Brunner, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Brunner is a town in the northwest of New Zealand
's South Island
. Together with Taylorville and Dobson
to the south-west, it had a population of 672 at the 2006 census. It is 12 kilometres to the east of Greymouth, on the south bank of the Grey River. It is on the Midland Line
railway near its junction with the Stillwater - Westport Line
(SWL) in neighbouring Stillwater
. Passenger trains ceased running along the SWL to Reefton
and Westport
in 1967, but the TranzAlpine
runs the length of the Midland Line from Christchurch
to Greymouth and it continues to stop in Brunner.
Historically connected with coal
mining
, the town was the site of a major disaster in 1896, when an explosion killed 65 miners in the Brunner Mine
. Other important industries in the town have included forestry
.
The town, formerly called Brunnerton, was named after the explorer Thomas Brunner
, who discovered coal here.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. Together with Taylorville and Dobson
Dobson, New Zealand
Dobson is a small town on the banks of the Grey River in the South Island of New Zealand. It is 10 kilometres east from the river's mouth at Greymouth. The settlement of Taylorville is across the river from Dobson, but no bridge directly connects the two...
to the south-west, it had a population of 672 at the 2006 census. It is 12 kilometres to the east of Greymouth, on the south bank of the Grey River. It is on the Midland Line
Midland Line, New Zealand
The Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira tunnel.-Freight services:...
railway near its junction with the Stillwater - Westport Line
Stillwater - Westport Line
The Stillwater Ngakawau Line , formerly the Stillwater - Westport Line and the Ngakawau Branch, is a secondary main line, part of New Zealand's national rail network. It runs between Stillwater and Ngakawau via Westport on the West Coast of the South Island...
(SWL) in neighbouring Stillwater
Stillwater, West Coast
Stillwater is a town in the South Island of New Zealand east of Greymouth on the banks of the Grey River in the Grey District of the West Coast, next to Brunner. There is also Stillwater, Auckland in the North Island....
. Passenger trains ceased running along the SWL to Reefton
Reefton, New Zealand
Reefton is a small town on New Zealand's West Coast region, some 80 km northeast of Greymouth, in the valley of the Inangahua River. State Highway 7 passes through the southern part of the town, and State Highway 69 runs north to connect to State Highway 6...
and Westport
Westport, New Zealand
-Economy:Economic activity is based around fishing, coal mining and dairy farming. Historically, gold mining was a major industry, and coal mining was much more extensive than today . However, the region still is home to New Zealand's largest opencast mining operation in Stockton...
in 1967, but the TranzAlpine
TranzAlpine
The TranzAlpine Express is a passenger train operated by Tranz Scenic in the South Island of New Zealand. This trip is often regarded to be one of the world's great train journeys for the scenery through which it passes . The journey is one-way, taking about four and a half hours...
runs the length of the Midland Line from Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
to Greymouth and it continues to stop in Brunner.
Historically connected with coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, the town was the site of a major disaster in 1896, when an explosion killed 65 miners in the Brunner Mine
Brunner Mine
The Brunner Mine was a coal mine on the West Coast of the South Island in New Zealand.The Brunner Mine was one of several mines situated on the banks of the Grey River, at an area known as "Coal Gorge" between the townships of Stillwater and Taylorville...
. Other important industries in the town have included forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
.
The town, formerly called Brunnerton, was named after the explorer Thomas Brunner
Thomas Brunner
Thomas Brunner was an English-born surveyor and explorer remembered for his exploration of the western coastal areas of New Zealand's South Island....
, who discovered coal here.
External links
- Photo of Brunner, c1900
- Brunner, Encyclopedia of New Zealand.