Indianapolis may be home to the SAFER Barrier, but the Mount Cotton Hillclimb is home to “The Nuts”.

Long-time competitors at the hillclimb halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast simply haven’t been trying hard enough if they have never reached the layout’s most famed landmark.

Since its inception in 1968, the venue has been the premiere hillclimb facility in the area, hosting the state championships every year since its opening, plus the Australian titles on no fewer than nine occasions.

The unique layout of the 946m long climb features two loops on the side of the mountain, which converge from opposing directions at the bottom via a hairpin.

Arresting errant vehicles at this point is a piece of local ingenuity: a wall made entirely of discarded macadamia nut shells!

Somewhat cheaper than SAFER Barriers, the nuts have proven their worth time and time again over the decades; however, remnants of journeys past tend to hang around in engine bay nooks and crannies for extended spells, as evidenced by the post below.

So why nuts?

Elaine Hamilton’s book, “History of the Hill: a Pictorial History of the First 40 Years of Mount Cotton Hillclimb” outlines some of the original thinking behind the choice of macadamia, or Queensland nut shells as they are known to the locals.

ARMCO was ruled out due to the lack of space in the area, with the medium set to produce a more violent accident for the relatively lower speeds, with the expense and prospective repair times also negatives.

This said, lengths of ARMCO would eventually be installed at the venue in more modern times.

A chain-wire arrangement, as seen at the time at the famed Zandvoort Circuit in Holland was chosen, an Australian first, although something additional was required to arrest the cars.

A gravel trap was rejected because of the need for a long run-off area, its density and propensity to compact between meets, with ongoing maintenance required before every event.

It appears that the nut shells soon came up on the radar, with the system tested out at the nut factory by unsuccessfully driving a car into a pile of them!

CAMS, understanding the unique challenges laid out, similarly tested the nut piles, which were given a tick of approval.

Macadamia shells proved to be the ideal medium for the job, largely thanks to the fact that hard shells take a considerable time to decompose compared to other nut varieties, and they don’t compact together like gravel or sand between events.

The system tends to limit damage to the cars compared to more solid alternatives, although the odd high flyer over time has made it into the Zandvoort-spec catch fence behind.

More nuts, please

Ahead of a significant program of events this year, the long-time custodians of the venue, the MG Car Club of Queensland, has swung into action with a series of working bees, which this week saw 20 tonnes of nut shells deposited at the corner to top up the wall.

The highlight of the upcoming calendar of meets is the 76th running of the Australian Hillclimb Championship, which is set for October 21-24, returning after a COVID-19 induced postponement from last year, the first missed year since the event was inaugurated at Rob Roy in 1938.

Notably, the occasion will be the first hosting of the Australian Junior Hillclimb Championship for competitors under 18 years, bringing hillclimbing into line with other disciplines of the sport.

The Queensland Hillclimb Championship once again returns to the venue from May 29-30

If you like hillclimbing, check out the MG Car Club of Queensland website, or our stories on the Hillclimbing V8 Supercar and the Haunted Hills Hillclimb.

So… will there ever be a time when race tracks begin to be lined with nut shells? Watch this space…

Have fun cleaning this up…