Walks

There is a twenty minute board walk where you can view the lake from an elevated position and also view some of the original gold mining machinery lying in the earth as it was left when the gold run out.

It’s just a short stroll down to the lake edge if you feel like a swim over the hot summer months. If you are keen for a few good photo opportunities you can walk around the east side and get some dramatic shots of the sand stones cliffs that have been blustered by the gold miner’s water cannons.

Caution some cliffs are unstable so for this reason do not get to close to them. Zoom lenses make for safe photography.

Walk Around Historic St Bathans

Present day St Bathans, now part of the Otago goldfields Park, is a remnant of the old gold mining town originally named Dunstan Creek. Gold was first discovered here in 1863. From that time on more than 100 000 oz (2834 kg) of gold was extracted from the three largest mining operations of the Ewing company at Vinegar Hill, the Kildare Mine, which later formed the famed Blue Lake, and the Scandinavian mine at Surface Hill. The Kildare mine operated the highest hydraulic lift in the world at that time with two vertical lifts, one of 34.09m (165 feet) and the second of 18.29m (60 feet). Locals called it "The Glory Hole".

By 1864, 1000 people lived in Dunstan Creek with a further 1000 in the immediate area.

In 1866 the name Dunstan Creek was dropped. A deputation of miners requested that it be changed to St Bathans, the original name given by the first surveyor of the district. In the late 1860s St Bathans was well established with 15 hotels, a number of gambling and dance halls and many businesses.

Many of the miners came from Ireland and the highlight of the year was the St Patrick's day picnic. There were also 50 Chinese miners registered as living in St Bathans in 1867. Little is known about them but some lived in caves excavated in local cliffs. Their caves on Downs Road unfortunately were lost in the 1970s after heavy rain caused a large slip.

Nowadays, there are few permanent residents in the village and some of the buildings are administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC).

The walk begins at the southern end on the Downs Road about 300 metres from the intersection with Loop Road.