Bannockburn is a small historic gold mining town located outside of Cromwell in Central Otago, New Zealand.
The area was first made known as a rich alluvial

Alluvial fan

An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial...

 gold field and was mined extensively in the 1860s.
Its uniquely warm, dry climate earned it the name 'the heart of the desert', as climate conditions have combined to strip the area of most vegetation leaving rocks, sands and soils exposed. Today, these climate conditions make Bannockburn the home of many active vineyards.

History & Mining

The plans for the settlement began in 1862, as a result of miners being forced upstream from rising water levels in the Clutha and Kawarau Rivers. Though the area was settled around this period, the population was not stationary. As miners followed gold up the creeks, the settlements tended to follow, and by 1868 the original settlement had been strung out along what is now the Bannockburn-Nevis road. As miners swept over the area, from 1862-1871 the face of the landscape underwent drastic changes as the alluvial flat was washed away by sluicing operations to the foreboding landscape that exists today. Water during this period was a pivotal resource, not just for mining but to supply the town as well. Evidence of the complex water system that once existed is spread throughout the landscape. Multiple Dams, (technically reservoirs) feed a water system that extends from high on the nearby Carrick range down to the abandoned sluicing sites. Tippet's Dam was one of, if not the largest of these reservoirs. The water has since been redirected and the sluicings rest dormant on land belonging to the Department of Conservation.

Wine and Tourism

Wine in this region, like the majority of Central Otago, focuses primarily on Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...

, suited to the dry climate and soils. The climate of Bannockburn epitomizes that of the Central Otago wine region

Central Otago Wine Region

At latitude 45° south, the Central Otago Wine Region is the most southerly wine producing region in the world. The vineyards are also the highest in New Zealand at 200 to 400 metres above sea level, on the floor of glacial valleys...

and claims some of the highest temperatures and lowest rainfall in the area. The area is limited by geographical constraints to relatively small outputs, and most of the vineyards boast a boutique high quality wine with typically smaller outputs. The nearby location of the bustling tourist city of Queenstown is considered to be one of the possible reasons for the region's ability to have rapidly gain recognition for the quality of the wine produced. Several internationally renowned vineyards exist within a small radius producing wine that is distributed often to an international base. Akarua, Felton Road, Mt.Difficulty, Kingsmill and Desert Heart are among a few of the internationally known vineyards in this area.

External links

• Cromwell Tourism Historical sites in Bannockburn
• New Zealand Winegrowers
• Central Otago Winegrowers Association
• The Felton Road Winery, Bannockburn
• Kingsmill Winery, Bannockburn
• Domain Road Vineyard, Bannockburn