Whether it be a taste for history, beautiful scenery, bush
walks or just plain salt air, there is more than one good
reason to stop at Fortrose - the gateway to the Catlins.
Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
The last set of cups come off the cows at the milking
shed as the sun ambles its way west near the end of a stiffling
hot Saturday afternoon.
And after quick showers to make us feel human again, we all
dive into the old green family 1973 Holden Statesman and head
off into the long Southland summer twilight toward the
Catlins.
The area is on the back doorstep of my childhood stamping
ground and many a weekend was spent there as a boy.
Whether it be a taste for history, beautiful scenery, bush
walks or just plain salt air, there is more than one good
reason to stop at Fortrose - the gateway to the Catlins.
It's about 35 minutes drive southeast of Invercargill and
situated at the mouth of the Mataura River - a good site for
seasoned fishermen and whitebaiters.
It is one of Southland's earliest European settlements, with
records dating from 1834, when whalers established a station.
The name Fortrose appears to have been attributed to a
Scottish drover from Inverness-Shire, near Fortrose, in
Scotland, who claimed the area was similar to the Scottish
Fortrose.
The settlement became a busy port from which grain, wool and
logs were exported.
A 70m-long jetty was built in 1875 and a goods shed was built
to accommodate the demand.
Several hotels and two boarding houses were also built.
But in 1899, Fortrose faded into the shadows of history when
the Waimahaka railway line opened.
It connected the area with Invercargill, bringing an end to
the boom times.
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