Thornbury is a small township on the east bank of the lower

Aparima River The Aparima River, earlier known as Jacob's River, is one of the southward-flowing braided rivers of Southland, New Zealand. Description The Aparima has its headwaters in the Takitimu Mountains, south of Lake Te Anau, and flows south for befo ...

, in western Southland, New Zealand. It is approximately northeast of Riverton, and northwest of

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

. 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 Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, 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 The Ohai Line, formerly known as the Ohai Industrial Line and previously the Wairio Branch and the Ohai Railway Board's line, is a 54.5 km branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. It opened in 1882 and is one of two remaining branch ...

going inland to the coal mines at Nightcaps. In 1978 the Tuatapere Branch was closed and was eventually removed.

Education

Thornbury School is a co-educational contributing primary school for years 1 to 6 with a roll of students as of The school opened on 6 June 1883.

References

{{Southland District Populated places in the Southland Region