Queensbury

Two specific interests can help guide a trip to Queensbury: the Pisa Range Ridge Track and the history of the Queensberry Inn. The track starts at the Queensberry car park and is long and challenging; from 1867 to 1925, the inn was a roadside inn and coach stop. When planning your trip, the question is whether hiking or the area’s history is your main focus. If you’re looking for a hotel in Queensbury, this distinction can be a practical first step.

Pisa Range Ridge Track: challenging planning

The Pisa Range Ridge Track starts at the Queensberry car park. It provides access to Mt Pisa and other tracks in the Pisa Conservation Area; the route also passes the Alfern Creek Conservation Area. The track is long and challenging and should only be attempted by well-prepared groups. Strong winds can occur on the ridge.

There is no exit from the Pisa Range Ridge Track at the Mitre Rocks/Lowburn end. Hikers must return the way they came or use alternative exits. The track crosses private land. Dogs are not permitted on the track, and camping along the track is prohibited up to the boundary of the Conservation Area.

There are no toilets or other facilities on the track, and water sources are unreliable. Take these conditions into account alongside the track’s length and difficulty and the possibility of strong winds when preparing. This makes the track more of a distinct, well-planned part of your trip than a casual short activity.

Queensberry Inn and Stable Block

From 1867 to 1925, the Queensberry Inn was a roadside inn and coach stop. The Queensberry Inn Stable Block was built in the late 1860s: a long, low, single-storey stone building with a stable, harness room and rooms for the stable hand.

The Stable Block is the only surviving structure from the inn’s earliest period of operation and is historically significant. As a building purpose-built for accommodation on a travel route, it also has moderate architectural significance. The Queensberry Inn therefore brings two aspects together: its former role as an inn and coach stop, and the surviving stable block, which is important to that period.

Surrounding landscape

The distinctive features of the surrounding area include the Column Rocks, rock pinnacles characteristic of the Pisa Range landscape. Mt Pisa is also nearby; at 1,963 metres, it offers sweeping views across the Upper Clutha Basin, Central Otago and the Southern Alps, including Tititea / Mt Aspiring. The route from Queensberry also passes a small remnant stand of Kānuka and Hall’s Totara. Rock pinnacles, a wide mountain panorama and a small stand of two tree species offer different landscape experiences.

Tours in the Central Otago District

The wider destination of Central Otago District offers other types of tours. The Bannockburn Sluicings feature a scarred landscape shaped by a short-lived gold-mining era, which can be explored on foot or by bike along various tracks.

The Otago Central Rail Trail is 152 kilometres long, rated Grade 1 and suitable for tours of one to five days. It is suitable for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, can be travelled in either direction and is accessible at various points. The Roxburgh Gorge Trail offers a different experience: it includes a 21-kilometre bike ride and a 13-kilometre boat trip, is rated Grade 2–3 and is intended for one day. The route follows the Clutha Mata-au River past eroded rock walls and old gold-mining sites. Length, mode of travel and time frame distinguish these options in the Central Otago District.

Discover more destinations: Naseby, Oturehua, Waipiata, Cromwell, Millers Flat, Lindis Valley, Tarras, Chatto Creek.

For the wider travel guide: Central Otago District.