Browns is a locality in Central Southland in New Zealand's

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. It is just to the east of the town of Winton in the southwestern reaches of the

Hokonui Hills The Hokonui Hills, also known as ''The Hokonui Mountains'' or simply ''The Hokonui'', are a range of hills in central Southland, New Zealand. They rise to 600 metres above the surrounding Southland Plains, of which the hills mark a northern ext ...

. passes through the town on its route between Winton and Springhills. Browns was also the terminus of a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

from 1953 until 1968. In 1883, a bush tramway was built into the Browns area from a junction with the

Kingston Branch The Kingston Branch was a major railway line in Southland, New Zealand. It formed part of New Zealand's national rail network for over a century: construction began in 1864, Kingston was reached in 1878, and it closed in 1979. For much ...

in Winton. In the 1890s, it was upgraded to railway standards, extended to Hedgehope, and handed over to the

New Zealand Railways Department The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining Rail transport in New Zealand, New Zealand's railway infrastruc ...

. This line was known as the Hedgehope Branch and opened on 17 July 1899 with a station in Browns. Passenger services ceased on 9 February 1931, and due to the decline in freight from stations beyond Browns, the Browns-Hedgehope section closed on 24 December 1953.

Agricultural lime Agricultural lime, also called aglime, agricultural limestone, garden lime or liming, is a soil additive made from pulverized limestone or chalk. The primary active component is calcium carbonate. Additional chemicals vary depending on the mineral ...

was the predominant traffic from Browns, and when government subsidies for the transport of lime by rail were slashed and the railway link (the

Tokanui Branch The Tokanui Branch, also known as the Seaward Bush Branch, was a branch line railway located in Southland, New Zealand. It diverged from the Bluff Branch south of the main railway station in Invercargill and ran for 54 kilometres in a southea ...

) to the primary destination for Browns lime was closed, freight tonnages fell below sustainable levels. Accordingly, the branch from Winton to Browns was closed on 1 January 1968. Very little of Browns' railway heritage is now evident in the village.

Education

Hillside School is a state contributing primary school for years 1 to 8 with a roll of as of

References

Populated places in the Southland Region {{Southland-geo-stub