Woodford Island is an inland island in the Far-North Coast of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. It is formed by the Clarence River where it splits into the South Arm and North Arm at the small village of Brushgrove then reforms at the town of

Maclean MacLean, also spelt Maclean and McLean, is a Goidelic languages, Gaelic surname Mac Gille Eathain, or, Mac Giolla Eóin in Irish language, Irish Gaelic), Eóin being a Gaelic form of Johannes (John (given name), John). The clan surname is an A ...

. The island is the largest in NSW, either inland or offshore, at 37 km².

Access

There are three ways on and off the island, two bridges; at the southern end is the Wingfield Bridge in Brushgrove, which crosses to Cowper, and the

McFarlane Bridge The McFarlane Bridge is a road bridge that carries Lawrence Road across the south arm of the Clarence River at Maclean, New South Wales, Australia. The bridge connects the communities of Maclean and Woodford Island. Description The bridge ...

at the northern end, that gives access to Maclean. There is a ferry that connects Lawrence to Woodford Dale, being the western side of the island,

Economy

Woodford Island is mostly flood plain which supports the primary industries of

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

and milk producing cattle. A small fishing fleet ply the Clarence River. There are a few small businesses, however, most residents travel off the island to Maclean or Grafton for goods and services.

People and geography

There are approximately 300 people living on the island. Through its almost exact centre is a mountain ridge. The rest is plains which are subjected to periodic flooding. The largest town is Brushgrove at the south of the island. It holds major aboriginal significance in the area and the aboriginal village of Ilarwill.

History

Woodford Island was one of the first places inhabited by Europeans on the Far-North Coast. Original settler John Small was attracted to the abundance of Australian Redcedar. The town of Brushgrove was once a major trading hub for timber, sugar and other agriculture goods due to its location on the Clarence River. This brought tremendous wealth to area and at one time the island supported many schools, a police station, many businesses and other utilities. However, due to the development of road and train infrastructure, the town has dwindled in size over the past century.

Points of interests

Tourist drive 22 travels across the island starting at the Lawrence Car Ferry and ending at the

that enters

. . The bridge was named after

John McFarlane John McFarlane OBE (born 14 June 1947) is a British businessman. He served as Group Chairman of Barclays from 2015 to 2019. Early life He was born in Dumfries and attended Dumfries Academy. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, Cr ...

local member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

. The island is broken up into areas being- Woodford Dale (The last school on the island which closed in 2011) Woodford Leigh Brushgrove (Old, police station, post office, pub, shops) Ilarwill ( aboriginal village, old quarry boat shed) Tyndale South arm As well as many of property name like yakalo on the Lawrence side of the island Maclean District Golf Course is on the island. Hermitt Cave, Small's Pioneer Cemetery, Old Schools, Abandoned Quarry. Police station. Radio towers. Cane fields. And the mighty Clarence River

References

{{reflist Islands of New South Wales River islands of Australia