Woods Point is a small town in Victoria, Australia and is located on the banks of the Goulburn River. At the, Woods Point and the surrounding area had a population of 37, down from 94 in 2006.
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. The Woods Point Magistrates' Court closed on 1 November 1981, not having been visited by a Magistrate since 1970.
Location and features
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, Mini Golf course, tennis court and many camping areas, the most popular being J. H. Scott Reserve. There are three gold mines still active in the area surrounding the town. The town is still only accessible by dirt roads. Woods Point was again severely threatened by bushfire in December 2006 and a 2008 bushfire calendar has been released with proceeds going to the town. 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 diesel fuel sales while the Commercial Hotel is covering the unleaded fuel sales. Plenty of fuel 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.
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.
