Situated 28 km north of Winton, Dipton straddles the Ōreti River and is one of the earliest European settlements in Southland. The Taringatura Hills (highest point 666 m) lie west of the township and are now mostly in pasture.
Meaning of place name
Named by the surveyor J.T. Thomson after Dipton Woods in Northumberland, England. There is a local tradition that the name originates from a large sheep dip on one of the stations, marked by a large indentation at the site.
