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