Nelson Creek INTEL
Nelson Creek is famous for its photogenic suspension bridge and deep swimming holes. The alluvial gold here is fine but plentiful, accessible along the creek margins where the DOC campsite provides a base. Summer sniping (snorkelling for gold) is particularly productive.
Mission Profile
Discovery Metrics
Operational Gear
Stratigraphy & History
The Nelson Creek field was part of the broader Reefton-Grey Valley rush of the 1860s-70s. While the famous quartz reefs at Reefton drew industrial mining, Nelson Creek's alluvial gold attracted individual fossickers who could work the stream gravels by hand.
Geological Context
Quartz-derived alluvial gold concentrates in gravels on the creek bends and in deep pools where flood action has deposited heavy materials. The terrace gravels above the current creek level (visible as old gravel banks in the bush) also yield gold and are less picked-over.
Field Note
CONFIDENTIAL PRO-INTEL
Verified Sector Secret
"Try Callaghan's Track, which runs along a terrace above the creek. The terrace gravels shed gold into gullies — easy picking."
Economic Potential
Historical yield data suggests unrecovered fines at depth. Optimal for small-scale suction or high-banking if permitted.
Trade Gold
Leverage spot price movements globally while you're in the field.