Visiting Winton

Come for a day, or stay longer in Winton, there’s plenty to see and do!

Winton has some great eateries and bars. There’s some beautiful places to stay and a wide range of accommodation available in Winton, ranging from hotels, to bed and breakfasts. Wander the main street and take a look at what Winton has to offer. We have fashion, food, gifts, one of the best op-shops in the country, through to farm supplies and legal services. While in town, enjoy the beauty of the gardens lining the main street and our many historic buildings. Free internet is available at the Library.

Winton’s CBD has a range of businesses including New World, Mitre 10 and three petrol stations; a Caltex, Irwin Motors and Z Winton, all located on Great North Road. For people passing through, Magnolia Tree café and Adagio café are popular food spots to stop. View all the great businesses Winton has to offer in our business directory.

Step off the main street and experience some of the other great things going on in Winton, and surrounds. There’s lots of activities such as swimming in the Summer, golf, fishing, walks and the new skatepark is proving popular.

Read more about what's on in Winton during the year.

Local Businesses

Winton has some fantastic local businesses and great shopping. Support local businesses and keep the Winton community working. Winton offers accomodation, automotive services, business services, educational organisations, engineering, farm supplies and services, fashion shops, food and beverage businesses, gift shops, health and fitness, hire equipment, legal services, personal services, a wide range of retail and trades stores.

Looking for something in particular? Browse our Winton business directory.

Club & Groups

Winton has a lot more on offer than you might realise. We've got a great range of clubs and groups. We have playgroups, church groups, community groups, community support services, education groups, health groups, cycle and horticulture clubs, school groups, seniors groups, womens groups, sports groups and clubs, and youth groups.

Looking for information on a particular group? Search the Winton Clubs and Groups directory.

Winton History

The town was established in 1861, and was named after Thomas Winton, who regularly drove stock through this area in the late 1850s. Whilst searching for strayed stock, he had occasion to camp by the banks of the small stream, which became known as Winton Creek. The town took its name from the creek.

Winton first came to prominence in the days of the gold rush, as it was one of the stops enroute to the goldfields. Winton was formerly a railway junction but is no longer served by any trains.

On 22 February 1871, a railway line from Invercargill was opened to Winton, built to the international standard gauge of 1,435mm. This was the furthest extent of Southland’s standard gauge network, and the next section to Caroline was built to New Zealand’s national gauge, 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge railway. This extension opened on 20 October 1875, ending Winton’s 4.5 years as a railway terminus, and two months later, the line back to Invercargill was converted to 1,067mm gauge. This line grew to be the Kingston Branch.

Read more about Winton's History.

Contact Us

You can contact the Winton Website through our Contact Form, or you can find us on Facebook. There’s some great Winton groups on Facebook. There's the Winton & Surrounding Areas Buy, Sell and Swap group, which is a closed group, where you can list items for sale, or swap and pick up some bargains. There is the Winton NZ Business Noticeboard which is a public group on Facebook and there’s the Winton Southland Facebook Page, where we post fantastic local news and community events, and even some competitions. You can also follow Winton NZ on Instagram.

Keep up to date with what's going on in Winton, Southland, NZ, on social media:

Winton, Southland, Facebook Page
Winton NZ Noticeboard Group
Winton & Surrounding Areas Buy, Sell and Swap Group
Winton NZ Business Noticeboard Group
Winton NZ on Instagram