WOODHILL is a tiny town on the Mount Lindesay Highway located midway between Jimboomba and Beaudesert.
It has a little school, a great big hill and an annual billy cart derby that is the stuff of local legend 20-plus years in the making.
People come from near, far and by the thousands to watch the thrills and spills as kids fly down that slope.
The kids? They all want to be the king – or queen – of the hill.
And the parents? That’s another story.
Billy cart making has become something of a competitive sport.
Machines range from the old-school bush bashers made from crates on timber frames and bike wheels to sleeker beasts that take inspiration from Hollywood, nearby Willowbank speedway and the passing parade life by a highway offers.
“It’s a tradition out here,” said Woodhill P&C spokeswoman Hailey Mayes.
Her boys Nash and Leith have spent the school holidays making sure their monster kart is ready for the event on Saturday July 28.
“School holidays are the perfect time for kids to build a kart or give the one they have a makeover so it’s ready to race.”
Leith has outgrown The Leith Machine, but brother Nash will race this year.
The cart was designed and built by the boy’s dad with a seat high enough to keep helmeted heads off the ground should the vehicle roll.
The Woodhill State School Billy Cart Derby will be held on Saturday July 28 from 8am to 3pm. For more information see the event’s Facebook page. Racers can register on the day.
