Woodend, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Woodend
is a small town in Victoria
, Australia
. The town is in the Shire of Macedon Ranges Local government area. It is bypassed to the east and north by the Calder Freeway
(M79) and is located about halfway between Melbourne
and Bendigo
. At the 2006 census
, Woodend had a population of 3,172.
was discovered in the area (towards Bendigo and Ballarat), Woodend became the main thoroughfare through the Black Forest, and accommodated many gold-diggers and their families. Woodend Post Office opened on 20 July 1854, closed in December of that year, then reopened in the township on 1 November 1856.
The tourist boom caused the settlement to grow and develop. Later the place became a centre for sheep-farming, and in 1862, a railway connection to Bendigo was built though Woodend, as a connexion to the regional centre.
Like many towns in the area, Woodend has many historical buildings. Entering Woodend from Melbourne, most of the shops and eateries are located either side of the main High Street, with the clocktower on the right hand side of the road. The Holgate Brewhouse
operates in the century-old Keatings Hotel. Built in 1897, The Old Stationmaster's House sits on the approach to the High Street. At the other end of the shops lies Five Mile Creek. A historic bluestone bridge crosses the creek and can be viewed from adjacent parkland. On the left lies Islay House and Beth Shan, both circa 1860. Islay House is a two-story brick "Georgian" building that first traded as a licensed premises serving alcohol to the gold diggers. Beth Shan is a single-story weatherboard
cottage in “Colonial Vernacular” style. The cottage, built as a residence and shop selling supplies to the diggers, acquired the name Beth Shan in 1920 when an Irish nurse, Nurse Hicks, leased the premises and opened it as a maternity hospital to the local community.
, Hanging Rock
, located at nearby Newham
, and numerous waterfalls. The area supports a large horse-racing community. Woodend's location in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range
means that, unlike most of Australia, snowfalls are not uncommon.
The Woodend Winter Arts Festival, held on the Queen's Birthday Weekend in June, is an event where artisans from around Australia gather to perform. The annual Melbourne Autumn Day (MAD) ride is held in Woodend by the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club. Woodend Children's Park in the centre of the town provides a meeting place for young and old, locals and visitors: A park to explore, to enjoy, to play. Woodend Children's Park opened behind the service station in October 2009.
The largest sporting group in the town is the Woodend Junior Football Club which encorporates 190 players, from 130 families, playing in 8 junior teams ranging from Under 9's to Under 16's. There are several mountain bike
tracks near Woodend, in the Wombat State Forest
and also on Mount Macedon
. The local Wombat MTB Club maintains the tracks in the area and arrange events and bike tours. Golfers play at the course of the Woodend Golf Club on Davy Street.
The events and news of the town are published in the town's community newsletter, The New Woodend Star, which publishes free archival copies of the newsletter online for reference.
's novel Salem's Lot, starring Rob Lowe
, was filmed in the town. The 1975 film, Picnic at Hanging Rock
was also filmed in Woodend, as well as a driving scene in the 2009 Alex Proyas
film Knowing
starring Nicolas Cage
and Rose Byrne
. The latter was filmed in Woodend's Avenue of Honour. Scenes in the 2009 adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are
were also filmed in Woodend. The church scenes in the Nicolas Cage movie Ghost Rider
were filmed at a church in Woodend.
is a small town in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The town is in the Shire of Macedon Ranges Local government area. It is bypassed to the east and north by the Calder Freeway
Calder Freeway
Calder Freeway is a freeway linking Melbourne to Ravenswood South in Victoria, Australia, superseding stretches of the Calder Highway. Originally just a short spur of the Tullamarine Freeway linking to the Calder Highway in Keilor in suburban Melbourne, it has been extended in phases to Ravenswood...
(M79) and is located about halfway between Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Woodend had a population of 3,172.
History
Woodend was first surveyed in 1836 by Major Thomas Mitchell, who opened it up for settlement. When goldVictorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
was discovered in the area (towards Bendigo and Ballarat), Woodend became the main thoroughfare through the Black Forest, and accommodated many gold-diggers and their families. Woodend Post Office opened on 20 July 1854, closed in December of that year, then reopened in the township on 1 November 1856.
The tourist boom caused the settlement to grow and develop. Later the place became a centre for sheep-farming, and in 1862, a railway connection to Bendigo was built though Woodend, as a connexion to the regional centre.
