Bannockburn Sluicings: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

This vanished landscape is New Zealand’s own wild west: The Bannockburn Sluicings are the scarred landscapes of a short-lived goldmining era.

This DOC directory entry covers Bannockburn Sluicings in Otago, within Bannockburn area. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.

Distance, time and grade

• Distance: 3.5 km loop
• Walking time: 1 hr 30 min
• DOC grade: Easy

Access and alerts

Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.

Dog access

Dogs on a leash only. Other pets on conservation land rules.

Getting there

Travel 6 km south-west through Cromwell, and cross Lake Dunstan to get to Bannockburn. This site can be accessed from Felton Road.

For those with little time, there are vantage points that can be reached by car, and walks that take just 10 minutes. If you’ve got more time to spare, trace the water source back up to the Menzies Dam in Stewart Town. There are remains of a stone cottage, an early 19th century orchard, and great views across Cromwell and Bailey’s Gully.

Know before you go

This is a very dry area with no water on the tracks - take water with you.

There are no designated campsites or huts in this area - do not camp on private land.

Caution. There are old mining shafts throughout this area, children should be closely supervised.

Remember that all rocks, historic artefacts (including earth and stone works), native plants and animals are protected on public land - tread carefully and take only photos.

History and culture

As you drive towards the Bannockburn Sluicings, set the tone with some sombre western tunes because what you’re about to see ain’t pretty. It’s tragically beautiful. This desert made by water is not a natural site, but the 150-year-old aftermath of goldminers’ dreams, and a technique known as ‘hydraulic sluicing’ where water was blasted at the hills to release the gold.

The Bannockburn Sluicings can’t be experienced from a distance; you have to walk it to understand it. What looks desolate from the entrance turns into a rough, raw and rewarding walk through a valley of caves, tunnels and rock tailings left untouched since abandoned by the last of the mining men.

As an iconic heritage site, the shock of the old will take you to the edge of understanding, and give you a chance to reflect that it was people who made this place. Life today is still about prospecting and searching for the unknown. Venture into the Bannockburn Sluicings and pursue the possibilities.

This is a Tohu Whenua heritage site. Located in stunning landscapes and rich with stories, these sites offer some of our best heritage experiences.

Sources and reuse

Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.

The accompanying photograph is a licensed general hiking illustration, not a photograph of this route.