Suburbs of Dunedin, New Zealand
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Dunedin is a city of 113,000 people in the South Island of New Zealand The principal Suburbs of Dunedin are as follows. Inner and outer suburbs are ordered by location, clockwise from the city centre, starting due north:
City Centre
The centre of the city is focussed on The Octagon, an 8-sided 'plaza' with a central carriageway. The main retail area stretches north up George Street toward Dunedin North. East of The Octagon lies the Dunedin Railway Station, with an industrial area and harbour beyond. South of the Octagon, is The Exchange, originally site of the Otago Stock Exchange. The University of Otago was based in this area for its first few years before moving to North Dunedin. The city's main retail and business area was originally focussed on Princes Street and Rattray Street (which crosses it at The Exchange) but has slowly moved north to George St. Immediately above and to the west of the central city is City Rise, bounded above by the town belt. To the south and east lies the park known as Queen's Gardens and the docks at the head of the Otago Harbour.
Inner suburbs
The main inner suburbs, clockwise from due north of the city centre, include the following:
Pine Hill, Dalmore, and Liberton
Pine Hill is a southern spur of Mount Cargill, the 660-metre volcanic outcrop which dominates the northern end of Dunedin's urban area and is topped by the city's main television transmitter tower. The hill lies between the valleys of the Leith River (usually called the Water of Leith) to the west and its tributary Lindsay Creek to the east, and looks down across North East Valley. The Northern Motorway, part of State Highway 1 winds north around the hill's western flank. The suburb, which sits atop the spur, is four kilometres north of the city centre. Pine Hill's 2001 population was 2259, including the older suburb of Dalmore to the south and the post-war State housing development of Liberton.
Dunedin North
The northern end of the city centre is designated Dunedin North. Its main features are the main campuses of Dunedin's three public tertiary institutions, the University of Otago, Otago Polytechnic and the Dunedin Teachers' College, which are situated along the lower reaches of the Water of Leith. This river disgorges into the Otago Harbour in Dunedin North, close to one of the city's main parks, Logan Park (a reclaimed lake), which contains the Logan Park High School and the sporting facilities of the Caledonian Ground and University Oval. Dunedin North's 2001 population, including the University area, was 7047.
The city's oldest cemetery, the Northern Cemetery, is located in Dunedin North, as are the Dunedin Botanical Gardens. State Highway 1 joins the Dunedin road network at a busy intersection at the foot of Pine Hill and North East Valley at the "Gardens Corner", close to the Botanical Gardens' northwestern edge.
North East Valley, Normanby, Mount Mera and The Gardens
Lindsay Creek, a tributary of the Water of Leith, flows southwest down the long North East Valley at the northern end of Dunedin's urban area. This valley, lying between Pine Hill and Signal Hill, houses a residential suburb consisting of one main road with streets heading off it up the steep hills on either side. One of these streets, Baldwin Street is listed as the world's steepest street. The original North East Valley post-office was located near the foot of Baldwin Street, but was relocated to the Gardens to be nearer the retail area.
Normanby is the name of the northern end of the valley, at which point Dunedin's urban area peters out into open countryside. The land here is steeply sloping, as it is the foothills of Mount Cargill. The slopes of Mount cargill itself are densely wooded, and are crisscrossed with walking tracks, some of which start at the Bethune's Gully reserve, at the northern end of Normanby. Mount Mera is an area of State housing sitting on the north facing side of the valley, just above Normanby.
The southern end of the valley, which contains Dunedin North Intermediate School, is usually referred to as The Gardens or The Gardens Corner (The Dunedin Botanical Gardens are located nearby). The Gardens Corner contains one of Dunedin's main retail areas, and also one of its busiest road intersections - here the Northern Motorway (State Highway 1) joins Dunedin's one-way street system. North East Valley's 2001 population was 4266.
Chingford Park, at the Normanby end of the valley is now a sports field and recreational reserve, but was original the residence of one of Sam Neill's forebears, who was founder of Dunedin Company Wilson Neill. The large house is now gone, but the stone stables still on the site are impressive.
Opoho
Opoho suburb sits on the western flank of Signal Hill overlooking North East Valley and the Dunedin Botanical Gardens. It is a residential suburb with very mixed demographics, containing student flats, significant numbers of elderly citizens, and the houses of many academic staff. Above the suburb sits the Centennial Lookout, a memorial built on the top of Signal Hill to mark the centenary of New Zealand in 1940. Impressive views over the city can be gained from here.
