Lovely Lumsden is a town
of gains and losses. It has had more losses in the last century than many places in the world could survive. And yet, many of the losses are certainly the gains, in real human terms, for fortunate residents today.

Lumsden is the junction of the valleys and so was the natural site for the Railway Junction.
It became home to train
drivers, railway workers, and
bus drivers. It was a family
town for them and the huge bustle of people who service the farming industry.

From here the railway used to extend four ways. In one direction the rail went to Kingston to link with the old Lake Wakatipu steam boat ‘The Earnslaw’. This ‘Old Lady of the Lake,’ as she is now known travelled up the lake to Queenstown.

The next link was to Mossburn only 30km away where almost
all farming ceased. The third direction was to Balfour on the link to Gore.

The fourth travelled down to Southland’s major city, Invercargill, and then on to the province’s major port, Bluff.

Buses linked the stations and extended the range to Te Anau, Central Otago, and north to Dunedin.

In that period Lumsden was a busy town, and a thriving
society with a population of
over 800.
As a result it was the biggest shopping centre of Northern Southland. It had three banks, hairdressers, two supermarkets, tea rooms, three pubs, even its own drapery. There was a local primary school and a large and effective secondary school that serviced the whole of Northern Southland.

The Government protection of the railway was discarded and ‘privatisation’ became the
political cry. Railway branch
lines were closed down and bus services sold.

Railway and Road service workers were dismissed and families moved elsewhere
seeking employment. The loss
of such a large portion of the town people devastated the town.

The pastoral down-turn due to the removal of subsidies and poor prices for produce effected Lumsden dramatically. Now all that is left of the bustling town are two of the three pubs, one grocery shop, a chemist, three food outlets and less than five hundred people. It’s still

We say regrettably, but one man’s loss can very often be another’s gain. The result of the changing fortunes is that there is still a really well organised town, that doesn’t cost a fortune to enjoy. The town has everything you can think of, good streets and lighting, water, sewerage, good weather and scenery, lovely people – albeit a population is rather in short supply these days.

And cheap housing. Recently a section - fully serviced with water and sewerage - sold to an Auckland buyer unseen for two NZ dollars. That’s almost unbelievable even in today’s market and is a marked difference from the demand of only twenty-five years ago. Houses that would sell for around $200,000 in Queenstown, only an hours drive away, would sell for only $30,000 - if a buyer could be found.

There are three Churches still in regular use. The Presbyterian Church is the largest, then the Roman Catholic, and thirdly the Anglican Church of All Saints.
Unlike the two original wooden buildings of the other denominations the Anglican Church was replaced just before the down turn and so it is a modern building in the ‘fish’ design.

There’s plenty of colourful history too. This is the suggested site of the infamous Minnie Dean who is said to have ‘adopted’ children and then having received a payment for the adoption, would take them on a train journey from Winton to Kingston. When she arrived home the children had mysteriously disappeared. One of the biggest unsolved bank robberies occurred at the bank here – although it is only a postal outlet now.

Every possible organisation remains - Lions, Squash Club, Masonic Lodge, Rugby team, Senior Citizens, and more. Although unfairly accredited with a bleak climate it is a great place to live and bring up children.