026

I'm very pleased to say BSP KnifeWorks will be one of the stallholders at the new Beaudesert Markets.

The first market is Saturday 3rd October, with the markets then running on the first Saturday of every month.

I’m really looking forward to being part of it from the beginning.

I’ll have a good range of handmade knives with me, including kitchen, outdoor, hunting and fillet knives, along with some of the brass coins, dog tags and other bits and pieces I’ve been making lately.

It sounds like the new market has some great local organisations behind it and a real focus on makers, growers, producers and local businesses, so I reckon it should be a great day.

If you’re around Beaudesert or the Scenic Rim, come down, have a wander and say g’day.

🌿 WHO ARE WE? 🌿

You may have heard that there is a new market coming to Beaudesert — but who is behind it?

For 31 years, markets have been a much-loved part of the Beaudesert community, bringing locals and visitors together each month. Following the development of the park where the previous markets were held, a new group of local organisations has come together to create a new market for Beaudesert, inspired by the important place markets have held in our community for so many years.

So, who are we?

We are a collaboration of four local organisations, all with a strong connection to our community and a shared passion for bringing people together:

🦁 Lions Club of Beaudesert Qld — supporting our community through service, fundraising and local projects.

🤝 Beaudesert Rotary Club — bringing its strong tradition of community service and commitment to making a difference locally.

🧡 Zonta Club of Beaudesert Area Inc. — working to strengthen our community through service, with a particular focus on supporting women and girls.

🛍️ Beaudesert Chamber of Commerce — supporting local businesses and helping create opportunities for our business community to connect and thrive.

Together, we're working to create a new monthly market for Beaudesert — a welcoming place for local makers, growers, producers, businesses, community groups, families and visitors to come together.

We're excited to introduce ourselves, share our plans and, most importantly, bring something new to the Beaudesert community. ❤️

A new market, brought to you by your local community.

Stay tuned — there's plenty more to come!

08/08/2026

Drop point skinner in CJ1428 with espresso micarta handle, toxic green liners and brass pins.

07/08/2026

Clip Point in AEB-L stainless steel with a spalted curly maple handle, brass pins and lanyard tube.

03/08/2026

Pohangina River, Ruahine Forest Park. We'd walked into Iron Gate Hut up the Orua River after being dropped off at the road end, climbed up into the tussock on the Ngamoko range and dropped into the headwaters of the Pohangina. Spotted a stag holding three or four hinds as we dropped into the thick Leatherwood scrub on the otherside. Camped at Top Gorge Hut for the night and was woken in the early hours by a stag walking right past the hut, roaring his head off.

In the morning we set off downstream doing a Blue Duck survey. Good country for them.

One thing was guaranteed working in the Ruahine, wet feet. You had to look after them. We were always walking rivers. Buller boots were the footwear of choice, made by Skellerup. I don't even know if they make them anymore. A lace-up ankle-high rubber gumboot. We'd drill the instep so water could escape, then wrap horse bandages around the top of the boot and calf for ankle stability on uneven ground and to keep the fine river stones out. The last thing you wanted early into a 14 day stint in the bush was sores from river stones.

Stayed at Ngamoko Hut that night and out to Pohangina Field Base the next day.

06/07/2026

Waterfall Hut, deep in the Ruahine. We'd walked up the Waikamaka River from Wakelings and stayed the night at the Waikamaka hut in the headwaters. The weather that night was wild, cold, sleet, the works. But the little stove in that hut put out so much heat Blackie and I ended up in our underwear with the door open. True story.
Morning dawned fine. On the approach to the saddle we spotted a mob of five or six deer, hinds and a spiker. Too far for a shot, and they'd already winded us. Gone.
Crossed over and dropped into the headwaters of the Kawhatau, stopped here at Waterfall Hut for a bite of lunch, then pushed on up to McKinnon Hut on the Hikurangi Range to clear windfall on the track. Just another day in the Ruahine.

15/06/2026

Late afternoon on the Mokai Patea Range, glassing for deer with Butch the dog. Steep hike up from the Waikamaka River out of Wakelings Hut to get here. No luck with the deer that evening, but just being there with that view was enough.

Thinking back, this country shaped me. I've always loved being in the hills, but being in the Ruahine for extended periods was something else.