Mr Cole has been chopping wood competitively for eight years and travels upwards of 50,000 kilometres a year to compete in shows around the country. 

The 33-year-old said he loved going to new places and meeting new people. 

“We go to Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne,  and Perth, and I have been to Jakarta twice in the past few years,” Mr Cole said. “My wife and kids come with me and they love it.” 

The Bendigo Agriculture Show is one of the biggest events on his calendar. 

“This year is the biggest prize money handicap event in Victoria and maybe Australia,” he said. 

“It is going to be a cut-throat competition but I have pretty good chances in most events.”

Mr Cole is the current Victorian Double Handed Sawing Champion and has held several Victorian championship titles over the years. 

But when he was younger he nearly gave up the sport for good.

“I did wood chopping when I was kid and I cut a couple of my toes off and didn’t do it again until I was 25 years old,” Mr Cole laughed.

“It took a while before I went back to the sport.”

One lucky visitor to the Bendigo Show this year will win a five-night stay on the Gold Coast. See the Bendigo Advertiser next week for details on how you can win this great prize.