The Blackwood Cobbler

Est. 2026 · Wombat State Forest, VIC

Built for the forest.
Bound for a lifetime.

A small cobbler's bench in the hills above Blackwood. Boots, shoes, saddlery and leatherwork brought back from the brink — for the workers, riders and walkers who wear their gear properly and would rather mend it than bin it.

What we mend Bring us your gear

The Blackwood Cobbler maker's mark — crossed hammer and awl

The Bench

Not a shopfront. A workshop.

The Blackwood Cobbler is a private workshop, not a commercial venture. There is no counter, no queue and no shopping centre kiosk churning through heel tips on a three-minute clock. There is a bench, a treadle Singer patcher, a finisher, a wall of lasts and awls, and the time to do the job the way it ought to be done.

That means a pair of boots might sit for a week while the cement cures properly, or while the right weight of leather is found for a sole. It also means the work comes back to you honest: stitched where it should be stitched, and never glued where it should be sewn.

We do this because we love it. Every repair that leaves the bench is a thing that didn't go to landfill, and a thing that will outlast whatever would have replaced it.

Quality repairs. Honest work.
The workshop bench at Blackwood — hand tools racked on the wall, a worn pair of hiking boots waiting on the bench top

What We Mend

If it is leather, or it walks, bring it in

Between the boots and the tack there is very little that hasn't crossed this bench. If you're not sure whether something can be saved — ask. It usually can.

Boots & Shoes

Every construction, every sole. Goodyear-welted, Blake-stitched, stitch-down or cemented — we read the boot before we touch it.

  • Leather boots & work boots
  • Hiking & bushwalking boots
  • Motorcycle & riding boots
  • Everyday shoes & dress shoes
  • Women's high heels

Soles & Heels

Any type of sole replacement, on any type of shoe. Vibram lug, Dainite studded, leather, crepe or commando — matched to how you actually use them.

  • Full resoles & half soles
  • Heel blocks & top pieces
  • Heel tips for high heels
  • Toe taps & sole protectors
  • Welt repair & re-stitching

Horse Riding Gear

Saddlery and tack repaired to be safe under load — because the failure point on a bridle is not a cosmetic problem.

  • Bridles, reins & headstalls
  • Girths & stirrup leathers
  • Halters, breastplates & billets
  • Rugs, hoods & surcingles
  • Buckles, rivets & Chicago screws

Belts & Leatherwork

Any type of leatherwork, mended or made over. New holes, new hardware, new life.

  • Leather belts — shortened, re-holed, re-buckled
  • Bags, packs & satchels
  • Sheaths, pouches & dog collars
  • Restitching & edge dressing
  • Cleaning, conditioning & re-waxing

Odds & Ends

The small jobs a country town still needs somewhere to take.

  • Watch battery replacement
  • Car key fob & remote batteries
  • Watch straps, pins & resizing
  • Zip & gusset replacement
  • Eyelets, speed hooks & D-rings
  • Stretching on the last

Repair Reports

Every job is assessed and written up before any work starts — what's wrong, what it needs, what it will cost, and what we'd leave alone.

  • Photographed on arrival
  • Written assessment & quote
  • Nothing replaced that can be repaired
  • Before & after on return

Off The Bench

Recent work

Whatever's actually on the bench. Nothing exotic — just gear that had plenty of life left in it once someone bothered to look properly.

A cast-iron cobbler's last stand with three interchangeable foot plates in different sizes
The last stand. Cast iron, four-armed pillar, three interchangeable feet — child, small adult, full size. Swap the foot and any boot in the shop has something solid to sit on while it's nailed, hammered or stitched. There is no modern equivalent worth owning; these were made to outlast the hands using them.
Tan leather Chelsea boots on a cutting mat, sole separating from the upper at the right toe
Chelseas, sole letting go. The bond has failed across the toe on the right and opened up a good 40mm — the left is not far behind. Cleaned back, re-cemented and then stitched rather than trusted to glue alone, so it won't do the same thing again next winter.
A well-worn pair of tooled western riding boots standing on the workshop bench
Western boots, plenty left in them. Uppers dry and scuffed, stitching still sound. This is a feed, a re-heel and a fresh sole — not a write-off. A pair like this is good for three or four rebuilds before anyone should be talking about replacing them.
A three-button car key fob beside the CR2032 coin cell removed from it
Car remote, flat battery. Three-button fob, a CR2032 inside, and the case opened without a mark on it. Two minutes on the bench instead of a trip down the hill to the dealer. We do vehicle remotes and key fobs the same as we do watches.
A pair of restored brown leather boots with rebuilt welted soles
Welted boots, resoled and reconditioned. Uppers cleaned and fed, sole stitched through the welt, heel rebuilt in stacked leather.
A black leather belt with a stainless roller buckle, restitched and re-holed
Belt, restitched and re-buckled. Hand-sewn keeper, new roller buckle set on a fresh billet — a decade or two more in it yet.

How It Works

Repair transparency

You see the boot before, you see the boot after, and you hear exactly what it needed in between. No mystery, no upsell.

Worn hiking boots tagged on the workshop bench, awaiting assessment
1. Assessed. Tagged and photographed on arrival. You get a written report and a price before a single stitch is cut.
Hand and machine stitching a boot on the old Singer patcher
2. Repaired. Hand work and machine work, in whatever order the boot demands. It takes as long as it takes.
Finished boots packed into a branded timber crate for return
3. Returned. Cleaned, conditioned and boxed — the ritual of return. Come back to us in ten years and we'll do it again.

From the Bench

What's in the workshop

Whatever happens to be on the bench this week. No schedule to it — it goes up when there's something worth showing.

Got this pair of boots in today

Here's a quick video of what it looks like.

Get In Touch

17 Wall Street, Blackwood

The workshop sits in the hills at Blackwood, on the edge of the Wombat State Forest. It's a private bench rather than a shop, so please call or message before you come — we'll sort out a time to look at your gear properly.

By appointment. Postal repairs from further afield are welcome — get in touch and we'll talk you through packing them up.

Call 0433 926 886 Email the workshop

The Blackwood Cobbler copper sign mounted on a stone wall