Last updated October 2026
Tussock Creek is a farming locality in Southland District, on the plains north of Invercargill. It is not part of Invercargill city. What you see from the road is mostly pasture, shelter belts and scattered houses on working farms and lifestyle blocks. There is no town centre.
Community life centres on Tussock Creek Hall on Cooper Road, and Channel Road in the locality crosses the Makarewa River. A privately owned podocarp remnant, Sherwood Forest, is a rare piece of the flood plain forest that once covered this country.
Official Locality Facts
- Land area
- 24.32 km²
- Location
- 19.4 km north of central Invercargill
- Council
- Southland District Council
- Neighbouring suburbs
- Lochiel, Springhills, Makarewa, Grove Bush, Ryal Bush, Mabel Bush
- Ward or local board
- Ōreti Ward, Southland District Council; also in the Ōreti Community Board area
- Getting there
- Local roads, including Cooper Road and Channel Road. No regular bus, train or ferry service was confirmed. Driving is the practical way in.
- Nearby landmarks
- Tussock Creek Hall; the Makarewa River at the Channel Road bridge; Sherwood Forest, a privately covenanted podocarp remnant
About Tussock Creek
Sherwood Forest is not a public reserve. It is privately owned land protected by a QEII Open Space Covenant. Do not enter it, or any other farm, without the owner’s permission.
Tussock Creek sits on the Southland Plains, in open farming country looked after by Southland District Council rather than Invercargill City Council.
Southland District Council’s representation arrangements place it in the Ōreti Ward and the Ōreti Community Board area, alongside other plains communities served from that ward. The locality is a place of farms and a few lifestyle blocks, not a suburb with a shopping strip.
The name belongs to country that was once tussock and podocarp forest. Clearing for pasture left only small pieces of that forest. Sherwood Forest, at Tussock Creek, is one of them.
The QEII National Trust has described it as a rare example of the podocarp forests that grew on the Southland flood plains, and one of the larger remnants of a forest that once covered much of the region. It holds large mataī and kahikatea, with some tōtara and kōwhai, plus threatened or regionally uncommon plants including Hector’s tree daisy, fierce lancewood, white mistletoe and scrambling fuchsia.
Previous owners covenanted the remnant, and later owners continued fencing, pest control and edge planting. Decades of stock exclusion have allowed the understorey to recover.
Hedgehope School students have worked in the forest with Hokonui Rūnanga, the QEII National Trust and Environment Southland. That work included stories of how early Māori lived and travelled through this part of the plains, and of how the Makarewa River and the Mataura River are valued. Those connections belong to the wider district, not to a single recorded pā in the locality.
Day to day, Tussock Creek is quiet rural Southland. Houses sit well back from the road. The public meeting place is the hall.
Shops, schools and other services are in larger centres such as Winton and Invercargill, not in the locality itself. People who live here are close enough to Invercargill for work and supplies, and far enough out that the view is still farmland.
Community Facilities
Tussock Creek Hall is at 97 Cooper Road, Tussock Creek. Southland District Council lists it among the district’s halls and community centres, and it is administered by a hall committee. Council does not publish regular opening hours for the building. Anyone wanting to hire it should contact the hall committee or Southland District Council.
The hall is the confirmed community facility in the locality. There is no verified school, shop, medical centre or public sports ground under the Tussock Creek name. Clubs and schools that serve local families are based in neighbouring rural communities and in town.
Getting Around
Tussock Creek is reached on local roads. Cooper Road is the address for the hall. Channel Road is the local road that crosses the Makarewa River. Southland District Council has previously had to manage that bridge after heavy vehicles used a crossing that was meant for light vehicles only.
The notice is no longer on the council website, so do not assume the present status of the bridge. Check with Southland District Council before you rely on Channel Road as a through route.
No scheduled bus, train or ferry stop was confirmed in the locality. A car is the realistic way to get here and to move around. Invercargill and Winton are the practical places for fuel, groceries and other errands.
Winter roads on the plains can be icy, and river flats can be wet after heavy rain, so allow extra time if you are visiting the hall or a farm.
Getting Outdoors
This is not a walking or swimming destination. Most land is private farmland. The outdoors here is the working plain: pasture, shelter belts, drains and the Makarewa River. There is no confirmed public swimming spot, track or reserve in the locality.
Sherwood Forest is the standout natural feature, and it stays behind a fence unless the owners invite you in. From the public record, it is a flood plain forest of giant mataī, with kahikatea, tōtara and kōwhai, and birdlife that includes tūī. Its value is as a protected remnant and a place of learning, not as a casual walk. For public parks, domains and coastal walks, use Invercargill and other towns that publish open reserves.
Near Tussock Creek
Just outside Tussock Creek, within 10 km of its centre, nearest first.
Places
Where to Learn More
Southland District Council: halls and community centres: council list that includes Tussock Creek Hall at 97 Cooper Road, administered by a hall committee.
Southland District Council: representation arrangements: official notice placing Tussock Creek in the Ōreti Ward and the Ōreti Community Board.
Enviroschools: Sherwood Forest at Tussock Creek: account of the covenanted flood plain forest, its trees, and work with Hokonui Rūnanga and the QEII National Trust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tussock Creek part of Invercargill?
No. It is a locality in Southland District, near Invercargill. Invercargill City Council does not administer it.
Which council ward is Tussock Creek in?
Southland District Council places it in the Ōreti Ward. It is also covered by the Ōreti Community Board.
Is there a community hall?
Yes. Tussock Creek Hall is at 97 Cooper Road and is administered by a hall committee. Contact the committee or Southland District Council about hire.
Are there shops or a school in Tussock Creek?
No school or shopping centre was confirmed in the locality. Everyday shopping and schooling are in larger centres such as Winton and Invercargill.
Can I visit Sherwood Forest?
No, not as a public walk. Sherwood Forest is privately owned and protected by a QEII Open Space Covenant. Stay on the public road unless the owner has invited you in.
How do I get to Tussock Creek?
Drive in on local roads. Cooper Road leads to the hall, and Channel Road crosses the Makarewa River. No regular public transport was confirmed. Check the Channel Road bridge with Southland District Council before you treat it as a through route.
What is the Makarewa River doing here?
Channel Road in Tussock Creek crosses the Makarewa River. The river is part of the plains catchment that Hokonui Rūnanga connects with travel, food gathering and care for the land.
What is it like as a place to live?
It is quiet farm and lifestyle-block country, with a hall rather than a village centre. You would rely on a car, and on Winton or Invercargill, for most services.
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Explore Invercargill only lists suburbs officially recognised by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Tussock Creek is one of them. Suburb boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.