Lyell: the golden past

by Margaret C. Brown. Published by the Murchison District Historical and Museum Society, 1987.

Travellers through the Buller Gorge who pause at the picnic area at Lyell Creek, are delighted by the peace and tranquillity of a place that once bustled with activity. Margaret Brown, well-known for her Difficult Country, brings the Lyell to life in this well-researched book.

Gold was instrumental in Lyell's birth, growth and decline. The inaccessibility of the place gave it a character all of its own. The author explores many aspects of this special character in an informative and very readable manner. Quotations from published and unpublished sources vividly describe the experiences of many who visited or lived there. Photographs from historical collections and some of more recent vintage illustrate the changes that have taken place. Reproductions from newspapers and directories help recapture the flavour of the times.

An index makes the information contained readily accessible.

Those who pause at Lyell will see it with new eyes after reading this illuminating book.