Woodvale

Woodvale is a rural locality north-west of Eaglehawk and Bendigo. Its public hall (former primary school) is 15 km from central Bendigo. Over half of Woodvale’s area is occupied by Whipstick forest.

In 1852 gold was discovered in the Whipstick area, north of Eaglehawk, and the discovery at Woodvale was named Sydney Flat. Discoveries further north around Raywood and Sebastian came a few years later. Some discoveries were quite rich but were soon worked out.

A school was opened in 1875. A Methodist church was recorded in 1914 and two hotels at about that time. The last hotel closed in 1970.

The school planted cypress trees as a memorial to past pupils lost in World War I, and their names are recorded on crosses placed there. In the 1920s the name was changed from Sydney Flat to Woodvale, and in 1932 the Woodvale bush fire brigade was formed.

After the school closed in 1962 it was acquired as a public hall. The community later formed a progress association, and its places of assembly are the recreation reserve, the hall and the CFA station. Landholdings are a mixture of farms and rural/residential acreages.

Census populations have been: