Australia's first human occupancy was the Aborigines, who dwelled in caves and wurlies which consisted of entwined bark, leaves and boughs. They gathered their food and attended to their shelters daily and the implements and tools were very primitive..
In 1788, The First Fleet from England sailed into Botany Bay on the eastern coast of Australia under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip and established the first European occupation on Australian soil. The first needs were to establish shelter and other facilities. They brought with them basic implements i.e. axes spades, shovels. for cutting wood for fires, to cook food on and to provide warmth. They had to fell trees and clear the bush before building shelters (huts, offices, storage premises) and to plant food and fodder crops, and establish an area to graze animals.
From 1788 on, the next significant Colonial settlement event was in 1803 with the landing at Risdon Cove, Tasmania under the command of Lieutenant John Bowen where a British penal colony was established. The needs here were similar as for the Botany Bay settlement.
The pioneer history of axemen and wood chopping in Australia began with the "cedar cutters" who are often referred to as the " men of death" due to the dangerous nature of their occupation and the risks involved. This first commenced around Sydney's Lane Cove River and spread along the big rivers: Hawkesbury, Richmond, Clarence and to the huge mountain ash forests in Tasmania.
Forest workers were either axemen or sawyers and trees were felled with heavy axes or cross - cut saws, drawn backwards and forwards by two men. A wedge would be placed in the tree to ensure that it fell in the required direction. Another method of tree felling was to cut above the spurs on the butt, using a shoe-board or jigger board (N.Z. term) for the axeman to stand on.
Felling and lopping axes weighed between three and four kilograms and the bushmen needed to be strong.
Logs were moved or hoisted by levers and the gyn with its ropes and tackle. Bark was stripped by hand and then split by using mauls or wedges. To saw the huge logs into planks, beams or slabs, the pitsaw was used. This was based on an early European method..
FROM THESE BASIC PIONEERING SKILLS OF AXEMANSHIP, THE FIVE DISCIPLINES OF THE
UNIQUE SPORT EVOLVED.
In the early 1800's woodchopping and sawing competitions were common occurrences in the Australian bushman's workplace, camps and settlements. However these were more for endurance rather than speed , similar to the Basques of Spain.
The first formal competitions developed around the mountain ash forests of Tasmania, where the "Tasmanian Axe had been developed for cutting hardwood trees.
Man's natural instinct to be competitive and to beat his mates was alive and active!
