Dunback

Dunback

The Highwayman Hotel at Dunback, built from local schist and limestone in 1864.

Dunback, formerly Waihemo, is a small town in the Otago region of New Zealand. It is located between Palmerston and Ranfurly on Highway 85. It has a population of about 200 people. Most of these people live in the rural areas near the town. The only remaining buildings now that still stand are the church, the highwayman hotel, the coronation hall and the dunback school. All of these buildings are over 100 years old. There is also the domain which includes a cricket field, camping ground and bowling Green. Locals and campers both enjoy the facilities that it has to offer. Along Murphy st also stands the swing bridge which was built in the early 1900s for pupils to cross the shag river for easier access to the school.

From 29 August 1885 until 1 January 1968, the town was the terminus of the Dunback Branch, a branch line railway that left the Main South Line in Palmerston. Nowadays, some of the old railway formation, a loading bank at the site of the station yard, and other railway relics can still be found around Dunback.