Woodford, New South Wales

Woodford is a village in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia, about 90 kilometres west of Sydney. Its elevation is 609 metres (1,998 ft) above sea level. It is situated on the Great Western Highway and has a railway station (opened in 1868 as Buss's Platform)[2] on the Main Western railway line served by NSW TrainLink's Blue Mountains services. At the 2016 census, Woodford had a population of 1,934.

Woodford
Blue Mountains, New South Wales
Woodford Academy
Woodford
Coordinates33°44′08″S 150°28′42″E
Population1,934 (2016 census)[1]
Establishedc. 1830s
Postcode(s)2778
Elevation609 m (1,998 ft)
Location
LGA(s)City of Blue Mountains
State electorate(s)Blue Mountains
Localities around Woodford:
Hazelbrook Blue Mountains National Park Linden
Hazelbrook Woodford Linden
View from Woodford Station

History and description

The site was originally known as Twenty Mile Hollow. In the 1830s an inn called The Woodman was built there. Ten years later the inn became known as the King's Arms, later popularly known as Buss's Inn after 1855. Sydney businessman Alfred Fairfax converted the building into a private home some time later and renamed it Woodford House. The railway station adopted the name Woodford in 1871.[3] Woodford House later became a private boys' school and is now a heritage-listed building.

A centenary time capsule was buried at Woodford railway station on 14 December 2002 by Chris Parr, Woodford's station master at the time. He collected items from the locals which went into the capsule to be opened in a hundred years.

Heritage listings

Woodford has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Sports

Woodford is well known to mountain bike riders and walkers as the start point for the renowned Oaks and St Helena tracks. It is also the finish point for Andersons and Ingar fire trails, also popular with mountain bike riders and walkers. Each June or July, Careflight International raises money by conducting the Woodford to Glenbrook Classic, a cycling and running race from Woodford railway station to Euroka picnic area at Glenbrook in the Blue Mountains National Park. The Classic follows the Oaks and Bennetts Ridge fire trails, and is 25 km in length.[7]

Tourism

The area also presents opportunities for bushwalking and photography in places like Murphys Glen and Wilson Glen (on the south side) and Mabel Falls Reserve (on the north side).[8]

  • Mural at Woodford Station
  • Giant Mountain Blue Gum near Woodford, over 70 metres tall
  • Ruins at Gypsy Pool, Wilson Glen

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Woodford (NSW) (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  2. "Woodford Railway Station". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
  3. "Origin of Blue Mountains Town Names" Blue Mountains City Council
  4. "Woodford Academy". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01509. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  5. "Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Old Bathurst Road Precinct". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01954. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  6. "Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Appian Way Precinct". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01955. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  7. CareFlight Event
  8. Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, Neil Paton (Kangaroo Press) 2004, pp.181-182, 196-200
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