Like many towns in the area, Woodend has many historical buildings. Entering Woodend from Melbourne, most of the shops and eateries are located either side of the main High Street, with the clocktower on the right hand side of the road. The Holgate Brewhouse
Holgate Brewhouse
Holgate Brewhouse is a small, independent, family-owned microbrewery in Woodend, Victoria, Australia. The brewery operations began in 1999 and were moved to the Keatings Hotel in 2005, where the Brewhouse also operates a restaurant and hotel...
operates in the century-old Keatings Hotel. Built in 1897, The Old Stationmaster's House sits on the approach to the High Street. At the other end of the shops lies Five Mile Creek. A historic bluestone bridge crosses the creek and can be viewed from adjacent parkland. On the left lies Islay House and Beth Shan, both circa 1860. Islay House is a two-story brick "Georgian" building that first traded as a licensed premises serving alcohol to the gold diggers. Beth Shan is a single-story weatherboard
Weatherboarding
Weatherboarding is the cladding or ‘siding’ of a house consisting of long thin timber boards that overlap one another, either vertically or horizontally on the outside of the wall. They are usually of rectangular section with parallel sides...
cottage in “Colonial Vernacular” style. The cottage, built as a residence and shop selling supplies to the diggers, acquired the name Beth Shan in 1920 when an Irish nurse, Nurse Hicks, leased the premises and opened it as a maternity hospital to the local community.
Tourism and attractions
Woodend is close to such attractions as Mt MacedonMount Macedon, Victoria
Mount Macedon is a small town located northwest of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. It is situated on the side of the mountain of the same name, known as Geboor by the indigenous Wurundjeri people, which rises to above sea level. At the 2006 census, Mount Macedon had a population...
, Hanging Rock
Hanging Rock, Victoria
Hanging Rock , in Central Victoria, Australia, is a distinctive geological formation, 718m above sea level on the plain between the two small townships of Newham and Hesket, approximately 70 km north-west of Melbourne and a few kilometres north of Mount Macedon, a former volcano...
, located at nearby Newham
Newham, Victoria
Newham is a small town located in the Shire of Macedon Ranges in Victoria, Australia. It is situated between the towns of Kyneton, Woodend and Lancefield...
, and numerous waterfalls. The area supports a large horse-racing community. Woodend's location in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
means that, unlike most of Australia, snowfalls are not uncommon.
The Woodend Winter Arts Festival, held on the Queen's Birthday Weekend in June, is an event where artisans from around Australia gather to perform. The annual Melbourne Autumn Day (MAD) ride is held in Woodend by the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club. Woodend Children's Park in the centre of the town provides a meeting place for young and old, locals and visitors: A park to explore, to enjoy, to play. Woodend Children's Park opened behind the service station in October 2009.
The largest sporting group in the town is the Woodend Junior Football Club which encorporates 190 players, from 130 families, playing in 8 junior teams ranging from Under 9's to Under 16's. There are several mountain bike
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
tracks near Woodend, in the Wombat State Forest
Wombat State Forest
The Wombat State Forest is located west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, between Woodend and Daylesford, at the Great Dividing Range. The forest is approximately in size and sits upon Ordovician or Tertiary sediments...
and also on Mount Macedon
Mount Macedon, Victoria
Mount Macedon is a small town located northwest of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. It is situated on the side of the mountain of the same name, known as Geboor by the indigenous Wurundjeri people, which rises to above sea level. At the 2006 census, Mount Macedon had a population...
. The local Wombat MTB Club maintains the tracks in the area and arrange events and bike tours. Golfers play at the course of the Woodend Golf Club on Davy Street.
The events and news of the town are published in the town's community newsletter, The New Woodend Star, which publishes free archival copies of the newsletter online for reference.
Media
Portions of the 2004 mini-series adaptation of Stephen KingStephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's novel Salem's Lot, starring Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
, was filmed in the town. The 1975 film, Picnic at Hanging Rock
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Picnic at Hanging Rock is a 1967 drama and mystery novel by Australian author Joan Lindsay. She wrote it over a four-week period at her home Mulberry Hill in Baxter, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. It was first published in 1967 in Australia by Cheshire Publishing and was released in...
was also filmed in Woodend, as well as a driving scene in the 2009 Alex Proyas
Alex Proyas
Alexander "Alex" Proyas is a Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for directing such films as The Crow, Dark City, I, Robot and Knowing. He is known for employing a stylish photographic techniques in his films, with dark overtones usually in a post-apocalyptic...
film Knowing
Knowing (film)
Knowing is a 2009 American-British science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas and starring Nicolas Cage. The project was originally attached to a number of directors under Columbia Pictures, but it was placed in turnaround and eventually picked up by Escape Artists. Production was financially...
starring Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
and Rose Byrne
Rose Byrne
Mary Rose Byrne is an Australian actress.Byrne made her screen debut in 1994 with a small role in the film Dallas Doll...
. The latter was filmed in Woodend's Avenue of Honour. Scenes in the 2009 adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are
Where the Wild Things Are (film)
Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 American fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are. It combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery...
were also filmed in Woodend. The church scenes in the Nicolas Cage movie Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (film)
Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
were filmed at a church in Woodend.
See also
- Woodend railway station, VictoriaWoodend railway station, VictoriaWoodend is a railway station in Woodend on the Bendigo line in Victoria, Australia.- Overview :The station had platform 2 reconstructed as part of the Regional Fast Rail project, and a new car park built on the street side of the platform...
- Woodend/Hesket Football ClubWoodend/Hesket Football ClubThe Woodend/Hesket Football Club, known as the Hawks, is an Australian Rules Football club playing in the Riddell District Football League.The club is located 70 km north west of Melbourne in the township of Woodend....