Australian miner Gabriel Read did not just strike gold in a gully near Lawrence in 1861 - he unearthed a golden period in Otago and New Zealand history.
Now, 147 years on, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT) has announced it is embarking on heritage recognition for the gully that now bears his name.
NZHPT Otago/Southland area manager Owen Graham said yesterday Gabriels Gully was among the most important historic spots in New Zealand, and recognition was overdue.
"Considering all Gabriel Read was equipped with was a tin dish, butcher's knife and a spade when he discovered gold, his find - and his impact on our history - was all that more remarkable," Mr Graham said.
The discovery led to the early 1860s gold rushes that saw thousands of fortune-seekers heading for Otago, transforming the province into the wealthiest in New Zealand, Mr Graham said.
Dunedin became the country's largest city and the South Island's population overtook the North Island's.
The site is now a historic reserve managed by the Department of Conservation (Doc), but still has a large number of archeological features on site, including Pollard's Dam, water races, mine shafts and tailing races.
The move to list the gully was initiated by Doc staff several years ago, and information to support the listing had been steadily gathered since then, Mr Graham said.
Listing the site was not about adding additional protection or additional layers of bureaucracy to it, he said.
Rather, it aimed to appropriately recognise the site's economic and social significance to the country's history, particularly in Otago and Southland.
"Gabriels Gully is one of New Zealand's most important historic places," he said.
"It transformed Dunedin and Otago to the point where much of our rich heritage that we celebrate today was due, in considerable part, to the riches that came from Gabriels Gully."
Doc programme manager visitor and historic assets Bill Wheeler, of Dunedin, said there had been a steady increase in the number of visitors to the site each year, with up to 6000 people calling in last year for walks and family picnics.
That interest was expected to continue to climb as the 150th anniversary celebrations planned for 2011 approached, he said.
"There's gathering interest. The more stuff we do the more people are interested to go see what we're up to," he said.
Ongoing work at the site had been well supported by outgoing Prime Minister Helen Clark, who took a personal interest in the project, and about $100,000 had been earmarked for site improvements ahead of the upcoming anniversary, he said.
Planned work included track improvements, new interpretive panels and, possibly, opening up mine shaft access, he said.
The gully's historic-reserve status meant the NZHPT listing would not provide additional protection, just "a different type of recognition", he said.
The gully was also part of the Otago Goldfields Trail which was supported by the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust.
Under the NZHPT listing process, the trust could consider any site that contributed to New Zealand's cultural or historical heritage.
However, even category one or two listings were not automatically protected - that relied on local authorities listing sites in district plans.
