Spinifex resin refers to the gum traditionally made by Australian Aborigines by burning the Spinifex

Triodia (plant genus)

Triodia is a large genus of hummock-forming grass endemic to Australia; they are commonly known as spinifex, although they are not a part of the coastal genus Spinifex. There are currently 64 recognised species...

 plant and extracting its resin.

Making the gum

The spinifex is threshed

Threshing

Threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of cereal grain from the scaly, inedible chaff that surrounds it. It is the step in grain preparation after harvesting and before winnowing, which separates the loosened chaff from the grain...

 until the resin particles fall free. These particles are heated until they fuse together to form a moldable black tar which is worked while warm. When set, this gum is quite strong.

Uses

Most hunting and working implements benefited from the use of spinifex gum, or resin.

Spinifex resin was a crucial ingredient in spear

Spear

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...

-making, as the head was often fastened onto the shaft using this resin.

The traditional Aboriginal axe also made strong use of spinifex resin.

The base of the woomera

Woomera (spear-thrower)

A woomera is an Australian Aboriginal spear-throwing device used for when there is a greater distance to be overcome. It is highly efficient and made of wood. Similar to an atlatl, it enables a spear to travel much further than by arm strength alone...

 has a clump of this resin attached to it.

A man would always carry at least one spear, and normally a clump of resin. In the evenings, repairs were carried out on spears and other utensils, and the resin was re-softened using the fire and some moisture.

Many species of spinifex are extremely resinous, to the extent that resin may drip down the stems and leaves on hot days, and large residual lumps of resin often may be seen at the bases of hummocks which have burned.

The resin was also used as a binder when making paint with ochre

Ochre Pits

The Ochre Pits are a popular tourist destination in Australia's Northern Territory, approximately 50 kilometres west of Alice Springs along the Larapinta Trail....

.

The gum was trationally used for mending breaks in stone and wooden implements. In more modern times, in true Bush Mechanics

Bush Mechanics

Bush Mechanics is a 2001 television documentary series directed by David Batty and produced by the Warlpiri Media Association, featuring an Indigenous Australian take on motor mechanics....

 spirit, spinifex resin can be melted to repair things like jerry cans for carrying water and fuel.