Ravensbourne, Maia, and Burkes
The suburb of Ravensbourne sits on the southern slopes of Signal Hill, close to the edge of the Otago Harbour. Separated from the rest of Dunedin's urban area by a quarry at the eastern end of Logan Park, it has the feel of a town in its own right. It is dominated by the Ravensdown fertiliser factory at the southern end of the suburb at the harbour's edge. Ravensbourne's 2001 population was 1269. Beyond Ravensbourne, on the main road to the mouth of the Otago Harbour and the town of Port Chalmers lie the two small settlements of Maia and Burkes (or Burke's Bay). Maia, whose name thought by casual observers to be of Maori origin, was actually named by a former mayor for a character from Greek mythology, Maia, one of the daughters of Titan.
Shiel Hill, Waverley, and Vauxhall
Across the Harbour from Ravensbourne are (from north to south) Shiel Hill, Waverley, and Vauxhall. They form a continuous residential suburb at the western end of Otago Peninsula on the flank of Shiel Hill, overlooking Anderson's Bay and the upper reaches of Otago Harbour.
Anderson's Bay
Anderson's Bay is a residential and light industrial zone to the south of the central city and east of South Dunedin. It extends along the former shoreline and across reclaimed land close to the head of the Otago Harbour, with its southernmost point being at the Anderson's Inlet at the foot of part of the Otago Peninsula. Anderson's Bay's 2001 population was 2532. Dunedin's main cemetery, Anderson's Bay Cemetery, is located to the south of the suburb (and should, perhaps, rather have been named Tainui Cemetery), and overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
Musselburgh and Tainui
Musselburgh is located at the foot of the Otago Peninsula. It is at the narrowest point of the isthmus connecting the Peninsula to the rest of the island (at this point some 1500 metres in width). Musselburgh is dominated by a series of large rocky outcrops known as the Musselburgh Rise which stand above the eastern edge of the flat area of Saint Kilda. At its southern edge, Musselburgh and the neighbouring small suburb of Tainui reach the waters of the Pacific Ocean, rising to the promontory of Lawyer's Head. To the immediate west of this lie Anderson's Bay Cemetery and the golf links of Chisholm Park. Musselburgh's 2001 population was 2835.
South Dunedin and Kensington
South Dunedin is the city's second most important retail district, and lies immediately below the major road junction of Cargill's Corner some 2500 metres south of the city centre. The main features of South Dunedin are the railway workshops which cover some 100,000 square metres (25 acres) at the northern edge of the suburb, and Carisbrook (the city's main sports stadium), which is located at the border of South Dunedin and Caversham. At the northeastern edge of the suburb, closest to the city centre, is the small residential area of Kensington. South Dunedin's 2001 population was 2538.
Saint Kilda
Dunedin is blessed to have a long stretch of fine beach close to the city centre. The beaches of Saint Kilda and its neighbour Saint Clair stretch along the city's south coast for some 3500 metres between the headland of Lawyer's Head and Forbury Hill. The suburb of Saint Kilda, which until 1989 was a separate borough, is a densely populated residential area stretching across the flat land between the beach and the light industrial areas to the south of the central city. St. Kilda's 2001 population was 5904. At the southern end of the suburb lies Forbury Park, the city's main horse racing (trotting and pacing) venue.
St Kilda has 3 pubs, a bowling green, badminton hall as well as an Olympic sized Ice Skating rink. It is also the home of Pirates Rugby club, Otago Model Engineering Society and a Hot Rod club.
Saint Clair
Corstorphine, Kew, and Calton Hill
At the northern end of Forbury Hill is the spur known as Calton Hill, which forms the southern edge of the Caversham Valley. To the south of this, close to the summit of Forbury Hill, and stretching out towards Saint Clair to the south and the outer suburb of Concord to the west is the large suburb of Corstorphine. This suburb, which contains a large proportion of state houses, was built during the 1930s-1950s. Lower down the hill to the east, close to Caversham and Forbury, lies the smaller but more prosperous suburb of Kew.
Caversham and Forbury
One of Dunedin's older suburban areas is Caversham, lying in a valley close to the Southern Motorway (part of State Highway 1), the main transport access to Dunedin from the south. The suburb contains a small retail area, but is mainly residential. Carisbrook, the city's main rugby and cricket venue, is situated at the eastern end of the suburb. The smaller suburb of Forbury is located to the south of Caversham. Caversham's 2001 population was 5019.
Mornington, Maryhill, and Kenmure
Due west of the city centre, with primary access up High Street, sits the hill suburb of Mornington. Southwest of it is Maryhill, while Kenmure is a small locality to the northwest. Mornington was originally served by a cable car from The Exchange, with a connecting line running from Mornington to Maryhill.
