Mossburn

Mossburn
Town
State Highway 94, the main street of Mossburn
Mossburn
Coordinates: 45°40′S 168°15′E / 45.667°S 168.250°E / -45.667; 168.250Coordinates: 45°40′S 168°15′E / 45.667°S 168.250°E / -45.667; 168.250
Country	New Zealand
Region	Southland
Territorial authority	Southland
Elevation	297 m (974 ft)
Population (2013)
• Total	210
Time zone	New Zealand Standard Time (UTC+12)
• Summer (DST)	New Zealand Daylight Time (UTC+13)
Postcode	9747

Mossburn is a small town in the northern Southland Region of New Zealand. It is situated 113 km south of Queenstown, 59 km east of Te Anau and 100 km north of Invercargill. In 2013, it had a usually resident population of 210 according to New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings. The town is located in a very scenic area, with the mountains of Fiordland creating a beautiful backdrop, with the West Dome (1,271 m) and Mt Hamilton (1,487 m) being prominent land marks.

The town's main industry is agriculture, with many dairy, cattle, deer, and sheep farms nearby. The town was originally based situated around the four original stations; Centre Hill, Castlerock, West Dome and Dunrobin. Dairy farming has become the major industry of the area. Many large dairy farms have been established over the past ten years, converting from past sheep and other mixed farming activities. .

In the 1890s Mossburn farmer George Chewings developed a successful grass seed for the district’s infertile soil. Chewings fescue Festuca rubra subsp. commutata was an ideal constituent in lawn turfs around the world and was used on the playing surface Wimbledon and landing strips in World War 2.

Mossburn lays claim to being the Deer Capital of New Zealand. This is based on the origins of the successful live deer recovery in the wild by helicopter and subsequent first deer farm in New Zealand being established in 1972. This was spurred on by the high venison prices at the time and the near epidemic population levels of red deer in the wild after their introduction earlier in the century. There still remains many deer farms in the community and the Silver Fern Farms venison processing plant which is a major employer for the community.

Mossburn's greatest burst of economic activity came as a result of the construction of the Manapouri Power Station. The Mossburn Branch railway had terminated in the town since 1887 and was the closest railway terminus to the project. Previously, the line had been served by two mixed trains of both passengers and freight per week (only freight after 4 October 1937) from Lumsden on the Kingston Branch, but with the commencement of the Manapouri project as well as other government development programmes such as agricultural expansion, one and sometimes two trains would arrive daily from Invercargill. By the start of the 1980s, these projects were complete and the railway closed on 13 December 1982. The Railway Hotel (build 1922) remains as one of the towns social centers, and subsequent old railway lines have been converted into the Around the Mountains Cycle Trail.