Woodstock, New South Wales

Woodstock is a village in the central west of New South Wales, Australia, 21km east of Cowra. It contains remains of a brief goldrush during the late 19th century which left behind a number of substantial buildings before the village relapsed into relative isolation. It includes a restored railway station, hotel and a memorial hall. At the, Woodstock had a population of 812.HistoryThe railway station was opened in 1888 on the Blayney - Demondrille line which connected the Main Western Line at Blayney and the Main Southern Line at Demondrille railway station. At one time there were several sidings near the station with grain silos, stock yards, loading bank, goods shed, hay stage, and loco platform. In the 1980s services were suspended between Cowra and Blayney. The section was re-opened by the Lachlan Valley Railway which runs heritage trains from Cowra to Blayney. The railway station is now an art gallery and private residence.Gold was discovered in 1868 at Woods Flat, a few kilometres south of Woodstock. A rush of 500 diggers took up the ground there, but after a short period only a few were left as surface gold was minimal and water supplies lacking. The goldfield had a long history but today almost nothing remains of the buildings at Woods Flat. The village of Woodstock was established in response to the building of the railway line north of Woods Flat, from Blayney to Cowra in 1880s. Initially known also as Woods Flat, the name of the village was changed to Woodstock in 1886.