Williams Cottage stands out for its low, whitewashed stone walls and a steep roof made of corrugated iron, a design typical of the mid-nineteenth century miners. William Williams built this house in eighteen sixty-five, back when…
Gold Rush Heritage Trail
Walk through Queenstown's historic town center to see how an 1860s sheep-farming camp blossomed into a bustling gold-mining capital, ending at the old stone courthouse.
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1. Williams Cottage
2. 17 Marine Parade
Seventeen Marine Parade is a narrow, three-story stone building squeezed between much larger structures. It features a distinct, stepped parapet along its roofline that separates it from the glass and timber facades nearby. Built in…
3. Eichardt's Private Hotel
Eichardt's Private Hotel sits on the Queenstown waterfront with a distinctive cream-colored facade and ornate wrought-iron balconies. William Gilbert Rees originally built a small wool shed here in eighteen sixty-three during the height of…
4. Statue of William Rees
The bronze statue of William Rees stands with his back to the town, gazing steadily toward Lake Wakatipu. He was the first European to settle this basin in eighteen sixty, arriving with a sheep flock and a companion after an exhausting…
5. St Peter's Anglican Church
St Peter's Anglican Church features walls of local schist stone topped by a dark, steeply pitched timber roof. It stands on the site where a tent served as the first place of worship during the frantic eighteen sixties gold rush. When the…
6. 1876
The stone walls of the Williams Cottage are tucked behind a simple picket fence on Marine Parade. Built in eighteen seventy-six, the structure served as a home for William and Susan Williams, a young couple who arrived in Queenstown during…