Catlins Medical Centre in Owaka is looking for a long-term General Practitioner, or a partner.
Sea lions, seals, penguins and dolphins are commonly seen on the coastline around the Catlins.
Owaka is a small town, population about 500 with another 500 in the immediate locality, that provides services to the wider Catlins area. Described as 'the jewel in the crown', Catlins State Forest Park in eastern Southland, is renowned for its spectacular coastal scenery and wildlife. There are rocky headlands, sandy bays and estuaries, waterfalls and lakes alongside forests of rimu, kamahi and silver beech. Yellow-eyed penguins nest along the coast, there's a wide variety of other penguins and bird life, and seals, sea lions and Hector's dolphins are commonly seen.
An extensive range of recreational activities includes swimming and surfing (at Curio Bay you can even swim alongside dolphins), boating, kayaking, fishing (trout, flounder and rock fishing), waterskiing, whitebaiting, duck shooting and hiking. Popular walks include the five-hour-long Catlins Coastal Heritage Trail. Tokanui Golf Club is a nine-hole course, with beautiful views over the Pacific Ocean (green fees NZ$5.00). It's hardly surprising the region is a fast growing tourist destination.
The Catlins is rich in Maori history and visitors can get a sense of this and other elements of the region's history, including the significance of forestry, from the Owaka museum.
Forestry has always been a predominant land use in the Catlins. More than 50 percent of the Catlins remains in native bush. Of the rest, five percent is in exotic forest and the rest farmland - mixed livestock, pastoral farming, sheep, beef cattle, deer and dairy.
Catlins State Forest Park is renowned for its spectacular coastal scenery.
Geographically Owaka is situated between the cities of Dunedin and Invercargill. The nearest large town is Balcutha, approximately 25 minutes drive away. At Balcutha there is a comprehensive range of banking and shopping facilities. The distance to Dunedin is 115 kilometres and Invercargill, 130 kilometres. The roads are good and a small section of unsealed road between Owaka and Invercargill is scheduled to be fully-sealed by mid-2005.
Owaka has a range of sports facilities, including rugby, bowls, community swimming pool, netball, badminton, tennis, rifle shooting and pony club, and several cultural clubs. Close links with Balclutha further extend the range. There is a play centre and Catlins Area School in Owaka takes students from 5 to 18 years. Catlins Area School has recently undergone a $4.3 million redevelopment.
For further information about this location, please refer to:
www.ero.govt.nz for an official performance evaluation of each New Zealand school
www.stats.govt.nz (statistics by area/community profiles/alphabetical list/o/owaka) for statistical information about the population of Owaka
The information on these pages was accurate at the time of listing. As some detail may have since changed, NZLocums recommends the information be used as a guideline only.
