This paper reports on a test experiment to investigate the viability of using in‐beam gamma‐ray spectroscopy with projectile fragmentation reactions to explore the structure of heavy, neutron‐rich nuclei. The experiment used a ‘thin target’ fragmentation reaction with a 30 MeV per nucleon12C beam on a 30 mg/cm2self‐supporting gold target. The initial analysis has identified a number of previously known discrete cascades in a variety of in‐beam reaction products. The decay of products has also been investigated and an initial comparison of their relative yields with predictions from the EPAX parameterisation begun. The relevance and future viability of this method as a complimentary technique to fragmentation‐isomer studies to investigate the near‐yrast properties of heavy, neutron‐rich nuclei is discussed. © 2002 American Institute of Physics