Australian
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an NFSA website

Timber Getting in New South Wales (c.1925)

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clip
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Tree-felling

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Two men complete chopping around the base of a large tree trunk with hand-held axes. The tree falls to the ground. At another tree, men stand on planks of wood embedded in the tree trunk that create a makeshift ladder and platform. The men, steadily balanced, chop into an elevated section of the tree trunk. As the tree begins to lean, the men deftly climb back down to safety. As the tree falls, the men scramble in the other direction to avoid injury.

Curator’s notes

A remarkable scene in which the wood-choppers remain balanced on thin planks of wood while at the same time rigorously swinging their axes!