The Willoughby Creek placer showing is located approximately 40 kilometres east of Stewart. The creek was investigated in several locations for placer gold in the early 1900s.

Coarse gold is reported to have been found in a bar on this creek prior to 1913. A terrace on the left bank of the creek, covered with 7.6 metres of coarse gravel, was investigated by a tunnel driven part way across but no pay channel was located. The area is underlain by sediments of the Middle Jurassic-Upper Cretaceous Bowser Lake Group.