Last updated October 2026
Appleby is a residential suburb on the southern side of Invercargill, close to the city centre and within walking distance of both the central business district and the South City suburban shopping centre. Streets and houses sit beside Appleby Park, which the council describes as a landscape link between the New River Estuary and the Elles Road Town Belt.
Planning rules treat land here as a priority for medium-density housing because of that central location. City buses run through the local streets to the BusSmart Hub on Tay Street. For people living here, or staying nearby, Appleby is a practical base: sports fields and town-belt green space on the doorstep, and the shops and services of Invercargill close by.
Official Suburb Facts
- Population (2023 Census)
- About 3,520, up 3% since 2018
- Land area
- 2.41 km²
- Location
- 1.7 km south of central Invercargill
- Council
- Invercargill City Council
- Neighbouring suburbs
- West Invercargill, Kew, Strathern, Invercargill, Georgetown, Turnbull Thomson Park
- Getting there
- Elles Road and Bluff Road frame Appleby Park. Local streets include Dalrymple Street, Biggar Street, Conon Street, Ythan Street and Ness Street. The Clifton city bus runs along Conon Street, Ythan Street, Ness Street and Elles Road to the BusSmart Hub on Tay Street. The Kingswell route also uses Elles Road.
- Main shopping
- South City suburban shopping centre and Invercargill’s central city shops, both within walking distance of the Residential 1A area
- Nearby landmarks
- Appleby Park; Russell Square on the Elles Road Town Belt; New River Estuary
Who Lives in Appleby
About 3,520 residents in 1,470 households. From the 2023 Census, with the New Zealand figure alongside for comparison.
In Appleby
Places and businesses inside the official Appleby boundary.
Businesses
About Appleby
Appleby is an established residential suburb rather than a sightseeing stop. Houses line local streets south of the city centre, and the open ground of Appleby Park breaks up that housing. The wider city is known as Waihōpai.
West of the park is the New River Estuary, and east of it is the Elles Road Town Belt, so this part of Invercargill reads as a green edge of the city as much as a set of streets.
Council records place land in Appleby in the Residential 1A zone. Under the operative district plan, that zone is a priority area for residential redevelopment and makes room for medium-density housing.
The plan describes the zone as within practicable walking distance of the central business district, the South City suburban shopping centre, and institutions such as the Southland Institute of Technology. That location is the practical reason people live here: everyday services are close, without living in the commercial centre itself.
Appleby Park is the suburb’s defining public space. It lies between Bluff Road and Elles Road. Dalrymple Street forms the southern boundary and Biggar Street the northern boundary, and Ness Street, Ythan Street, Conon Street and Nith Street divide the reserve.
Pedestrians can enter from the surrounding streets. Vehicle access is for club users who have car parks on the reserve. The council’s Town Belt Management Plan describes the park as used mainly for organised sport, with some walking and informal play.
The park is a made landscape rather than remnant bush. It was formerly called Biggar Street Reserve and was originally used as a tip site. Lower ground was filled, levelled, covered with topsoil and sown in grass.
Synthetic cricket wickets were laid on the Appleby cricket grounds in 1984, and 2,634 square metres on the corner of Conon Street and Dalrymple Street was gazetted as a local purpose reserve for sports buildings. The result is a flat, open sports park.
Day to day, Appleby is a place to live more than a place to tour. The streets are residential, smaller playgrounds sit on local reserves, and the city bus network ties the area to central Invercargill. People based here can walk or catch a bus toward town, with Appleby Park as the main outdoor space.
Getting Around
Elles Road is the straightforward north-south route on the eastern side of Appleby Park, running toward the city centre. Bluff Road runs along the western side of the reserve. Crossing streets such as Dalrymple Street, Conon Street, Ythan Street, Ness Street and Nith Street break the park into blocks and connect the housing around it.
Invercargill’s city buses start and finish at the BusSmart Hub on Tay Street, outside Invercargill Central mall. The Clifton route passes along Conon Street, Ythan Street, Ness Street and Elles Road. The Kingswell route also uses Elles Road.
