Lake Dunstan by the Cromwell township.br/br/Cromwell was originally known as quot;The Junctionquot;, being at the confluence of the Clutha and Kawarau Rivers. In 1862, miners discovered gold below the Junction which brought an influx of several thousand miners to the area. As gold ran out, Cromwell became the service centre for an extensive farming and stone fruit growing area. br/br/Since the construction of the Clyde Dam and the filling of Lake Dunstan in the early 1990s the river confluence was drowned, as was the old town centre. The decision to build the Clyde Dam and use Cromwell as the accommodation base brought many changes to the town. Approximately one-third of the town was rebuilt on higher ground. The changes included the doubling of the residential area, relocation of the old town centre (now called quot;Old Cromwell Townquot;), upgrading of services, and the provision of modern educational and sports facilities, and a new bridge. The relocated town centre, or quot;The Mall,quot; now houses the main retail, service and civic buildings in Cromwell. Several of the old buildings of the town which escaped the flooding have been retained as a historic precinct close to the shore of the Kawarau. Cromwell today acts as a hub between the towns of Wanaka, Queenstown and Alexandra.