In 1862, Jack Tawa, a local shearer discovered gold in a small picturesque river running through the golden hillside- within a year 1500 miners were trying their luck in the river and the community of Arrowtown was created. After many miners left in search of richer pastures, the Chinese created a settlement and worked tirelessly to find gold of their own. The Chinese Village remains, and it’s a must visit in the area- just a gentle 10 minute stroll under the tall golden trees, listening to trickle of the creek and trying to imagine your life in their shoes when crawling into their tiny former stone homes.
Will you strike gold?
Arrowtown is known around the globe for its charming streets and stunning natural surrounds, especially in Autumn as the trees dazzle us with vibrant colours… Most famously of all, Arrowtown is known for its gold! Once a quiet gold mining village, now a must see- and gold panning in Arrowtown is a must do!
As you get lost in the atmosphere, try and imaging yourself as a prospector- arriving on frosty Arrowtown morning, wading through the brisk Arrow River, patiently panning for the remains of a fast and prosperous gold rush until sunset comes and it’s time to put down the gold pan and shovel.
Keeping that mindset, come and visit the Chinese Village, Dudley’s Cottage and us at The Arrowtown Gold Panning Company. We operate out of ‘Arrowtown Curios’ at 4 Buckingham Street- you’ll see our panning set up as you walk down the far end of Buckingham Street.
We offer one on one lessons on how to pan, with our effective and easy method- and when you take a lesson with us we guarantee you’ll even find real gold- which you get to keep!
With your new set of skills- take our equipment down to the river and find your very own gold, just like back in 1862! Don’t worry… we know the secret spots!
Visited us in the past? The gold panning has moved from Dudley’s Cottage about 10m up outside Arrowtown Curios- have a good look around!
The Dudley's Cottage Precinct is an exciting development adjacent to the beautiful Arrowtown River Reserve that builds on a history of commercial activity at the site.
The original cottage - 'Dudley's Cottage' is actually two cottages built approximately 17 years apart. The first cottage to be built (front cottage) is sometimes known as Butlers Cottage because it was built by William Butler in approximately 1880. Butler, an Irishman, was one of the first to arrive at the Arrow at the onset of the 1862 goldrush. He was a Wagoner by trade when the transportation of necessities to miners could make a man very rich. He settled in Arrowtown and became a farmer, store keeper, carrier and the proprietor of the Ballarat Hotel where the Arrowtown Bakery now stands. Butler Green is named after him.
This cottage is one of the oldest stone cottages in Arrowtown. William Butler built it here strategically located at the end of Buckingham Street as the last building before continuing on to Macetown. The perfect location for a supplies store. He was known to be successful and died in 1887 from abscess of the liver, finally expiring to the ‘wasting disease’. He was survived by his wife Mary Jane Butler and son Kingsley. Kingsley later sold the property to George Dudley in about 1911.
