View source for Inch Clutha

{{Short description|Island downstream from Balclutha in the South Island of New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{inline|date=December 2009}}{{onesource|date=June 2024}}
{{Maplink|frame=yes|type=shape}}
'''Inch Clutha''' is a large, flat island sitting in the delta between the [[Matau River|Matau]] (northern) and [[Koau River|Koau]] (southern) branches of the [[Clutha River]], downstream from the town of [[Balclutha, New Zealand|Balclutha]] in the [[South Island]] of [[New Zealand]]. Approximately {{convert|10|km|mi|0}} long and {{convert|3|km|mi|0}} wide, the fertile but flood-prone land of the island is extensively farmed. The island was formed in 1878 after a massive flood changed the course of the Clutha, which had formerly reached the ocean 4&nbsp;km to the south at [[Port Molyneux]].

The island takes its name from [[Scots Gaelic]], ''innis'' meaning "island" and ''Cluaidh'' being the Gaelic form of the name of [[Scotland]]'s [[River Clyde]].

The island is sparsely inhabited, consisting of a handful of farm houses distributed fairly evenly across the island. Only two bridges link the island to the South Island proper, both of them connecting with the Kaitangata Highway (former [[New Zealand State Highway 91|SH 91]]), one at the northern end of the island close to [[Stirling, New Zealand|Stirling]], and the other about one kilometre from [[Kaitangata, New Zealand|Kaitangata]]. The southwestern shore of the island, along the Koau branch, includes several small [[oxbow lake]]s – in the north, close to [[Finegand, New Zealand|Finegand]], and also some 3&nbsp;km from the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] coast. The northern shore contains no current oxbows, though the Matau branch travels through several large meanders (especially close to Kaitangata) which are likely to eventually become oxbows. In the largest of these, a 3500 m loop of river bends back on itself to create a neck of farmland only some 120 metres wide. At the southern end of the island, a channel links the two branches, separating Inch Clutha from a smaller broad, low-lying [[barrier island|barrier islet]] sitting between it and the Pacific coast. The northern tip of Inch Clutha sits directly across the Clutha River from [[Balclutha Aerodrome]], on the southern edge of the town. The first settlers moved there in 1848 forming a small community.

==References==
*McKinnon, M. "[https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/22791/inch-clutha-and-the-river-mouth Inch Clutha and the River Mouth]," ''[[Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]'', 29 July 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
{{Clutha}}

{{Coord|46|17|S|169|47|E|region:NZ_type:isle|display=title}}

[[Category:River islands of New Zealand]]
[[Category:Islands of Otago]]
[[Category:Clutha River]]
[[Category:Clutha District]]


{{Otago-geo-stub}}