Gabriel's Gully Interpretation Walk

Gabriel's Gully and Lawrence are rich in gold mining history. My goal was to travel the length of the Clutha from Wanaka to the coast, exploring the mining history as I went. Bruce Ansley's book 'Down South' was the source of this inspiration. Grey's Dam, the DOC campsite at Gabriel's Gully was one of my favourite spots. Plenty of space for SC campers, good walking, although the interpretive boards in the bush need a good scrub to be readable, and lovely autumn colours. The museum at Lawrence proved a great starting point for cafe exploration as well as history.
Feb 11th, 2022

Sad to say our visit here was not the best. Was winter and weather had been very wet and we found the pond just brown. The bush and scenery wasn't anything much and there are many other sites in NZ with more detailed and visible gold mining relics. We did however drive up to Blue Spur settlement and that gave you a better view of the extent of the diggings below. A couple of old buildings are left of the once thriving gold mining town. Didn't fossick for gold so can't say if it's worth having a go here but the area for doing it is handy to the track.
Jul 26th, 2022

Jul 13th, 2022

May 10th, 2022

Really nice walk. Decent hill climb at the start but worth it. Information panels and locations of interest are dotted along the trail, providing an insight into the historic landmark that was once a prominent spectacle known throughout the world. Will definitely be doing this walk again.
May 9th, 2022