Story: Gold and gold mining

First gold discovery at Dunstan

First gold discovery at Dunstan

This newspaper article reports that Horatio Hartley and Christopher Reilly (here erroneously named ‘Simmons’) arrived in Dunedin on 15 August 1862 with 87 pounds (39.5 kilograms) of gold they had found. The article states Mt Watkins, inland from Waikouaiti, as the source, but this is incorrect. The gold had come from the banks of the Clutha River in Cromwell Gorge, and it led to what would become known as the Dunstan gold rush. The pair received £2,000 (worth about $180,000 in 2005) in return for revealing the source.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Reference: Otago Witness, 16 August 1862, p. 5

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How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Gold and gold mining - Otago', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/document/8606/first-gold-discovery-at-dunstan (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, published 12 Jun 2006