Lawrence - Gabriels Gully

Gabriels Gully is part of the Otago Goldfields Trail that is supported by the Otago Goldfield Heritage Trust and includes goldfields throughout Otago.

In May 1861 Gabriel Read discovered gold at nearby Gabriels Gully. By September 6,000 miners were camped in the valley - the gold rush had begun. The peak of the gold boom period was reached in 1862 when nearly 200,000oz was taken out by the gold escort, by 1866 the yield was less than 28,000 oz. Gold mining thereafter continued gradually to decline, and by the late 1930s had ceased.

Gabriels Gully is the most famous of the several goldfields discovered in the area. Others included Munroes Gully, Adams Flat, Wetherstones, Bungtown, Waitahuna Gully, and Waipori.