The area around Woodchester is actually very interesting and there is a great deal of information about it in a book called ‘Old Woodchester (Tin Pot) and Onaunga District Council Area’ which was researched, compiled and published by Eric. A. Cross.
The history of Woodchester and the surrounding areas includes references to the original aboriginal inhabitants, the ‘Tin Pot’ Inn, the Gold Escorts, blacksmiths, the cemetery (haunted to this day??), its own Council, farming, the 1894 Sparrow Act (two shillings per hundred heads and three shillings per hundred eggs), the Wheal Ellen Mine, the Merino, the Woodchester Racing Club, Quadrille & Ballroom dancing, the Black Friday heat wave of 1939, rabbits and more rabbits, grain harvesting, glass ball shooting, tennis, cricket, Salem and the Salem Church, bridges across the Bremer River, Chauncey’s Line, the Hartley Rifle Club, the Hartley Creamery, making Charcoal, the 1930’s Eucalyptus Distillery and much much more. The sense you get is of an area with an interesting past and a history of strong community links.
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