ABC Illawarra

Topic: Agriculture

Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 6:59 am

Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 9:43 am

Peter Chauncy was a farmer who started selling firewood during a drought.

A drought and a bushfire hurt Peter Chauncy's farm 40 years ago, so he began chopping firewood to make money.

Now, many homes have firewood from Mr. Chauncy's property in the NSW Southern Highlands.

What started as a way to make ends meet has become a big business that sells firewood across half of Australia.

Mr. Chauncy said, 'I've always had to work hard to make a living.'

Peter Chauncy's yellow bags of firewood are sold at many service stations across four states.

The family business packs and sells about 1 million bags of firewood each year.

The yellow bags are sold at 3,000 locations in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia.

But the Chauncy family's success came from very difficult times.

Tragedy and drought hit

Mr. Chauncy first studied law in Sydney but returned to his family's farm when his father got cancer.

He said, 'I came home to help while my father was sick, thinking he would get better, but he didn't. So, I decided to stay.'

More tragedy was to come.

In the early days, Peter Chauncy had to leave his wife and baby on weekends to sell firewood.

A bushfire damaged the farm, and then a drought hit eastern Australia in the 1980s.

Mr. Chauncy said, 'I was going broke, but I wasn't going to give up.'

To stay afloat, Mr. Chauncy started selling livestock along the Hume Highway and wood from fallen trees.

He sold wood by going door-to-door in Sydney, starting with poorer areas and moving to richer ones.

After three weeks, Mr. Chauncy had enough customers and didn't need to knock on doors anymore.

Most of Peter Chauncy's firewood comes from his farm in Canyonleigh, south of Sydney.

His business grew into his main source of income, with many machines and full-time staff.

Mr. Chauncy said, 'I used to deal with small business owners, but now I work with big companies, mostly franchisees.'

Many service stations were initially hesitant to sell firewood, according to Peter Chauncy.

300 tonnes of wood are loaded daily

Mr. Chauncy has a long list of transport operators who help him haul his firewood.

Up to 25 trucks are loaded with firewood every day, mostly 12-tonne capacity vehicles.

Peter Chauncy used a chainsaw to chop firewood in the early days.

The business has contracts with NSW and Queensland forestry corporations to thin out overcrowded areas.

A diverse group of employees, including long-time workers and European backpackers, chop the wood using special machines.

The logs are weighed into 10 and 15-kilogram bags.

Valetin Nessel works at the Canyonleigh property.

Busier than ever

Despite a push for renewable energy and a fuel crisis, Mr. Chauncy's business is experiencing record demand.

Mr. Chauncy said, 'We had the best April, which is surprising since we added a fuel levy to our products.'

Peter Chauncy's business has been providing firewood to Australian homes for four decades.

If NSW bans native forest logging like Victoria and Western Australia, Mr. Chauncy's business would be significantly impacted.

Mr. Chauncy said, 'It would be a challenge, but we have a lot of timber from private properties.'

Looking back, Mr. Chauncy has no regrets about leaving law to provide for his family.

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