Clarks Junction, also known simply as Clarks, is a locality in the

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located at the junction of State Highway 87 and the Old Dunstan Road, approximately halfway between Outram and

Middlemarch ''Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life'' is a novel by the English author Mary Anne Evans, who wrote as George Eliot. It first appeared in eight installments (volumes) in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midland town, i ...

. Clarks Junction was an important stop on the trail to the goldfields of Central Otago in the years following the 1860s gold rush. It was named after an early settler who became the settlement's first postmaster in 1867. Clarks Junction's most notable feature was the local pub, the Clarks Junction Hotel, which closed down in March 2020.

Clarks Junction Cafe and Bar

Clarks Junction Cafe and Bar (previously known as Clarks Junction Hotel) is located at the junction of the two roads. It was a well-known sight for travellers between

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

and the

Maniototo The Maniototo Plain, usually simply known as The Maniototo, is an elevated inland region in Otago, New Zealand. The region roughly surrounds the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Manuherikia River. It is bounded by the Kakanui Range to t ...

, because it was for many years painted bright orange, which enabled it to be seen from a great distance. It was built in 1867 and was burnt down and rebuilt in 1930. Gillian and Adrian Bardrick owned the hotel from 1999 to 2019 when they sold it to Tony Bennet and Tania Profit, who renovated the hotel and operated it for a year before closing down due to the 2020 COVID-19 Lockdowns. The hotel was not opened and was sold as a residential property in July 2021.

References

Populated places in Otago {{Otago-geo-stub