Story: Otago places

Roadside Stories: Bridging the mighty Clutha

Balclutha began life as ‘The Ferry’, the site of a ferry crossing on the mighty Clutha River from 1852. Gold brought new settlers, and a bridge was built, but was lost – along with four others further upstream – in a flood in 1878. The current bridge opened in 1935, prompting four days of celebration by delighted locals.

Listen to a Roadside Story about the bridges on the Clutha River. Roadside Stories is a series of audio guides to places around New Zealand.

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How to cite this page:

Malcolm McKinnon, 'Otago places - Clutha River/Mata-Au', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/35355/roadside-stories-bridging-the-mighty-clutha (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, updated 1 Jul 2015