Drivers will stop at a safe point if you flag the bus down on the route. Services run on weekdays, with fewer trips on Saturdays, and do not run on Sundays or public holidays.
Getting Outdoors
Appleby Park is the standout open space: sports fields for organised games, room for informal play, and paths that people use to walk through between the surrounding streets. The council treats it as a landscape link from the estuary side of the suburb across to the town belt.
Russell Square, at 191 Elles Road, sits on the Elles Road Town Belt and is listed by the council with Appleby’s playgrounds. It has picnic tables and play equipment, and it is the other green space worth knowing if you are on the eastern side of the suburb.
Smaller neighbourhood playgrounds are scattered through the local streets, but the park and the town belt are the places with the most room to wander.
History and Heritage
The recorded public history of Appleby is mostly the making of the sports park and the schools that once stood in the suburb. The reserve began as a tip, was reshaped into playing fields, and by 1984 had synthetic cricket wickets.
Street names such as Dalrymple Street mark the European layout of south Invercargill; council sources used here do not record a traditional name for the suburb itself.
Invercargill South School, a co-educational primary school, operated in Appleby from 1879 until it merged with other schools to form New River Primary School in Kew in 2005.
Cargill High School, a co-educational secondary school for Years 9 to 13, operated in Appleby from 1978 to 1998. It merged with Kingswell High School to become Mt Anglem College, which later became Aurora College. No school is listed as operating in Appleby now.
Near Appleby
Just outside Appleby, within 5 km of its centre, nearest first.
Places
Businesses
Where to Learn More
Invercargill Town Belt Management Plan: council plan with Appleby Park’s location, access, history and recreational use.
Invercargill City Council bus routes: Clifton and Kingswell route descriptions, including the streets that serve Appleby.
Appleby, Invercargill on Wikipedia: short suburb overview, including the documented history of its former schools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Appleby?
Appleby is a suburb of Invercargill, in the Invercargill City Council area, on the southern side of the city. Appleby Park sits between Bluff Road and Elles Road, with Dalrymple Street along its southern side and Biggar Street along its northern side.
What is Appleby Park used for?
It is a sports reserve used mainly for organised recreation, with space for informal games and for people walking through. The Town Belt Management Plan describes it as a landscape link between the New River Estuary and the Elles Road Town Belt. Pedestrians can enter from the surrounding streets.
How do buses serve Appleby?
The Clifton city bus runs along Conon Street, Ythan Street, Ness Street and Elles Road, and returns to the BusSmart Hub on Tay Street. The Kingswell route also uses Elles Road. You can flag a bus down at a safe point on the route. City buses run on weekdays, with fewer trips on Saturdays, and do not run on Sundays or public holidays.
Are there schools in Appleby?
No school is listed as operating in Appleby. Invercargill South School, a primary school, was in the suburb from 1879 until it merged into New River Primary School in Kew in 2005. Cargill High School, a secondary school, operated in Appleby from 1978 to 1998 before merging with Kingswell High School.
Where do people in Appleby shop?
Council planning documents describe this part of the city as within walking distance of the South City suburban shopping centre and the central business district. Those are the practical shopping options for the suburb.
Is this the Appleby near Nelson?
No. This Appleby is a suburb of Invercargill in Southland. A separate locality called Appleby is in the Tasman district, near Richmond.
Can I walk from Appleby to the city centre?
Yes. The Residential 1A zoning that applies to land in Appleby is defined in part by being within practicable walking distance of the central business district. Elles Road runs north toward town, and city buses cover the same corridor.
Is Appleby Park only for club sport?
No. The reserve is used mainly for organised sport, but the council also notes people walking through and informal play. Vehicle access is for club users with car parks on the reserve. Pedestrians can enter from the surrounding streets.
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Explore Invercargill only lists suburbs officially recognised by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Appleby is one of them. Suburb boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.