This panorama shows the inside of the narrow gold mining tunnel just north of Gillespies Beach. The far end of the tunnel is now fenced off. It was cut during the 1860's by miners looking for a easier access to local gold deposits.

Gillespies Beach Gold Mining Tunnel - Fox Glacier visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Gillespies Beach Gold Mining Tunnel' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from West Coast.

Gillespies Beach grew up around alluvial gold mining in the 1860's. Gold washed from the surrounding mountains and both Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier was then deposited in silty layers near the shore. At one time, Gillespies Beach was a sizable settlement, but this quickly dwindled once the gold was exhausted and now only a couple of buildings remain. Remnant of the mining activity here include this tunnel, rusting gold mining dredges and a small cemetery.

This tunnel is about a 40 minute walk from the car park north along the beach. The path turns inland up a small river by a healand at the north end of the beach. It then crosses a small lagoon before heading up through forest to this tunnel. The path continues north to Galway Beach where there is a fur seal colony.

Gillespies Beach is about 20km west of Fox Glacier Township. Take Cook Flat Road past Lake Matheson and then Gillespies Beach Road (a narrow, winding dirt track) down to the beach itself and car park.