Macetown

Macetown was founded after gold was found in the Arrow River in 1862, grew to several hundred people with a school, stores and a stamping battery, and was abandoned by the 1930s when the workable gold ran out. What remains is stone chimneys, foundations, the restored bakehouse and Needham's cottage, and old fruit trees and daffodils gone wild among the ruins - the plantings outlast the buildings, which is what makes the place read. The access is the difficulty and the point: the track from Arrowtown follows the Arrow River up its gorge and crosses it more than twenty times, so it is a 4WD route in dry conditions, a mountain bike ride for the committed, or a fifteen-kilometre walk each way. River levels decide everything; after rain the fords are impassable and vehicles have been swept. Rental cars are not permitted and commercial 4WD tours from Arrowtown are how most people get there.

History

The settlement grew near the Tipperary reef, pegged by Tom Hall, and was first called Twelve Mile for its distance from Arrowtown before taking the name of John and Henry Mace. A Protestant church was agreed in 1868 and a school opened in 1870, the population peaked at about 500, the reefs closed down from 1886 to 1906, and the school shut in 1916 with three children (Wikipedia, Macetown).

What you'll find

• The stone ruins - chimneys, foundations, bakehouse and cottage.
• The wild plantings - fruit trees and daffodils outlasting the buildings.
• The river crossings - more than twenty fords on the way in.
• The Arrow gorge - the route itself, which is half the trip.

When to go

December to March, in settled weather. Check river levels - after rain the fords are impassable. Most people take a commercial 4WD tour from Arrowtown.

Good to know

The fords are the hazard; vehicles have been swept away and rental agreements exclude this track entirely. Walking is thirty kilometres return. There are no facilities and no phone coverage.

Nearby

Arrowtown is at the trailhead; Queenstown and the Crown Range are beyond it.

Key facts