Blackwood & District Historical Society

Anzac Day 2026 Dawn Service at Blackwood War Memorial

The Ballan RSL Sub Branch will commemorate "the noble sacrifices of armed forces and civilians during times of warfare" by hosting a dawn service at the Blackwood War Memorial.

When: Saturday 25 April 2026, 5:45am – 7:00am
Where: Blackwood War Memorial, Byres Road and Martin Street, Blackwood

All welcome. Lest we forget.

Published: 8th Apr 2026 - Article Viewed 1,220 Times

Older Updates

Family Bingo Night – Easter Sunday, April 5th

The Blackwood Historical Society is hosting a Family Bingo Night this Easter Sunday at the Blackwood Hall from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

It's shaping up to be a great night out for the whole family, with prizes featuring local goodies, kids' specific games and prizes, and a fundraising auction for firewood. BYO drinks and food are welcome, with coffee and tea provided.

We have a raffle for a lovely painint by local artisit Gary amy and 1m of hardwood as an auction!

This year's caller is none other than our local Mayor, Cr Steve Venditti-Taylor.

A big thank you to our generous sponsors:

• The Blackwood Hotel - https://blackwoodhotel.com.au/
• Martin Street Coffee Raosters - https://www.martinstreetcoffee.com/
• Blackwood Post Office - Blackwood Postoffice and Cafe
• Garden St Erth - The Diggers Club - https://www.diggers.com.au/pages/visit-st-erth
• Great Dividing Trail Association ( GDTA ) - https://www.gdt.org.au/
• Pig and Whistle Hotel - https://pigandwhistlehotel.com.au/
• The Cosmopolitan Hotel - https://www.thecosmopolitanhotel.com.au/

  Come along for a fun-filled evening and support the Blackwood Historical Society!

Published: 30th Mar 2026 - Article Viewed 1,607 Times

Meet Mary Grimes.

Mary was the first landholder in Blackwood. She purchased Allotment 1. At the time she would have had no inkling as to the significance of her block. After the sale she set about running a store on the site. Heresay tells us there was possibly a hotel there prior to this, more than likely just a tent...

Mary then sold the land to Bridget Cruise, who then built a hotel on the site. And so we have the origin of the Blackwood Hotel, about to have the latest of its incarnations..

As mentioned , Mary would have had no idea her land purchase would end up becoming the centre of our town. Simmond’s Reef , Golden Point and a fledgling Barry's Reef still had strong claims at this point. One takeout from this story is the major contribution that Blackwood's women have made to our rich fabric , both past and current. I won't begin to list them, perhaps a project for another day.

Our high achieving men are often celebrated, and in most cases rightfully so. Our women also deserve their place in the sun.

Published: 13th Jan 2025 - Article Viewed 3,067 Times

A forgotten Mining town

There are several references to the first gold found in Blackwood. Here is one the specified a date. It seam this information was passed down to the author G.B. . This article was published in “The Argus” – Saturday August 20th 1927 and is on Page 9

BLACKWOOD.
A FORGOTTEN MINING TOWN.
By G.B.

About nine miles in a southward direction from Trentham, hidden in a valley of the long mountain chains which form the Great Dividing Range, is the little township of Blackwood. Though a generation has arisen for which the name has no interest or associations it was once a place of no small importance. Up to 1854 the district was scarcely known, and was rarely visited by either white man or aborigine. The rough timbered ranges had no attraction for the settler, and thev were too cold and inhospitable for the aborigine.

