In 1853 Wood went out to Victoria and entered on the practice of his profession before the Supreme Court in Melbourne. In March 1857 he was appointed Solicitor-General in the first John O'Shanassy Government, which however, only held office until 29 April. On 1 April 1857 he was returned to the Legislative Assembly for the Ovens district. In the Nicholson administration, Wood was Attorney-General from 27 October 1859 to 26 November 1860, and he was Minister of Justice in the third O'Shanassy Cabinet from November 1861 to June 1863. Having been defeated for the Ovens, and subsequently for Gippsland, Wood ultimately secured his return for Warrnambool.
