GYMPIE, QUEENSLAND

The town of 'Gympie' is located in south eastern Queensland, Australia, and is approximately 160 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. It lies on the Mary River. Gympie is the administrative centre for the Cooloola Shire Council. Shire population was 33,000 at the 2001 Census.

Contents

History

The Name

Attractions

Education

Transport

Traveston Dam

Famous Residents

See also

History

Originally settled for grazing purposes, in 1867 the area became prominent when James Nash discovered gold. At the time Queensland was suffering from a severe economic depression and the discovery probably saved the colony from bankruptcy. Gold mining still plays a role in the area's fortunes, along with agriculture (dairy predominantly), timber and tourism.

The Name

Gympie's name derives from an Aboriginal name for a tree (''The Gympie-gympie tree''). The tree has large, round leaves that have similar properties to stinging nettles. The translation for Gympie is roughly "devil".

Attractions

There are six main attractions in Gympie.
First, the Mary Valley is a scenic location with rolling green pastures and many beautiful forests. There are spectacular journeys through the valley that begin at the Old Gympie Railway Station, which is the original railway station for the track that passed through Gympie in the gold rush days in the early 1900’s. The Valley Rattler winds its way through the backyards of the southern side of Gympie and then continues its way into the scenic Mary Valley, crossing, and then wandering away from the Mary River to negotiate the valley of some of its main tributaries. The Mary Valley includes the villages and towns of Dagun, Amamoor, Kandanga and Imbil.
Second, the countryside is spectacular with an abundance of curves, gradients and bridges. Steep slopes portray a patchwork of pineapples, macadamia nuts and other crops.
Third, in 2006, Gympie hosted the inaugural Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival. A festival committed to the screening and promotion of nourishing, well crafted films.Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival
Fourth, Gympie's Mary St offers a wide array of bars, cafes, banks, post offices, stores and the occasional strip club (or so the townsfolk wish).
Fifth, Gympie is host to an annual country music muster.
Finally in March 2007, the new Centro shopping centre opened on the Bruce Highway. There have been problems since then, mainly with the high level of traffic on the 2-lane highway.

Education

Gympie has many private and public schools, reflecting its importance as a regional service center. State primary schools include Gympie West, Monkland, Jones Hill, Gympie Central, Two Mile, One Mile, Gympie East, Gympie South. State secondary schools include Gympie High and James Nash. Private schools offer both primary and secondary education. They include Victory College, Cooloola Christian College and St Patrick's. The oldest schools are Saint Patrick's Primary and Saint Patricks College.

Transport

Road connection to Gympie is via the Bruce Highway. Rail connect is via QR's North Coast railway line, which is served by daily CityTrain services to Brisbane and TravelTrain services for long distances. There are few public buses in Gympie and automobiles are the main mode of transportation.

Traveston Dam

The Queensland Government has plans to build a dam on the Mary River at Traveston Crossing, approximately 16 km south of Gympie, arguing that there is sound geology and that Brisbane needs more water.
The proposed dam will flood approximately 900 properties, many of them income-producing farms, including the largest dairy farm in Queensland. The affected land owners and other shire residents have staged rallies protesting against the proposed dam. The protesters argue that Traveston dam will flood the properties and endanger the following rare species: the Mary River cod, lungfish (''Neoceratodus forsteri'') and platypus.
Non state-government reports have arrived at less favourable geological conclusions. For example, Cooloola Shire Council recently released a report it commissioned to this effect.

Famous Residents

★ Glen Boss

★ Darren Hanlon

See also

★ Gympie North railway station

★ Gympie Pyramid