Eichardt’s Hotel, on the shores on Lake Wakatipu at Queenstown, has mirrored the shifting fortunes of the southern settlement. A woolshed was built on the site in 1859, then when gold was discovered in 1862 it was converted into a hotel for miners. The building was progressively constructed throughout the 1870s and 1880s as Queenstown was transformed from a sea of tents and wooden shacks to an established town. The hotel has survived economic depressions, demolition threats, floods, and a decline from luxury hotel to lowly tavern. It has become one of Queenstown’s premier hotels.