There was, however, a stock route through the hills, and some time m 1854 a drover found gold near that portion of Blackwood afterwards appropriately known as Golden Point. The drover and another camped for a meal on the Lerderderg, River, a stream for most of the year un-deserving of the title of river. The river water is mineralised and therefore one of the drovers decided to look for pure water in a little gully close at hand. While filling his "billy" from a pool he found there a small nugget of gold. The two men re solved that as soon as they had delivered the stock under their control they would return and prospect the gully. A couple of days later at Ballan they assembled a supply of provisions and set out under cover of darkness. The unobtrusive manner of there departure was noticed. As the gold fever was then at its height the movements of anyone who might possibly have "found a colour" were quickly observed. When it was found next morning that they had gone away so secretly it was supposed that they had discovered gold. A few decided to try to ascertain their destination. They picked up the tracks of the cattlemen's packhorse, and they were able to follow them for many miles. When only a mile from the gully where the drovers had found the nugget the pursuers lost the horse tracks. They agreed that they would prospect the spot where they were, and on sinking a small shaft at a place still known as Ballan Flat they found gold.

The two drovers also found gold and ere long there was a rush to the district where beside alluvial gold rich reefs were unearthed. A city arose almost magically. Rough tracks were made through the hills to enable provisions to be taken there to meet the wants of the increasing population which surged into every valley. In a little while rich discoveries of gold were made at Simmons' s Reef within a mile or so of the spot where the drover found the first nugget, and also at Barry's Reef, a couple of miles away, and it is said that at one time the population of the district exceeded 40,000 including 1500 Chinese. For some time 4,ooo ozs of gold were sent to Melbourne even fortnight by police escort . The old road leading out of Blackwood has long been disused, but even now the first mile or so cut into the hillside is in a fair state. As it runs into the forest it fades into a track, and soon it becomes part of a maze of timber tracks. Other roads that once led to the town, roads that knew the lights of Cobb and Co , now " lead to nowhere," and gradually disappear in scrub and bracken….

Greater than the change and decay of the roads is the change that has taken place in the old town. The stranger as he sees the few remaining bouses finds it hard to believe that here once flourished a town of probably 25,000 people (apart from the residents of what might be called the suburbs of Blackwood) No doubt most of the homes of the pioneers were those of people who looked there for no abiding place, and their dwellings were of a primitive and temporary nature. Many large nuggets were discovered of which the old mining registers hold records, but the largest is said to have been carried away secretly. The story is told that it was discovered by two Americans who fearful to make their discovery known placed the nugget in a sack and carried it though the bush to a quiet road that led to Melbourne. The deep banks of the Lerderderg River and of the numerous little gullies running into it are all scarred and torn but on most of these young wildernesses partially hide man's ravenges.

Scrub and brambles grow over the mounds of tailings and tangles of bushes and black berries hide the entrances to the tunnels burrowed into the hills. Here and there however the bush seems to be deaf to the silent appeal for a renewal of its old time beauty. Simmon's Reef about a mile from Blackwood, for a while a town of several thousand inhabitants, is deserted. Of its many homes only an old stone building remains. Some pine trees, an occasional mossy orchard tree, and a few mounds of what were once

Published: 27th Sep 2024 - Article Viewed 3,756 Times

Blackwood Historical Society Open 26th September

If you're in town on the weekend of the AFL grand final you're in luck, the Histroical Society will be open! 
In addition to The Blackwood Market Fair we will have a special open day from 9:00am-11:00am with all donations to goto the Blackwood Cricket Club in support of building a Children's playground.

Come and take a look at the museum and help support a great community initiative.

Pictured is President Mark as we added some extra mulch, raked the leaves and sticks and did some weeding.

Published: 23th Sep 2024 - Article Viewed 3,068 Times

Upcoming Monthly Meeting and Open Day

Come and explore Blackwoods historical museam and examine the artifacts on display.  In this photo you can see a set of Chinese Pottery that was found in Blackwood at one of the ruins.   Open this Saturday from 10:00am 

Address: Corner Martin St and, Warner St, Blackwood VIC 3458

Published: 2nd Sep 2024 - Article Viewed 3,003 Times

Our new model

Fantastic day at the Historical Society today. We started setting up an amazing Mining town model that was gifted to us ( detailed story on that to come ). Here we see Mark ( President ) and Ray ( Vice President ). Make sure to pop in next month as this is truely a great new addition!

Published: 3th Aug 2024 - Article Viewed 3,140 Times