Dacre is a small
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in the
South Island
The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...
of New Zealand. It is situated on the
Southland Plains
The Southland Plains is a general name given to several areas of low-lying land in the South Island of New Zealand, separated by the rise of the Hokonui Hills in the north. It forms a sizeable area of Southland region and encompasses its two p ...
between
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 ...
and
Edendale on
State Highway 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbered S ...
. In Dacre, SH 1 is met by (Lorneville – Dacre Road), which runs west to
Makarewa via
Rakahouka. Nearby villages include
Mabel Bush
Mabel Bush is a small community in the Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. The community has an estimated population of 127 people. The main building in the area is the Mabel Bush Hall, which consists of the hall and tennis court ...
to the northwest and
Woodlands to the southeast. Dacre is 25 km north east of Invercargill, the closest city. The
Main South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton, New Zealand, Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the ...
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
passes just to the south of Dacre. It is a dairy farming community, that currently has a community hall and a small engine garage.
The town was first surveyed in December 1863 by Theophilus Heale, who was the chief surveyor of the region. It appears to be unknown where the name "Dacre" comes from, further backed up by an article from the Mataura Ensign in 1912, which states that:
:"
acre
The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
has a foreign appearance but by whom given the writer cannot say. (The old name of this locality was Halfway Bush, so named by Mr W. H. S. Roberts because it was midway between his house at Titipua
ossibly a variation in the spelling of Te Tipua">Te_Tipua.html" ;"title="ossibly a variation in the spelling of Te Tipua">ossibly a variation in the spelling of Te Tipuaand that of Mr McClymont's.)"
From 1863 until 1865, Dacre had a police station, owing to its strategic location between Invercargill and the Otago Goldfields. After the gold booms ended, the station was closed permanently, during a period of retrenchment which significantly reduced the number of police in Southland.
Education
Dacre School, a Year 1 to 8 state primary school, operated in Dacre from 1900 and 2008.
It was established in a former hotel.
When the school celebrated its centenary in 1999 it had two teachers.
When it closed in 2008 it had just five students.
References
{{Southland District
Populated places in the Southland Region