Gympie City, Queensland

May 27, 2024

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

We are privileged to call the lush green countryside of Gympie our 'Home Base'.

We travelled through the Southern Downs, the Brisbane Valley, and the Mary Valley on our return trip from Warwick, and it was so good to be back in Gympie.

Now that the Bruce Highway passes by the town of Gympie, and you are no longer forced to drive through, here are some reasons to stop off anyway when you travel north or south on the M1. Grab a coffee and let me introduce you to our town...

* 10 things you might not know:

Why ‘Gympie’? With the discovery of gold, the town was quickly known as “Nashville” after James Nash, a lucky prospector. A year later, however, it was renamed ‘Gympie’, a word derived from the local Kabi-Kabi people’s language referring to the ‘stinging tree’ or gimpi-gimpi. This plant, the Dendrocnide moroides, delivers a painful punch … I mean, sting. Deceptively harmless in appearance with a lovely heart-shaped leaf, it invites you to inspect it more closely. It then delivers a sensation described as “being burnt with acid and electrocuted all at once” (Hurley, 2018.) 😣 It grows in light-filled gaps in the ‘understory’ of the rainforest – yep, the space you and I love to walk around in and admire. 😬 The stinging hairs can remain in the skin for up to 6 months, and re-sting every time they are touched. (I imagine a host of early miners and loggers encountering this plant and living in pure agony, so to alert everyone to the existence of the plant, they took desperate measures and named a town

after it! 😅)

While on the subject of the gimpi-gimpi plant … one of Australia’s strange marsupial creatures, the pademelon, part of the sub-family of kangaroos and wallabies, munches without consequence and with delight on this plant. ☺

Gympie suffered from major flood damage in 2022 when the river peaked at 22.96 m. The town is still busy with repair work. However, that was not the record height — the record is held by the year 1893 when the river peaked at 25.45 m on the 2nd of February.

Flood meter gauge — Yellow points to 1893 level; blue to 2022.

There is a thriving agricultural industry with beef, dairy, and livestock; a horticulture industry, including mangoes, macadamias, corn and pineapples; last but not least is the thriving timber industry in the Gympie region.

Macadamia nuts. We love them, right? In 2019, it was found, through genetic profiling, that the origin of 70% of macadamias grown in Hawaii originated from Gympie, and possibly from only 1 tree!

The nearby Mothar Mountain Speedway track which hosts various speedway racing events is well known for its unique right-hand kink, hairpin bend. It is also known as the 'Home of Champions’, as it is the home of many former and current State and National champions.

The largest gold nugget found in 1868 in Gympie weighed 30 kgs and today would be worth more than $2 million!

The ‘Rattler’, a famous C17/967 steam locomotive built in 1950, is alive and well and flourishing – all aboard the Mary Valley Rattler for a run to Amamoor!

The historic Mary Street, once a shack-lined avenue for prospector huts, saloons, and exchange dealers, is where you will find the Gillie and Marc statue of the petite Lady Mary Fitzroy, as she navigates the waters of the Mary River. Although Lady Mary never visited the Gympie region, the statue was commissioned in 2017 to highlight the impact of flooding on the city. As Governor of New South Wales, before the State of Queensland was formed, her husband, Lord Fitzroy, named many landmarks in memory of her, after she was killed in a carriage accident in Sydney in 1847.

Lady Mary Statue by Gillie and Marc. — Come and visit to view the full statue.

Gillie and Marc? THE Gillie and Marc? Yes! The creators of the Lady Mary statue are world-famous artists who created the iconic Rabbitwoman and Dogman works of art on display in many major cities of the world.

* Location

Gympie City is a rural pioneering city, two hours north of Brisbane by car. It is part of the Wide Bay-Burnett area, and the heart and soul of the Gympie Region, which encompasses Goomeri and Kilkivan to the west, Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach northeast, and Amamoor, Kandanga and Imbil in the lush Mary Valley just south of Gympie. A mere hour’s drive away, southeast, is the famous Noosa Valley and the Sunshine Coast.

Gympie lies on the Mary River, which is why it has endured severe flooding over the years since the main street was only timber mining shacks in the 1800s.

* Population

The 2021 census recorded 46,427 people in Gympie proper, of which 2.041 claimed Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander status. However, it has been noted that during and post-Covid, the population of Gympie began to grow rapidly as many people moved interstate, left cities and relocated inland.

* What to see/do

💥The Mary Valley Rattler – an experience not to be missed.

💥The Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum. Don’t forget to get your fossicking licence! You might find a nugget in the nearby creek.

💥Take a stroll down Mary Street and admire the architecture from its pioneering days, the current food outlets, gift shops, and other specialist outlets. This town needs our support to fully recover from the 2022 flood devastation.

💥From Mary Street through to Reef Street, you’ll find Memorial Lane, commemorating brave Australian (and specifically local) sacrifice and effort in wars from 1860 up to the present. A fantastic and touching display of 9 unique murals. Lest we forget.

💥In the nearby Memorial Park enjoy a take-away coffee and a bite to eat from the nearby Hatch Specialty Coffee. Stretch your legs, give pooch a run, and while you are there, admire the restored Gympie Memorial Bandstand from the 1920s, which had been inundated to roof level in the 2022 flood.

💥Take a walk along a section of the Mary River on the River to Rail Trail. Stretching for 9 km, much of this trail was washed away and is also being restored. Nature enthusiasts won’t be disappointed.

💥Explore the timber history at the old Woodworks Museum. This facility provides an impressive insight into the early timber era. A must-see.

💥Another park worth seeing is Lake Alford Park. It is situated opposite the Gold Mine Museum so you could access their café, or go armed with your picnic basket and enjoy the antics of the birds next to the lake.

