A gold-rush town of stone cottages and old shopfronts under avenues of trees, with a Chinese miners' village on the creek and gold still glinting in the river.
Arrowtown sprang up in 1862 when gold was found in the Arrow River. Thousands of miners poured in, and the town grew a main street of hotels, banks and stores; more than sixty buildings from those years still stand.
Along Buckingham Street and the tree-lined avenue of miners' cottages, it feels like a film set, but people live and work here, and two of the region's best restaurants are tucked among the old buildings.
From 1868, Chinese miners came to work the old claims. They lived apart in huts on Bush Creek, facing hard conditions and discrimination. Their partly restored settlement, including Ah Lum's store, is one of the most moving places in the region.
In autumn the poplars, sycamores and oaks that the settlers planted turn gold and red, and the town holds its autumn festival in April.
Museum, main street, settlement, river.
Start with the story of the gold rush and the Chinese miners; the museum also hires out gold pans.
Wander the old shopfronts and the avenue of miners' cottages under the trees.
Walk through the restored huts and Ah Lum's store, reading the stories of the men who lived there.
Try your luck in the Arrow River; patient panners still find flakes.
Stay for a meal in one of the small restaurants before heading back to Queenstown.
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About 20 minutes by car, or by local bus from Queenstown and Frankton. Cyclists can ride the Queenstown Trail.
Weekdays and late afternoons are quieter. In April, book accommodation and dinner ahead.
The Chinese settlement is a place of remembrance as much as a sight; stay on paths and leave the huts as you find them.
Queenstown practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
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