Balclutha is a town in Otago, it lies towards the end of the Clutha River on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is about halfway between Dunedin and Invercargill on the Main South Line railway, State Highway 1 and the Southern Scenic Route. Balclutha has a population of 4104 (2001 census), and is the largest town in South Otago.
A service town for the fertile farming region around the lower reaches of the Clutha River, it is also the nearest large centre to the Catlins, a scenic region of forest, wildlife, and rugged coastline.
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Origins
Known locally as The Big River Town, Balclutha's name - and that of the river on which it stands - reflects the Scottish origin of the town's settlement, and translates from Scottish Gaelic as "Town on the Clyde". The Māori name for the area is Iwikatea, literally "Bleached bones".
Landmarks
The Clutha flows through the town. The Clutha is the largest river in New Zealand by volume of water, and the country's second longest after the Waikato. It provides the town with various recreational facilities, including fishing (brown trout), water skiing and power boating.
The most prominent structure in the town is the concrete road bridge across the river, which was built in 1938. The South Island Main Trunk Railway crosses the river some 800 metres downstream. Most of the town lies on the flat land which lies within a wide loop in the river to the south of the distinctive Balclutha Road Bridge, but North Balclutha perches on the hill to the north of the bridge and Rosebank on the hill to the South.
Government-funded educational facilities include:
- South Otago High School
- Balclutha Primary School
- Rosebank Primary School
- St. Joseph's Primary School
Famous people from Balclutha
- Tony Brown (rugby player)
- Ivor Endicott-Davies (b. c1950) - 6th dan in judo. Former New Zealand national champion and Australian national Masters champion1
- Morgan Endicott-Davies - Judo Player
- Barbara Tilden (26 November 1955) New Zealand field hockey player
Footnotes
- ^ Black belt CEO: keeping mind and body toned - a profile of Ivor Endicott-Davies
Sources
- Reed, A.W. (2002) The Reed dictionary of New Zealand place names. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-790-00761-4.
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- This page was last modified on 17 November 2008, at 06:48.
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