Story: Otago region

Miners’ guide, around 1863 (1st of 3)

This map for miners, produced early in the gold rush years, shows routes to both Gabriels Gully and the ‘new diggings’ – the 1862 finds at the Dunstan (later Clyde). It includes an existing route to Gabriels Gully, which roughly follows the present route of State Highway 8, and a short cut promoted by ‘Red Coat’, the map maker (accompanied in his drawing by a reluctant pack horse). The routes to the new diggings were later known as the ‘old Dunstan’ and the ‘Pigroot’. The map is not very accurate, and Red Coat’s short cuts were little used.