Wedderburn
Destination
You know you have arrived at Wedderburn because of the famous green railway shed that is so iconic of the Otago Central Rail Trail.
Wedderburn was originally a coach stop for horse and carts and became a station on the Otago Central Railway in 1921. The name of Wedderburn was given to the area by John Turnbull Thomson, and is one of the names in his infamous "Thomson's Barnyard". While surveying the area Thomson is believed to have disagreed with the New Zealand surveying authorities over his intention to give traditional Maori names to many places. In response, Thomson chose titles based on animal names from is his native Northumbrian dialectic, names such as Kyeburn, Gimmerburn, Hoggetburn, and Wedderburn. Wedder is the Northumbrian dialect form of the word wether, meaning a castrated sheep.
In 1975 New Zealand artist Grahame Sydney painted the Wedderburn railway goods shed in a stary Otago landscape representing the economic and social hardship of the region brought on by the demise of the railway. The shed was subsequently removed to a site five kilometres away but later returned following public protest where it has been restored and painted its iconic green.
