The history of competitive woodchopping is the story of Australian pioneering bushmen & their families. It's heritage we proudly romanticise. Sadly, the unique culture & bush skills are dying along with the last generation
to work in forests with an axe & crosscut saw
The Australian Axeman's Hall of Fame in Latrobe, is the first national museum dedicated to this aspect of our colonial history
Tasmanian early settlers created the sport of woodchopping through a bet in a bar !!!
It honours the men who became legends in a sport that was a direct extension of their rugged working life. Our great Axemen are revered today, drawing huge crowds at agricultural shows & carnivals throughout the country. People marvel at the timeless & traditional display of skills & strength, edged with danger
The Hall of Fame is built at Bells Parade, where the first world woodchopping championship was staged in 1891
First sod turned on 26 January 1995
Opened on 18 December 2002
There are 14 timber pillars, representing all of the states
The oldest 1,000 years - Tasmanian Huon Pine
The youngest 57 years - Hoop Pine from Queensland
The lightest is the Huon Pine at 1.3 ton
The heaviest is the Blackheart Sassafrass at 2.2 ton
Each column is 30 ft/10 metres high
The arena floor is recycled car tyres from the Netherlands
There are 44,000 pieces of parquetry on the floor
You can drive a semi-trailer through the rear main doors
There are 3.2 tons of steel in the roof
It is a sporting history like no other, notable for its family links from one generation to the next.
It is a sport with a direct connection to the bush spirit of Australia, as much in need of preservation as the story of our pioneering forefathers
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