Woods Point, Victoria
| Woods Point Victoria | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bridge Street, the main street of Woods Point | |||||||||||||||
  Woods Point | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°34′11″S 146°15′15″E / 37.56972°S 146.25417°ECoordinates: 37°34′11″S 146°15′15″E / 37.56972°S 146.25417°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 37 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3723 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 680 m (2,231 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Mansfield | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Eildon | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Indi | ||||||||||||||
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Woods Point is a small town in Victoria, Australia and is located on the banks of the Goulburn River. At the 2016 census, Woods Point and the surrounding area had a population of 37,[1] down from 94 in 2006.[2]
History[]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2014) |
The town began as a general store built by Henry Wood, to service the gold diggings around the recently discovered . Wood's Point Post Office opened on 1 December 1862.[3] By 1864, only three years after the discovery of the gold reef, the area had become a thriving town with 36 hotels. The town was subdivided into numerous suburbs, such as Waverly, Piccadilly, Killarney, Richmond, and Morning Star Hill. Communication was established via a telegraph line to Jamieson, and two local papers were in circulation.
From the 1870s to 1890s, mining activity declined, and the population dropped to between 100 and 200. The mining industry was revived in the 1890s, and the population grew once again, with four hotels servicing the town. Much of the town had to be rebuilt following devastating bushfires in 1939. The Morning Star Mine continued operations until its closure in 1963.
The Woods Point Magistrates' Court closed on 1 November 1981, not having been visited by a Magistrate since 1970.[4]
On 22nd September, 2021 at just after 9:15am, an earthquake with magnitude 5.9 struck near Woods Point, approximately 10km below the surface. The earthquake was felt across the nation, including in Adelaide, Canberra and Launceston.[5] Although this was the largest earthquake ever recorded in Victoria,[6] it did not cause any significant damage in Woods Point
Location and features[]
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2014) |
The town now serves as a hub for recreational trail-bike and off-road four-wheel drive activities and contains one hotel and one general store/petrol station (which has closed down), Mini Golf course, tennis court and many camping areas, the most popular being J. H. Scott Reserve. There are two gold mines still active in the area surrounding the town. The town is still only accessible by dirt roads. But has recently gained Telstra mobile service to the government's "black spot" program.
Woods Point, due in part to its terrain, has on many occasions been threatened by bush fires. Most notably in 1939 when the town was completely decimated. In 2006 is was severely threatened but luckily remained unharmed, whilst neighboring town Gaffney's Creek lost a number of houses. In 2009 the town was threatened again by the "Black Saturday" fires, although the town emerged unscathed. The neighboring town of Marysville wasn't as fortunate.
The general store in Woods Point closed its doors in late 2010 and a smaller version opened down the main street, just over the bridge. This store facilitates small grocery sales while the Commercial Hotel covers the unleaded fuel sales for motorbikes.
Morning Star, a publicly listed company, was operating the Morning Star mine, as well as other nearby projects, until it was placed into receivership in 2015. It is now currently (2020) owned by AuStar Gold Ltd.
A.1 Mine, just 20 mins out of town is also currently in operation by Kaiser Reef Ltd (2020).
Climate[]
At an elevation of 680 m and latitude of 37° S, Woods Point holds one of the colder climates in Australia. Summer daytime temperatures are warm, but with very cool mornings; winters are cold and very wet, with regular snowfalls.
| Climate data for Woods Point (1950–1969); 680 m AMSL; 37° 34′ 10.56″ S | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.2 (99.0) |
39.4 (102.9) |
36.1 (97.0) |
29.4 (84.9) |
23.9 (75.0) |
17.8 (64.0) |
17.8 (64.0) |
21.1 (70.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
29.4 (84.9) |
33.3 (91.9) |
35.6 (96.1) |
39.4 (102.9) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 25.6 (78.1) |
25.1 (77.2) |
23.0 (73.4) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.5 (54.5) |
10.2 (50.4) |
8.8 (47.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
13.4 (56.1) |
16.3 (61.3) |
19.2 (66.6) |
22.2 (72.0) |
17.0 (62.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 7.1 (44.8) |
7.6 (45.7) |
5.8 (42.4) |
3.2 (37.8) |
1.8 (35.2) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
0.2 (32.4) |
1.3 (34.3) |
3.5 (38.3) |
4.4 (39.9) |
6.1 (43.0) |
3.5 (38.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 72.6 (2.86) |
61.9 (2.44) |
78.8 (3.10) |
98.5 (3.88) |
131.0 (5.16) |
163.7 (6.44) |
172.9 (6.81) |
183.5 (7.22) |
153.5 (6.04) |
137.2 (5.40) |
108.4 (4.27) |
101.6 (4.00) |
1,463.6 (57.62) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 7.7 | 6.7 | 8.6 | 10.5 | 13.9 | 16.2 | 18.4 | 18.1 | 15.6 | 14.0 | 11.7 | 10.1 | 151.5 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 46 | 48 | 51 | 60 | 73 | 78 | 75 | 69 | 60 | 60 | 56 | 51 | 61 |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Woods Point | |||||||||||||
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b "2016 Census QuickStats: Woods Point (Vic.)". quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Woods Point (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 16 August 2007.
- ^ Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 24 March 2021
- ^ "Special Report No. 4 - Court Closures in Victoria" (PDF). Auditor-General of Victoria. 1986. p. 78. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ Royall, Ian; Buttler, Mark; Simonis, Aneeka; Rooney, Kieran; Ikonomou, Tess; Epstein, Jackie; Egging, Kiel; Middleton, Alexandra (22 September 2021). "Aftershocks continue in wake of big quake". Herald Sun. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ Australia, c\=AU\;o\=Australia Government\;ou\=Geoscience (23 September 2021). "Recent earthquake in Victoria". www.ga.gov.au. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
External links[]
Media related to Woods Point, Victoria at Wikimedia Commons
- Towns in Victoria (Australia)
- Towns in Central Hume
- Shire of Mansfield
- Mining towns in Victoria (Australia)