Ōtautau is 50 km north-west of Invercargill, in the foothills of the Longwood Range. It was the administrative hub of Wallace county (western Southland) for a century. Ōtautau began as a wagon stop on the route between Riverton and Wakatipu. Sawmills once processed timber from the Longwood Range, and the township has long served the local farms.