Roslyn and Belleknowes
The suburb of Roslyn lies atop a crest which forms part of the inner ring of hills around Dunedin. Excellent views of the inner city can be gained from the Roslyn overbridge, which is 2,500 metres northwest of the city centre, and 150 metres above sea level. Several of the city's most prestigious schools are located close to this suburb and its northern neighbour, Maori Hill. Its southwestern end merges imperceptibly into Belleknowes. Roslyn was in earlier times also served by a cable car, which came up Stuart Street from The Octagon before dropping down to Kaikorai. Roslyn's 2001 population was 3957.
Maori Hill
Along with Saint Clair, Maori Hill is regarded as one of Dunedin's more exclusive suburbs. Many fine houses are located among the trees of the city's green belt, which snakes around the slopes of the crest which surrounds much of the inner city. Unlike neighbouring hill suburbs like Roslyn, Maori Hill was not served by a cable car, possibly underlying its greater degree of exclusivity. Maori Hill's 2001 population was 1956.
Outer suburbs
The main outer suburbs, clockwise from the city centre (starting due north), include the following. Many of them were separate towns until local government reorganisation in the late 1980s.
Ravenbourne and Burkes area
One of the older hill suburbs in the west harbour area of Dunedin. Some of the streets are disjointed with half a st being on on one part of the hill and the second half on the next part of the hill. For example Kowhai St has numbers running from 1 - 20 and the continuation of the street called Kauri St has numbers running from 30 upwards. Monowai st continues as Manapouri st in a similar pattern. Ravensbourne was also the delivery area on the famous country music singing Milkman called Noel Parlane.
Saint Leonards
On the west bank of the Otago Harbour beyond Burkes, equidistant between Ravensbourne and Port Chalmers, lies the sleepy residential settlement of Saint Leonards. Named for St. Leonards-on-Sea in England, the settlement is a commuter township also favoured by alternative lifestylers. St. Leonards' 2001 population was 729.
Roseneath and Sawyers Bay
Between Saint Leonards and Port Chalmers is the headland of Roseneath, on top of which sits the small suburb of the same name. The harbour's coast beyond this sweeps into a wide bay, Sawyer's Bay, inland from which lies the same-named suburb. As the name suggests, this suburb was initially the location of the sawmills which turned the coastal forests of the area into the building materials for the early city.
Portobello
Broad Bay
Situated on an aptly named wide bay on the harbour coast of the Otago Peninsula is Broad Bay. This settlement, located between Macandrew Bay and Portobello is 13 kilometres east of the city centre, but has the feel of a small fishing village. The main reason for this is that it is located around a large bluff from the city's main urban area, and is thus out of sight of it. The town, like several on the peninsula (including Macandrew Bay, below) is a commuter settlement. Broad Bay and its neighbouring settlements have a strong arts community, and are also a haven for alternative lifestylers.
Macandrew Bay
Waldronville
Waldronville is a commuter township on the Otago coast to the southwest of Dunedin. It is located 13 kilometres southwest of the city centre, close to the Kaikorai Lagoon, which is at the estuary of the Kaikorai Stream, which flows through several of Dunedin's western suburbs. beyong Waldronville, the coast road stretches out to Brighton and Taieri Mouth.
Concord
The tiny suburb of Concord sits at the southern end of the Kaikorai Valley, between the heart of the city and Green Island. To the east of it, a large roughly-sloped hill separates the suburb from the city's inner suburbs.
Green Island
Abbotsford
Fairfield
The quiet township of Fairfield lies 10 kilometres to the west of Dunedin CBD. Until 2000, the town was situated on State Highway 1, but the construction of a ten kilometre stretch of motorway (the southernmost motorway in the world) between Caversham and Mosgiel at that time created the Fairfield bypass. Fairfield has a (2001) population of 2010.
Kaikorai Valley, Bradford, and Brockville
The Kaikorai stream forms a broad straight valley which runs southwest to northeast, five kilometres west of the heart of the city. Along this valley lies the residential/light-industrial suburb of Kaikorai Valley. The northern end of the valley finishes to the immediate west of (and topographically below) Roslyn.
At the northern end of the valley is the small suburb known as Bradford. The suburb of Brockville winds down the hill immediately to the northwest of Bradford.
Halfway Bush and Wakari
From the point where Roslyn and the Kaikorai Valley meet, the Taieri Road forms a secondary exit from Dunedin, heading first northwest and then west, winding through the rough country known as the Three Mile Hill before emerging on the Taieri Plains near Mosgiel. Flanking this road are Dunedin's northwesternmost suburbs, Halfway Bush and Wakari. Wakari is best known for being the site of the Wakari Hospital, one of Dunedin's main hospitals, and one which specialises largely in mental health services.
