Woodend (Victoria)
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Woodend is a small town in the Macedon Ranges Shire Local Administrative Area (LGA) in the Australian state of Victoria . It is located about 60 kilometers northwest of Melbourne . A census in 2016 gave the population of 3775.
The city is now an elegant rural center and is a popular day trip destination for tourists arriving from Melbourne. It is also the starting point for tours in the local recreation area around the nearby 105-meter-high Hanging Rock .
geography
The location on the Calder Freeway (M79) is about 60 kilometers northwest of Melbourne and about 70 kilometers southeast of the former gold rush town of Bendigo . The city is on the Bendigo railway line , a regional railway line that runs from Melbourne to Bendigo and has a train station in Woodend.
The city is about 580 m high and is still in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range , also known as the Australian mountains , which means that snowfall is not uncommon in contrast to most other regions of the continent. The river Five Mile Creek runs through the city and flows into the Campaspe River a little later northeast of the village .
history
Originally from the aboriginal tribe of Wurundjeri populated area of the town was first settled in 1836 by the of Scotland derived Major Thomas Mitchell measured and finally released for settlement.
In the early 1850s , gold was discovered in the vicinity of the town of Bendigo, then still called Sandhurst , about 70 kilometers away , which led to a gold rush in the region. The effects of the gold rush could also be felt in Woodend. The place was on the main thoroughfare through the Black Forest . Various services were offered to those passing through to the gold fields at Bendigo and Castlemaine , and many gold diggers and their families were soon accommodated. As a result, a post office was opened here on July 20, 1854, which had to close again in the same year, but was reopened almost two years later in November 1856 in another building in the village.
One of the negative consequences of the activities of the gold diggers, however, was the contamination of the water in Five Mile Creek , which in the meantime led to fish deaths in the river. A railway line has been connecting the city with Melbourne since 1861. The local train station opened on July 8th of the same year. Two years later the railway line was completed to Bendigo.
In the 1870s and 1880s, Woodend finally developed into a holiday resort with guest houses, hotels, elegant weekend homes with large gardens, a golf club and a horse racing track. The city is now an elegant rural center and is a popular day trip destination for tourists arriving from Melbourne.
Culture and sights
Buildings
There are historical buildings in Woodend mainly in the town center. A visitor information center provides information about the sights of the city and its surroundings. Historical representations from the history of the site can be found on the outside walls of the 19th Hole shopping center .
One of the oldest structures is St Mary's Anglican Church . The Gothic-style building was built in 1864. Its windows come from the workshop of William Montgomery (1850–1927). Montgomery was once president of the Victorian Artists Society , an Australian artists' association based in Melbourne.
The city's historic courthouse on Forest Street dates back to 1870. Other striking buildings in the city include the Catholic Church of St. Ambros , the church of Uniting Church in Australia and the bell tower of the monument in honor of the First World War, completed in 1928 fallen city residents.
The Woodend Bridge spanning Five Mile Creek was built from bluestone in 1862. The well-preserved structure is a representative example of the numerous bridges of this type on the traffic routes to the gold fields that were built at that time. Her unusually flat bow is remarkable.
In the High Street is the striking building of the Woodend Mechanics' Institute . It was designed by the Swiss architect L. Boldini and completed in 1893. The Braemar House is also from Boldini . The building, originally designed as a sanatorium, can be found about 5 kilometers east of the town center and was built in 1889 and 1890. The post office dating from 1905 is also worth seeing. The red brick building was built according to a design by HJ Mackenna.
In the Tylden Road in the immediate vicinity of the railway station is located to the Insectarium of Victoria another attraction. It is one of the largest private insect educational institutions in Australia. It was opened in 1993 and has attracted numerous visitors ever since.
More Attractions
Woodend Children's Park can be found in the center of the city . The park, which opened in October 2009, is now a popular meeting place. Other recreational areas in the city include Campaspe Park and Ruby Mckenzie Park .
Near the city is the 105 meter high Hanging Rock , a rock formation made of rare volcanic rock. The area with high-altitude hiking trails is used for local recreation and is a popular tourist destination. Who became famous Hanging Rock mainly by the detective novel Picnic at Hanging Rock Australian writer Joan Lindsay (1896-1985). The book was filmed in 1975 and was one of the first Australian films to gain international fame. It premiered in Germany with the title Picnic on Valentine's Day on July 24, 1977 and is now considered a classic.
In the villages of the region there are also several wineries, from the slopes of which you also have a good view of the surrounding landscape.
Sports
The largest sports club in town is the Woodend Junior Football Netball Club . 11 junior teams for boys and girls are currently active here (as of 2018). In the Davy Street , the golf course of Woodend Golf Club can be found. The area is located on the slopes of an extinct volcano, from which you have a good view of the surroundings.
There are also several mountain bike trails in the area, including in the Wombat State Forest and also on Mount Macedon. Most of the routes are maintained by the local Wombat MTB Club , which also arranges events and bike tours here.
Regular events
The Woodend Winter Arts Festival takes place on the Queen's Birthday weekend in June. This is an event where artisans from all over Australia meet. In June 2018 it took place for the 14th time. Another local event is the annual Melbourne Autumn Day (MAD). This is held in Woodend by the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics : Woodend ( English ) In: 2016 Census QuickStats . June 27, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e Woodend at www.aussietowns.com , accessed August 19, 2018
- ↑ List of Historic Post Stations in Australia , accessed July 22, 2018
- ↑ http://vicsig.net , accessed on August 12, 2018
- ↑ a b c d e www.travelvictoria.com , accessed on August 19, 2018
- ↑ Entry of the bell tower on vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au, accessed on August 19, 2018
- ↑ Woodend Bridge entry on vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au, accessed on August 19, 2018
- ↑ Entry by the Mechanics' Institute at vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au, accessed on August 19, 2018
- ↑ Entry by Braemar House on vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au, accessed on August 19, 2018
- ↑ entry of the post office on vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au, accessed on August 19, 2018
- ↑ The history of the Insectarium of Victoria on its homepage , accessed on August 19, 2018
- ↑ Picnic on Valentine's Day in the Lexicon of International Films . Two thousand and one , accessed on August 19, 2018
- ↑ The Woodend Junior Football Netball Club at www.teamapp.com , accessed July 22, 2018
- ↑ Woodend Golf Club website , accessed on July 22, 2018
- ↑ Homepage of the Woodend Winter Arts Festival , accessed on July 22, 2018