Cromwell Gorge

Upriver from Alexandra, the Clutha and its tributaries drain the great glacier carved valleys containing lakes Wanaka, Hawea, and Wakatipu. Joined by the Kawarau River at Cromwell, the Clutha funnels into the rocky Cromwell Gorge. For nearly 20 km/12 miles the deep river flows steadily onward between steep, barren slopes, relieved only occasionally by an orchard.

The character of the Upper Clutha basin is undergoing a major change. Construction has begun on the first of several hydroelectric dams planned for the region. When completed in 1987, the dam at Clyde will create a large lake to be called Lake Dunstan that will flood the scenic Cromwell Gorge and widen out above Cromwell. Other dams will be constructed upstream on the Clutha and on the Kawarau rivers.

Clyde. Once a boisterous mining town called Dunstan, the settlement of Clyde still has many of its old stone buildings, constructed with rock quarried during road building through the Cromwell Gorge. Mining memorabilia are on display in Goldfields Museum, located in the 1864 stone courthouse on Blyth Street.

Cromwell. Perched above the junction of the swiftflowing Clutha and Kawarau rivers, Cromwell is the center of the construction project. Completion of the Clyde dam will turn Cromwell into a lakeside town; part of its commercial center will be relocated. The information cen ter on Melrose Terrace offers a fascinating look at Cromwell's past photographs from mining days and artifacts unearthed by project archeologists as well as details of the region's future as Clutha Valley development unfolds.

From December to May, you can learn about mining methods and equipment from simple gold pan to massive quartz stamper and dredging machinery at The Goldminer on Main Street. A walk along the Kawarau River begins in the garden by the bridge.

From Cromwell you can visit several deserted gold towns, marked by abandoned stone buildings, piles of waste rock, and scattered trees. Highway 8 follows the Clutha north to Lowburn and Bendigo. South of Cromwell, unpaved roads lead to Bannockburn and old mining sites in the Carrick Range.