"I swear to God, that's f***ing Eddie Woo," says a burly young bloke sporting tattoos to another man in the dining room of Wagga Wagga's Victoria Hotel.

"No mate, it could just be some random Asian," his friend replies.

But it is in fact Australia's most unlikely new celebrity, Eddie Woo.

The Sydney maths teacher stands shoulder to shoulder for a photo with the men. Eddie smiles broadly as they give the thumbs-up, but it's clear he's a little sheepish about the attention.

He'd better get used to it.

In the past 12 months, Eddie's profile has skyrocketed thanks to the huge popularity of his YouTube channel, "Wootube", and a string of awards.

In Canberra on the evening of January 25, he gasped, choked back tears and hugged his wife, Michelle, when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that he was Australia's Local Hero for 2018.

A few weeks later, Bill Gates announced that Eddie was one of 10 finalists in the $US1 million ($1.28 million) 2018 Global Teacher Prize. At a ceremony in Dubai overnight, Eddie wasn't named the winner, but his top 10 nomination is testament to his rising star.

Thumbs up for Eddie: A group of "fans" grab a photo with maths teacher Eddie Woo at the Victoria Hotel in Wagga Wagga. ( Australian Story: Rebecca Baillie )

Eddie and Michelle describe the past 12 months as "the magic carpet ride", although it hasn't all been glamorous award ceremonies.

Earlier this month, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced Eddie's new role as a 'master teacher' with the New South Wales Department of Education. As leader of innovation for maths teaching, he travels across the state, mentoring students and other teachers.

He retains his job as a maths teacher at Cherrybrook Technology High School in Sydney's north-western suburbs, taking his year 12 extension class every morning before school.

But other teachers at Cherrybrook will cover his lessons when he is on the road sharing his huge enthusiasm for maths.

"[I will be] able to equip these teachers with new ideas and practices that will help enliven the way that they teach," Eddie says.

"That's just such an important thing for these people out in regional areas, because it's very hard for them to get it any other way."

After winning the state prize, Eddie Woo was named Australia's Local Hero 2018 in the Australia Day Awards. ( Jordan Hayne )

'Rockstar' welcome for maths tour

Eddie Woo now travels regional and remote New South Wales teaching masterclasses in maths. ( Australian Story: Rebecca Baillie )

Eddie flew to Dubai for the announcement of the prize, which was won by Andria Zafirakou, from the United Kingdom, for her work at an inner-city London school where 35 languages are spoken, and where the students face poverty and gang violence.

Less than a week before the announcement, Australian Story joined Eddie on a four-day road trip through the NSW Riverina.

The Griffith Regional Theatre was packed with 500 enthusiastic students and their teachers who'd travelled by bus from around the region.

"He proved to us that maths can be fun, it is not always hard work, and it's not always headaches, number problems, algebra," Luke Woodward, a Year 12 student at Griffith's Wade High School, says.

Eddie's meal in the Wagga Wagga pub came at the end of a long day on the road. Just as he begins tucking into his scotch fillet, two more fans approach him.

"Hi Eddie, I'm a maths teacher at one of the schools here in Wagga. The kids and I can't wait to hear your talk tomorrow," the local man says.

He reaches for Eddie's hand for a shake and asks if he can get a selfie. Eddie is as equally excited to chat about the next day's masterclass.

The Wagga Wagga forum was just as big as the one in Griffith with the maths teacher welcomed like a rockstar to host school Kooringal High.

"Maths is play, maths is exploration, and maths is a story," Eddie tells the hall.

Eddie Woo chats with students and teachers during his maths mentoring road trip. ( Australian Story: Rebecca Baillie )

A delicious welcome for Eddie Woo at James Fallon High School in Albury, New South Wales. ( Facebook: James Fallon High School )

'The maths teacher everyone would have wanted'

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Eddie was just another anonymous maths teacher, albeit a much-loved one, until the day in 2012 that he decided to set up a camera in his classroom to film his lessons for a seriously ill student. He posted the videos on YouTube and, to his surprise, their popularity grew exponentially.

His free WooTube channel now boasts more than 200,000 subscribers from all around the world, and the videos have been watched more than 12 million times.

"It's just an extraordinary number," says Gary Johnson, the principal of Cherrybrook Technology High School, who has worked hard to keep Eddie on his staff.

"He's only getting that traffic because students find it so rewarding because he's such a good explainer of mathematical complexity, and so they come back again, again, and again," says Mark Scott, the secretary of the NSW Department of Education.

Mr Scott describes Eddie as the "maths teacher everyone would have wanted to have".

"I liken him to this generation's Julius Sumner Miller, a charismatic teacher who uses the latest technology to expand the reach of his classroom far beyond the students who are seated in front of him."

Eddie started recording his maths lessons to help a seriously ill student who was absent from class. ( Australian Story: Rebecca Baillie )

Many students have told Eddie they "don't do maths". But comments like that light a spark in him.

"I view that kind of student as my personal mission to turn around," he says.

It is that sort of attitude, and the success of his Wootube videos, that are among the reasons he was a finalist in the Global Teacher Prize, which is given by the London-headquartered Varkey Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation for underprivileged children.

A whopping 30,000 teachers from 173 countries entered the awards, 50 teachers were short-listed, and 10 finalists from countries including the United States, Belgium, Norway and Brazil were in Dubai for the announcement.

"Eddie is identified as one of the 10 greatest teachers in the world," Mr Scott says.

"What remarkable recognition for him and what a remarkable endorsement of a career that can be made here in Australian education."

But fame brings its downsides. Eddie's older brother, Kevin Woo, describes it as a "double-edged sword", saying Eddie's now much busier schedule is not only keeping him away from his day job, but also from his family.

Eddie says he's coping with the pressure.

"Even standing in front of 500 kids, I'm just talking about things that I love, and that I want other people to love too. So, I don't know that I would describe it as feeling pressure. My legs are a bit tired, but it's worth it."

Maths teacher Eddie Woo with his wife Michelle, sons Nathan and Jamie and daughter Emily. ( Supplied: Tealily Photography )

Watch Australian Story's Channelling Mr Woo² on ABC iview.