Supply crisis hits wood chop events including Melbourne Show

It’s one of the biggest attractions at a country show or festival. But running wood chops in Victoria is becoming harder.

Country wood chops and the Melbourne Show are relying on logs being brought in from interstate or resorting to lesser preferred tree species in a bid to head off the historic sport’s demise.

Victorian Axemen’s Association president Brad Meyer said the sport, which was first held at the Melbourne Show in 1911, could become another casualty of the state’s timber harvesting shutdown.

“The problem is now more real than it has ever been,” he said.

Mr Meyer said whatever reserves existed when the timber industry closure was brought forward by six years in 2023 had almost dried up, with three major events left for the season ending in June.

Alpine ash logs, the preferred wood for competition, were sourced from areas previously managed by VicForests.

Victoria Axemen's Council president Brad Meyer. Picture: Jason Edwards

But Mr Meyer said wood chops were being held with lesser standard species including pine, messmate, mountain ash and flooded gum.

“We’re scratching and scraping for every little bit of log we can get,” he said.

“Having to ‘beg, borrow or steal’ is pretty much what we’ve had to do.

“But we’re now running into dead ends.

“Once we stop running these shows, generally they don’t come back.”

In response to the shrinking supply, the Melbourne Show has gone from nine competition days to only four in the last two years with logs sourced from Tasmania.

“The wood from Tassie for us to buy and use is just too expensive,” Mr Meyer said.

“NSW have got their own hassles of getting wood.

“The haulage to get it from somewhere like Eden to central Victoria would just kill us.

“We’ve written to every politician there is to write to. But the government is not really that interested in helping us out, to be honest.”

The Melbourne Show wood chop has reduced its days of competition from nine to four in response to the timber industry shutdown cutting off a ready supply of logs.

The wood chop is one of the main attractions of the Mighty Mitta Muster that is being held again this weekend.

Event co-ordinator Richard Piper said a stockpile it had sourced when the timber industry shut down was dwindling.

“We went ahead and purchased some extra logs when they were available,” he said.

“But when that runs out we don’t know what the future is. It’s a huge attraction and for some of the smaller shows it is the main event.

“We’ve also had to limit the numbers of competitors by going from three down to two heats. Previously we would have been open to anyone who wanted to come.”

Victorian Nationals leader Danny O’Brien said it would be a sad day if wood chops were to end.

“The wood chop is a highlight of any country show or festival and loved by country and city people alike,” he said.

“Jacinta Allan and Labor may go down in history as the government that gave wood chopping the chop.”