Gold was discovered in the Turtons Creek area in 1872. The gold lay visible in the surface soil and along the creek bed and was reported to be 'waterworn and brilliant in colour' (Collett 1994). Extensive searches failed to find any sign of its source.

Once the first claims were registered, the rush for gold saw men streaming out of Foster up into the hills. Storekeepers packed flour and other foods out to Turtons Creek in such quantities that insufficient supplies remained in Foster. The 16 miles from Foster to Turtons Creek was just a rough-cut track through dense forest. Miners were forced to endure mud up to their knees and the packhorses would often slide down into the gullies. The track was always very wet and boggy. The narrowness, along with the dense overhanging scrub, made it impossible for the sun or wind to penetrate.

There were around fifteen wealthy claims, but it soon became clear that the surface gold (auriferous ground) was limited. With no yields in the last few months of 1873, there were few fossickers left in the field by the end of the year. The collapse of the gold rush was an anti-climax that created a sense of disillusionment and people realised that Turtons Creek was perhaps the end of an era, rather than the beginning of one. The forest has reclaimed the past and little evidence remains to indicate a gold rush occurred at this site.