Since the gold-rush years of the 1860s, Arrowtown has quite rightly worn its heritage profile with pride, and the restored Chinese Village is now an admired cornerstone to that profile.
Almost forgotten, the neglected remains of a European settlement that flourished beside the Arrow River at Coopers Terrace, a short 10 minutes’ walk from the Chinese Village, are gradually being uncovered.
It appears that this intriguing site has a character all of its own, and human stories reflecting the challenges and tenacity of its inhabitants are starting to surface. Nine miners are already associated with the settlement. The remains of seven huts have been uncovered, and German miner Johnny A Miller built a striking castle-like entrance-way with a vertical rock wall to his enclosure that shows unusual flair.
Viewed both from the road to Macetown and the walking track, imagine the best of these ruins restored and standing proud. Walk through the trees by the river and find more hut ruins. And it was here all the time. Waiting to complete Arrowtown’s own gold-mining story.
You can learn about the Coopers Terrace restoration project here.
Jan Morrison, Project Manager, is providing a 40-minute presentation on Zoom for AVA members on Thursday 16 June 2022 at 7.30pm. If you are registered as an AVA member you should have received a link to join the Zoom already in our newsletter. If you have only recently joined or missed the newsletter, please email Susan at chairperson@arrowtownvillage.nz for the link.
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