I'm an Yank woodworker who visited Australia last month and saw lots
of great looking wood that I didn't recognize. For example, the
Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay has walls covered with
a tight curly veneer that looks a little like maple but darker and
more tightly curled - a beautiful wood. What is it? I also saw a lot
of a wood that reminded me of Koa from Hawaii but it wasn't Koa - what
wood would that be? Also, a lot of wood floors were made of a same
type of wood which occasionally had a reddish hint to it. What wood is
that? I spent the bulk of my visit in Adelaide and didn't really see
many trees down there that looked like they were hardwood lumber type
trees. And how come all the electrical outlets have tiny little
switches on them?

Thanks,
-Scott