Cycling to Cromwell Heritage District

Sunday 22 March

A gentle rosy dawn at Driftaway Queenstown - a passing visit from Campsite Cat and a bunny on the next door site made for a lovely walk to the facilities block before we packed up and headed out on time at 10am.

We had planned to stay a couple of nights at 12 Mile Delta on the far side of Queenstown, out on the lakeside on the Glenorchy Road, but with diesel prices jumping again we decided not to add the extra kms/fuel use but start heading back to the coast as we have to be in Oamaru for Sunday. So we set course for Cromwell via the Kawerau Gorge & parked up in Lowburn Freedom Camp beside Lake Dunstan, with a warm welcome from Ellie the golden lab who belonged to Jo & Gary in the Baileys next to us. We cooked ourselves a delicious breakfast for lunch featuring creamy mushrooms flavoured with local wild thyme, and had a not quite near miss when the local family of geese did a fly by on their way to the lake for their afternoon dip (my bedroom window got splatted, but at least Louis and I stayed safe!)

After lunch in the sun we hopped on the bikes and cycled down the lake to Cromwell Heritage Precinct, via another ice cream stop at Jackson’s Orchard. Somehow Louis got 50% extra with his real fruit ice cream (strawberry & banana)… so much it wouldn’t all fit in the cone!!!

In 1992 the Clyde Dam blocked the Clutha River backfilled the valleys and gorges running down to it, creating Lake Dunstan. In the process, the main street of the original gold mining town of Cromwell was subsumed by the lake, but with the help of the local heritage society many of the Victorian buildings were relocated or rebuilt above the new water level. First building we came to was the Athenaeum Hall - it used to be on the Main Street, set back from the river - but now it’s half buried in the lake’s banks.

A beautiful day to be exploring the area with all it’s history and fascinating to be able to explore the blacksmiths, the bakery ovens, the old butchery, store, stables and telegraph office - many of which now house lovely galleries and craft shops.

Up behind the main street of buildings was a church and other original properties, and the local heritage society had done a great job at continuing the legacy of their ancestors - several of the trees were grown from seeds or nuts harvested from the original trees planted here in Victorian times including a couple of old walnut trees and a quince (the origin fruit of marmalade).

Back on the bikes - we paused at the point, looking out at the Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail across the water, the track we rode with Jonny & the Fernandi about a month ago. Then it was back along the trail, round the bottom of the upper section of Lake Dunstan (epic view) before bouncing back to Banjo a but sweaty & dusty.

We were so hot from our cycle we had a dip in the Lake on our return (mine lasted 3 seconds, Louis managed a few minutes of swimming!) then cheese & crackers for dinner and I took a walk over the inlet to see if I could find the 45th parallel walk (I didn’t, it was further than I thought!). Looking out at the inlet bridge there appears to be a perfectly formed conical hill - except it isn’t! It’s actually the end of a long ridge. See tomorrow's post for lake views.

No aurora tonight, but some beautiful star gazing.