In a shed on their Owens Creek Drive property, Tim Barber and his son Griff are knocking together something quite marvellous. Having tasted success at the inaugural Mt Buller Billy Cart Bash in 2025—taking out the Junior Champion title—Griff is back for the big trophy and the title of overall winner. While last year saw him honing his skills on the family driveway, Tim and Griff have stepped it up a notch for 2026. Griff has been negotiating steeper descents and switchback turns, all in the name of training. Clocking speeds of up to 62 kilometres per hour, our home-town hero is heading into this year’s race match-fit and ready for the challenge - a serious contender. The genesis of this journey began early in 2025. "Griff and I started making the Red Devil as soon as we heard about the event," Tim said. "We went to the tip and scrounged around. "We found most of the parts there and others were cannibalised from old projects that had failed." The result was a lightweight, road-hugging machine built on bicycle wheels and painted a vibrant red. Griff chose lucky number nine to represent his age at the time. It took only two or three weekends to knock together, but its performance was undeniable. At the 2025 event, Griff admits he went into his first race a bit nervous. But as he took the lead early and held it, the nerves were quickly replaced with a calm confidence and a driving finesse he had perfected on his long dirt driveway at home. He hasn't looked back. With the taste of victory still fresh, the Mansfield Primary School year five student is returning to the mountain this April. Firstly to defend his Junior title (remaining in the under-11 category) before potentially having a crack at the Open class, depending on how he fares in the time trials. Despite tinkering with a new model in the workshop - to be adorned with the number 11 in anticipation of his upcoming birthday - Griff has decided to stick with the proven winner. The Red Devil remains his preferred model - for not only is it light and fast, it's also very stable with Griff professing he hasn't had a spill yet. Helmeted up and with a "particularly effective handbrake", Tim assures that despite the high speeds Griff is safer hurtling down Mt Buller's The Avenue on a billy cart than he would be on a bicycle. "Griff is also a very capable driver - he's a bit of a natural," Tim said. For the Barbers, racing is in the blood. Tim’s grandfather was a competitor in the 1926 Alpine trials, tackling the Black Spur amongst other escapades. Now, Tim is doing his bit to ensure that racing tradition continues, joining the billy cart bash organising committee after last year's stint as chief engineer and pit crew for team Griff. "Billy cart racing is such a great thing to do with the kids and it’s something that's been a little bit lost," Tim said. "There is currently a resurgence with events in Warrandyte, Corowa, and Castlemaine, along with a Red Bull-sponsored race in Melbourne. "Our hope is that the movement continues to gather momentum locally and follows on from Europe where it is massive as a sport." With 20 entrants already signed up for this year's bash on 11 April, Griff will be battling against an increased field of contestants. "And the following year we'd like to see 100 competitors take part, and then there is the dream is to run a race all the way from the top of the mountain to the bottom," Tim said, "It would be one of the longest courses in the world. "The committee has a vision to make Mt Buller one of the premium destinations and main courses in the Southern Hemisphere." For now, Griff is happy with the shorter course, hitting his stride on practice runs and garnering that race experience before chasing billy cart glory on a larger scale.
