Woods Point

History

The town began as a general store built by Henry Wood, to service the gold diggings around the recently discovered Morning Star Reef. Wood's Point Post Office opened on 1 December 1862. 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. 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 it was severely threatened but remained unharmed, whilst neighbouring 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 neighbouring town of Marysville wasn't as fortunate. The Woods Point Magistrates' Court closed on 1 November 1981, not having been visited by a Magistrate since 1970. Woods Point Primary School closed on 31 December 1998. 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. On 22 September 2021 at just after…

Most-observed species

• Prickly Horn Snail

  Cerithium echinatum Lamarck, 1822 · Gastropoda
  6,135
• Broom

  Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link · Magnoliopsida
  2,683
• Spear Thistle

  Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten. · Magnoliopsida
  2,620
• Hypericum veronense Schrank

  Hypericum veronense Schrank · Magnoliopsida
  1,255
• Gorse

  Ulex europaeus L. · Magnoliopsida
  1,236
• Oxeye Daisy

  Leucanthemum vulgare Lam. · Magnoliopsida
  519
• Parsley-leaved Bramble

  Rubus laciniatus Willd. · Magnoliopsida
  458
• Creeping Buttercup

  Ranunculus repens L. · Magnoliopsida
  448

Most recent

• M 3.3 — 2026-05-09
  4 km ESE of Mirboo North, Australia
• M 3.9 — 2024-08-06
  34 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 4.4 — 2023-06-29
  34 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 4.1 — 2021-09-21
  35 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 5.9 — 2021-09-21
  39 km S of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 2.8 — 2015-03-10
  3 km NNE of Pakenham, Australia