Thornbury, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Thornbury is a small township on the east bank of the lower Aparima River
, in western Southland, New Zealand
. It is approximately 10km northeast of Riverton, and 31km northwest of Invercargill
. It is mainly a farming service community. Local small industries include machinery and transport/trucking companies, and a tannery.
The township was founded by pioneer settlers Matthew Instone and Robert Foster. It was named by Robert Foster after his wife's birthplace, the market town of Thornbury, in Gloucestershire, England.
Originally Thornbury had grown around a railway junction. The railway line from Invercargill split at Thornbury, with one branch going around the coast to Riverton and Tuatapere/Orawia, and the Wairio Branch
going inland to the coal mines at Nightcaps. In 1978 the Tuatapere Branch
was closed and was eventually removed.
Thornbury has one school for primary-age children, called Thornbury Schoolhttp://www.tki.org.nz/e/schools/display_school_info.php?school_id=4028. The school celebrated in 2008 its 125th anniversary, the original school having opened on June 6, 1883.
Aparima River
The Aparima River is located in Southland, New Zealand. It has its headwaters in the Takitimu Mountains, south of Lake Te Anau, and flows south for 100 kilometres before entering Foveaux Strait near Riverton at the north end of Oreti Beach....
, in western Southland, New Zealand
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...
. It is approximately 10km northeast of Riverton, and 31km northwest of Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
. It is mainly a farming service community. Local small industries include machinery and transport/trucking companies, and a tannery.
The township was founded by pioneer settlers Matthew Instone and Robert Foster. It was named by Robert Foster after his wife's birthplace, the market town of Thornbury, in Gloucestershire, England.
Originally Thornbury had grown around a railway junction. The railway line from Invercargill split at Thornbury, with one branch going around the coast to Riverton and Tuatapere/Orawia, and the Wairio Branch
Wairio Branch
The Wairio Branch, now incorporating the Ohai Industrial Line, is a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. It opened in 1882 and is the sole remaining branch line in Southland, and one of only a few in the entire country...
going inland to the coal mines at Nightcaps. In 1978 the Tuatapere Branch
Tuatapere Branch
The Tuatapere Branch, including the Orawia Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. Although the Tuatapere and Orawia Branches look like a single line, operationally they were considered separate lines. The first section opened to Riverton in 1879 and reached Tuatapere three...
was closed and was eventually removed.
Thornbury has one school for primary-age children, called Thornbury Schoolhttp://www.tki.org.nz/e/schools/display_school_info.php?school_id=4028. The school celebrated in 2008 its 125th anniversary, the original school having opened on June 6, 1883.