Woodford, New South Wales

Town in New South Wales, Australia

33°44′08″S 150°28′42″E / 33.73556°S 150.47833°E / -33.73556; 150.47833Population1,953 (2021 census)^[1]Establishedc. 1830sPostcode(s)2778Elevation609 m (1,998 ft)Location

87 km (54 mi) from Sydney CBD
19 km (12 mi) from Katoomba

LGA(s)City of Blue Mountains State electorate(s)Blue Mountains Federal division(s)Macquarie

Localities around Woodford:
Hazelbrook	Blue Mountains National Park	Linden
Hazelbrook	Woodford	Linden

Woodford is a village in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia, about 90 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD. 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.

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:

90-92 Great Western Highway: Woodford Academy^[4]
Old Bathurst Road: Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Old Bathurst Road Precinct^[5]
The Appian Way (off): Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Appian Way Precinct^[6]

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

^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Woodford (NSW) (Suburbs and Localities)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
^ "Woodford Railway Station". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
^ "Origin of Blue Mountains Town Names" Blue Mountains City Council
^ "Woodford Academy". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01509. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
^ "Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Old Bathurst Road Precinct". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01954. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
^ "Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Appian Way Precinct". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01955. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
^ CareFlight Event
^ Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, Neil Paton (Kangaroo Press) 2004, pp.181-182, 196-200