Macetown Historic Reserve — Arrow River Gold Rush Ruins Camp

Macetown sat at the top of the Arrow River Valley, where a few thousand miners once chased gold. What’s left is a scatter of stone cottages, a bakehouse, the Union Chapel ruins, and old sluicing scars in the hills. You camp in the flats around the old townsite, in a tight valley with no cell signal and no town noise. Day-trippers on 4x4s, bikes, and foot clear out by late afternoon, so the evenings are yours. Take everything you need, pack your rubbish out, and watch your fire.

Getting here means about 16 km of rough dirt from Arrowtown, including a couple dozen crossings of the Arrow River. Depth and current swing hard with rain and snowmelt. Walk any ford you’re unsure of, and don’t gamble after heavy rain. Rental vehicles are often barred from this road, so check your contract. Camping rules and any designated areas are DOC’s call, so confirm with DOC or the Queenstown i-SITE before you load up. Have a dirty day.

Gold rush ghost town at the end of the fords