It was literally named 'wood end' because it is where the Black Forest ended and consequently was a place where, in the 1850s and 1860s, prospectors, headed north to the goldfields around Bendigo, could feel that they were out of the reach of bushrangers who hid in the woodlands waiting to prey on them. A township coalesced around inns, shops and services which emerged to cater to the passing trade. Prior to European settlement the area is thought to have been occupied by the Woiwurung people.
Today the town is a prosperous rural centre of some 3000 people with a number of interesting old buildings. The highlight of any visit is to climb Hanging Rock which was a vital part of Joan Lindsay's hugely successful novel 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'.
A market is held on the third Sunday of each month at the old racecourse in Forest St (which heads west off the Calder Highway) from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. between September and May. On the Labour Day weekend the town hosts the Lions Club Art Show and the Model Railway Club Display.
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.