  the former gold and coal mining town of saint bathans, formerly named dunstan creek, lies deep in the heart of the maniototo in new zealand's otago region. mining has long ceased, and it is a tranquil holiday retreat. the preservation of many of its historic buildings makes it one of the region's more picturesque tourist venues. saint bathans is well known for its scenic man-made lake with beautiful looking clay cliffs that attract many tourists. it is currently a camping spot, and swimming is allowed in the lake. the town was named for the scottish borders village of abbey st bathans by early surveyor john turnbull thomson; the scottish village was the birthplace of thomson's maternal grandfather. the area had previously been known as dunstan creek.reed, a.w. (1975) place names of new zealand. wellington: a.h. & a.w. reed. p. 371 it is 40 kilometres northwest of ranfurly and 60 kilometres northeast of alexandra, near the dunstan creek, beneath the saint bathans range and dunstan mountains. prominent features include the historic vulcan hotel and the blue lake, a small lake formed during gold-sluicing, which gives it a distinctive turquoise colour. the area attracts many visitors intent on gold-prospecting. ==vulcan hotel== right|thumb|300px|vulcan hotel, st bathans the vulcan hotel is a restored and reputedly haunted public house, located on the main street of st. bathans, and is the town's main tourist attraction. originally called the ballarat hotel, it was built in 1882 of mud brick.the encyclopaedia of new zealand - the vulcan hotel the building is registered as a category i historic place by the new zealand historic places trust. the building is notable as possibly the country's most famous haunted building.tvnz - one news - the ghost of st bathans room 1 of the hotel is reputedly home to the spirit of a young woman, thought by some to be a prostitute known "the rose", who was strangled to death in the hotel in the 1880s.new zealand ghosts - st bathans ==geology and palaeontology== the town lends its name to the saint bathans fauna, a rich palaeontological section of the lower bannockburn formation of the manuherikia group, with an age range of 19â16 million years ago. the layer in which the fossils are found derives from littoral zone sediments deposited in a large 
Otago_Gold_Rush Populated_places_in_Otago