Millers Flat, population 97, hosted more than a thousand visitors and welcomed 500 riders into town last Saturday (March 4), to celebrate the 30th Goldfields Cavalcade.

The host town turned on a carnival day which was a “huge success”, committee chair Deborah (Deb) Dons said.

“The team spirit of the Teviot Valley was one of the highlights for me,” she said.

“Seeing the generosity and willingness of our locals, our landowners, and all the volunteers, made it.”

Millers Flat Primary School played a big role, with staff and children volunteering and taking to the stage to entertain the crowds.  

The children had drawn pictures of horses and wagons to decorate the carnival marquee and several cavalcaders were so taken by the drawings they bought them.

The school PTA added to the coffers by charging a coin donation for parking, and selling toffee apples.  

The day’s celebrations wound up with a knees-up hoedown. Even after seven days in the saddle (or wagon), sore and tired limbs didn’t stop the crowd from dancing till the small hours.

“The atmosphere was electric, with great camaraderie between the cavalcaders and locals –  there was a lot of dancing,” Deb said.

The evening came together thanks to the hard work of locals and volunteers. Local artist Marion Mewburn contributed 30 hand-crafted jugs for the tables at the hoedown.

The jugs raised $1,000 in a silent auction at the end of the evening

In recognition of the original committee which came up with the audacious idea of retracing the pioneer goldminers’ journeys, four members were presented with a specially designed sash to wear in the welcoming parade as it entered Millers Flat.  

Fleur Sullivan, Roberta Laraman, Chris Thompson and Trevor Sutherland worked tirelessly to get the first cavalcade up and running in 1991.

The first cavalcade left from Rockland’s Station, near Middlemarch, and headed inland for the Dunstan, to end the journey at Cromwell. 

Roberta Laraman (left) and Fleur Sullivan

Goldfields Cavalcade coordinator Terry Davis reiterated the Millers Flat committee’s  gratitude to the volunteers, landowners and council.

“Central Otago District Council is awesome. They make this possible. And the landowners really go above and beyond,” he said.

Next year’s cavalcade will finish in former gold mining town Waikaia. Deb Dons is already planning the first debrief meeting to pass on what Millers Flat has learnt

“It’s a huge undertaking and the finance side is big. Plus, what we learnt about horses and paddocks could fill an entire book,” she said.

An economic report conducted in 2019 showed the Goldfields Cavalcade has been a significant revenue generator for rural Otago for the past 27 years. 

On average, an estimated $1,000,000 has been injected into host town district economies through hosting the cavalcade. 

Watch the cavalcade arriving in Millers Flat here.