Perry Creek has been the scene of placer gold mining since its discovery in 1867. Recorded production totalled 103,823 grams of gold recovered from Perry Creek, mostly from 1874 to 1895 (Bulletin 28, page 33).

In 1972, the assessment work report by M.N. Strong provides a good historical summary of placer work on Perry Creek (PFD 3474).

In 1985, Carad Placer Mines undertook an exploration program towards the headwaters of Perry Creek (PFD 1916).

In 2021, John Osler held his "Perry claims" about 4 kilometres north of the Perry Creek placer showing (082GNW067). His property comprised two placer claims that together covered 41.90 hectares. According to Osler, the 1961 Morris seismic survey (Assessment Report 412) indicated a palaeo-channel of Perry Creek proceeding northward in a steep-sided gorge from near the head of the spillway near Old Town (about 1.7 kilometres east of the Perry Creek MINFILE placer location) to the southern part of the of Osler's Perry property (Assessment Report 39618). Osler's work centred on the idea that placer gold gravels may be present at the bedrock surface and at various false bedrock horizons in the gorge hosting the palaeo-channel.

See Anderson (082FNE056) for more information on lode gold exploration in the area.