Millerton, New Zealand

Millerton
Millerton
Coordinates:
Country	New Zealand
Region	West Coast
District	Buller District
Population (2006)
• Total	40

Millerton is a small settlement in the northwestern South Island of New Zealand in the West Coast region. It is in the Papahaua Ranges, around 25 kilometres north east of Westport, on SH67 from Westport to Karamea.

The history of Millerton bears some resemblance to that of Denniston, being a town that lived from and for the coal that was mined in the Ranges. Millerton has a population of approx 30-40. It was classified like Denniston as a ghost town in the 1970's .But has had a resident population for several decades .It is possibly New Zealands only populated hilltop township.

Mining

Despite its elevation of 300 m being considerably lower than that of Denniston (494 m), the grade between the coastline and Millerton still meant that the coal was difficult to get down to the railway. The Westport Coal Company built the Millerton Incline in 1891 and the Millerton Mine began production in 1896. Mining at Millerton ended in the late 1960s, similar again to Denniston. The Millerton Incline was a narrow gauge (2 ft) incline consisting of two parallel tracks on which the coal tubs ran, being hauled by rope. Remnants of tracks, trucks, bath house and other installations are still visible. The Millerton Incline was in its day quite a feat of engineering and the remains of this incline and its infrastructure are more accessible than those of the more famous Denniston incline. The Millerton Incline was used to convey tubs of coal from the mines around the Millerton area to the Bins at Granity, which in their day were the largest coal loading bins of wooden construction in NZ. The Bins are long gone, but the incline remains and can still be seen today.

The Hon. William McIntyre from Millerton was a member of the Legislative Council from 1921 until he died in 1949, and was known as the Father of the Upper House. A miner from Scotland, he (with his brother) set a record for the coal mined in one shift at the Millerton Mine.

With the Denniston and the smaller Millerton mining operations having stopped, the nearby Stockton coalfield is continuing the tradition of West Coast coal; however plans are afoot by Solid Energy New Zealand to extend the life of the Stockton mining area by opening up the old Millerton Mine workings, albeit as an open cast pit.

Community

In terms of the community, in its heyday Millerton had its own Lodge of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, this being the Lookout Lodge No 127 of the R.A.O.B. NZ Constitution of the Grand Lodge of England. The Lodge was opened in 1950. Support in terms of membership of the lodge was strong enough that eventually The Lookout Lodge acquired its own Lodge hall in Millerton which was the old Rechabites Lodge Hall (according to some old timers recollections of the area). The Lookout Lodge RAOB outlived the Millerton Incline by about 20 years, and closed sometime in the mid-1980s. A letter of correspondence between LookOut Lodge and Mount Rochfort Lodge advising of the date of a lodge ceremony, is dated May 1981 and has been cited by this historian.

The Millerton football (soccer) club, known as the Millerton All Blacks, were twice runners-up in the Chatham Cup, New Zealand's knockout football competition, in 1932 and 1933.

Tourism

Tourists do venture further up the West Coast north of Westport . Originally there was a narrow, steep and winding road, to the township. But the steeper section of road was closed and has been diverted going directly to Stockton via 'The Grand Canyon'. Access is now off the new upper road section entering the township via the old road from the eastern end of the town. This 'old' road continues through the town and west towards the historic Millerton Incline, Portal and Dam [Part of an inclined rail system that took coal down to Granity]. There are some spectacular views here across the rainforest to the coast and north towards the Karamea headland. The closed section of old road can be walked down as far as the Millerton 'Granity Creek' Bridge. Where there are a series of spectacular waterfalls to be viewed . There is parking at either end of this walking section. The local community offers maps and information at the local community hall [in the township] . There are several short walks in and around Millerton with historic sites and scenic views. The Bathhouse walks are a hidden gem in this area. And the Bathhouses themselves are of historic value too. A creek formed the reservoir dam where the coal miners used to come and bathe after a long day mining, and remnants of the pipework which flowed with hot water heated by the mines still remains at the site. In the township area you can see the mine sites and also the incline brake head.