💥For the outdoorsy types, the Victory Heights Trail Network offers a choice of walks through natural bushland. You get the easy-ish 2- or 3-km walk or take a longer, more challenging walk. Cared for by volunteers and locally funded, these trails are a lovely outing for the whole family. PS: Be sure to buy brekkie and coffee at the Victory Café over the road – their offerings are to die for!

💥Art and Culture – the Gympie Regional Gallery, proudly housed within the original School of Arts building from 1905 has ongoing exhibitions of Australian arts and crafts. And entry is free!

💥Last, but not least, 20 minutes from Gympie is the Mothar Mountain Rockpools and picnic area. It is included in the Woondum National Park, so no pets are allowed. During a dry season, the swimming holes tend to dry up, but walking through the tall open rainforest is delightful. There is an easy route and a more challenging hike.

* Where to stay (for caravans/motorhomes)

(Sadly, limited options within Gympie City.)

P K Park – a lovely, secure caravan park, right behind the Gold Mining Museum and near Lake Alford. $30 per night, powered, with water. Unpowered sites are available. Lot 4 Old Imbil Rd, Monkland. Check Wikicamps for directions on how to approach them. Reservations required. Tel: 0408 88 66 16 / 0451 028 513 https://pkpark.com.au/
Nomads Rest Caravan and Bushcamp. A beautiful, peaceful property, with 5 powered sites, and off-grid sites on offer. For self-contained RVs only. No drinking water is available. $30 per night, powered. Tel: 0438 083 673 / 0438 759 509. https://www.nomadsrest.com.au/
15 minutes out of Gympie on the Old Noosa Road, you’ll find Cobb and Co Nine Mile Camping Ground. Off-grid, with no power or water available, but large sites, with fire pits provided in a beautiful natural bush setting. Many activities around the area. Reservations required. Tel: (07) 5483 5065 https://cobbandcocamping.com.au/camping/
20 minutes out of Gympie towards Goomboorian is Standown Park (Kui Parks), in Kia Ora. A peaceful, well-maintained, beautiful caravan park, more suited to adults without children. Reservations required. Tel: (07) 5486 5144 https://standown.com.au/stay/

* Where to stay (hotels/motels)

Room Motels, Gympie. 16 Wickham Street, Gympie. Tel: (07) 5482 9964
Verandah Motel. 53 Horseshoe Bend, Gympie.
Mary River Motor Inn, Cnr. Oak str and Bruce Highway, Gympie.
10 km from Gympie, a farm stay - Widgereedoo Farm. 151 Tatnell Rd, Tamaree. Find them at https://www.booking.com/Share-TwRB1F4
A country B&B, 20 km from Gympie, is Amamoor Lodge. 368 Kandanga/Amamoor Rd. Tel: 0428 727 199.
For its 19th-century feel, the Queenslander Hotel in Mary Street. Good food, good vibes, in an old pioneer hotel. Tel: (07)54821506

* Where to eat (Details accurate at the time of posting)

Budget delights: Mama Dee's Kitchen, 29 Mary Street. Tel: (07) 5481 5456 Opens: 6 days/week 8 am – 4:15 pm
Delicious Chinese: Dragon Garden Restaurant, 18 Wickham Str. Tel: (07) 5482 5700 Opens: Tues to Sunday, 11 am – 2:30 pm, 4:30 – 9:30 pm.
Authentically Indian: Ambrosia Indian Restaurant, Located in Southside Shopping Centre, 310/5 Woolgar Rd, Southside. Tel: (07) 5482 4446. Opens 4 – 9 pm.
Gympie RSL: 217 Mary Str. Tel: (07) 5482 1018. Opens: 11:30 am to 2 pm & 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm.
Coffee Shop culinary fare: SoMa SoMa, 77 Mellor Str. Tel: 0754821467. Opens daily: 6:30 am–2 pm.
Heritage venue: Mary Valley Rattler Café ‘Rusty Rails’ at the Old Gympie Station, 10 Tozer Str. Opens: Wednesday to Sunday 8 am–2 pm.

* For the history buffs

# Gold rush

Early European settler-graziers were already in the area when, in October 1867, James Nash, an English farm worker who migrated to Queensland in 1863, put Gympie on the map with a discovery of gold. A gold rush of an estimated 60,000 miners ensued. Nash’s Gully sprang up – a double line of prospectors’ tents along the sides of the digging bank, which is now the historic Mary Street.

early pioneer timber town — Early days of Mary Street, Gympie.

# Queensland rescued

This discovery came at a time when Queensland was going through a severe economic depression. It is said to have saved Queensland from bankruptcy.

# A town is born

Gympie became a thriving mining town. A Post Office opened in December 1867.

A small hut was erected in 1868 to be shared as a church by three denominations, with the Methodists raising the first church in July of the same year. Seems churches were needed as a series of hotels were opened within weeks of the gold rush – twelve licences were granted in December 1867. 😄 Here is an ad from the period …

# Enter the media

The Nashville Times was operating by February 1868, which became The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette in October 1868.

# Further expansion

A railway from Maryborough along the coast was completed by 1881. (The Historic station is still in use by the delightful Mary Valley Rattler.) 1881 also saw several businesses burn down in the upper Mary Street Fire.

In 1890 the original Town Hall was built, but the current Town Hall was built in 1981 on the site where Nash found the first gold nugget (worth a whopping £1.6 million in today’s currency).

# Gympie, a town, a city

Gympie had a fire brigade by 1900. In 1903 the Queensland state declared Gympie a town, and in 1905 it was proclaimed a city by the Governor of Queensland.

# The Gympie Region

In 2008 the local government region known as The Gympie Region was formed by the amalgamation of the Shires of Cooloola (Gympie and Widgee), Kilkivan and part of the Shire of Tiaro.