Blackwood, Victoria
| Blackwood Victoria | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Main street | |||||||||||||
  Blackwood | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°28′S 144°18′E / 37.467°S 144.300°ECoordinates: 37°28′S 144°18′E / 37.467°S 144.300°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 297 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1855 | ||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3458 | ||||||||||||
| Elevation | 560 m (1,837 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Location |
| ||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Moorabool | ||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Macedon | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Ballarat | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Blackwood is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the Lerderderg River, 89 kilometres north west of the state capital, Melbourne. Blackwood is in the Shire of Moorabool local government area and had a population of 297 at the 2011 census.[1] The town currently consists of a pub, a general store, a post office and a cafe and plant nursery attached to the gardens at The Garden of St Erth.
The town was founded in 1855 during the Victorian gold rush and at one stage had a population of around 13,000 prospectors. The Post Office opened on 22 September 1855 and was known as Mount Blackwood until 1921.[2]
Attractions include the Lerderderg State Park and Wombat State Forest, the Garden of St Erth, a mineral spring, miners' cottages from the 1860s and Mount Blackwood, an extinct volcano offering panoramic views of the surrounding area. The remnants of Wheeler's Tramway, a former Blackwood sawmill tramway in the Wombat State Forest, are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register for their archaeological significance.[3]
The Garden of St Erth attracts thousands of tourists to the town every year and is currently the largest employer in Blackwood.
References
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Blackwood (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ↑ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 2008-04-11
- ↑ "Wheeler's Tramway (H2015)". Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blackwood, Victoria. |