Blackwood
In 1855, four years after gold was discovered at Buninyong and Ballarat, goldrush fever hit the village of Blackwood, nestled in the Wombat State Forest. Miner Edward Hill had found gold at nearby Golden Point. His discovery swelled Blackwood’s population and by the end of the year 13,000 prospectors were panning the creeks, searching for alluvial gold.
Today approximately 300 people live in and around Blackwood and the nearby eucalypt forest. The historic buildings have been restored as tourist attractions and quartz is now mined instead of gold. Visitors hike through the forest and sample the famous Blackwood jams and other goodies.
Blackwood’s cemetery holds the graves of Chinese miners and a French woman, Madame Bonford who was contracted to dig out a waterway to bring water to the goldfield. Matthew Rogers also lies there, in one of the larger tombs. He was a stonemason and gold miner, who created the much-loved Garden of St Erth at the former mining settlement of Simmons Reef. This garden is a major tourist attraction with its orchard and the Rogers’ family cottage in the middle.
The Lederderg River winds through Blackwood and the nearby gorge is spectacular with sheer cliffs and rock formations. There are many animals to see in and around the forest, and abandoned mine shafts to find and explore.
