Gympie

History

Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi, Cabbee, Carbi, Gabi Gabi) is an Australian Aboriginal language formerly spoken by the indigenous peoples of the Sunshine Coast Region and Gympie Region, particularly the towns of Caloundra, Noosa Heads, Gympie and extending north towards Maryborough and south to Caboolture.

Gympie's name derives from the Gubbi Gubbi word gimpi-gimpi, which means "stinging tree" and refers to Dendrocnide moroides. The tree has large, round leaves that have similar properties to stinging nettles. The city was previously named Nashville, after James Nash, who discovered gold in the area in 1867. The name was changed to Gympie in 1868, after a local species of tree was found, the Gimpie-Gimpie.

Graziers were the original European settlers. Subsequently, James Nash reported the discovery of "payable" alluvial gold on 16 October 1867. At the time of Nash's discovery, Queensland was suffering from a severe economic depression. Nash saved Queensland from bankruptcy. A memorial fountain in Gympie's Park honours Nash's discovery. The Gympie Gold Rush Festival celebrates the event today. The Gold Rush Festival holds 10 days of cultural events in October. Gold mining still plays a role in the area's fortunes, along with agriculture (dairy predominantly), timber and tourism. The gold rush's rapid development led to streets that are in an irregular fashion.

Nashville Masonic Lodge opened on 24 March 1869 in Duke Street. The first Master was Edward Henry King, the first goldfield commissioner in Gympie. The lodge later relocated and is now known as Pioneer Lodge, while the Duke Street site became the offices of the Shire of Woocoo.

In 1882, a handful of macadamia seeds was taken from trees in Gympie to Hawaii, where they became the basis of Hawaii's macadamia industry. In 2019, researchers collected samples from hundreds of macadamia trees in Queensland, and compared their genetic profiles to samples from Hawaiian orchards. They determined that essentially all the Hawaiian trees must have descended from a small population of Australian trees from Gympie, possibly just a single tree.

Gympie Creek Post Office opened on 1 December 1867. It was renamed Gympie in 1868.

Flooding

Significant floods along the Mary River have caused inundations of the city in 1870, 1873, 1893, 1955, 1968, 1974, 1989, 1992, 1999, 2011, 2013, and 2022. The first recorded flood in Gympie was in 1870. Most of the floods occur between December and April and are typically caused by heavy rainfall in the headwaters to the south.

The highest flood ever recorded in Gympie occurred on 2 February 1893, when the river peaked at 25.45 m (83.5 ft). Gympie was declared a natural disaster area during the 1999 floods. The river peaked at 21.9 metres (72 ft) then. On the 27 February 2022 the river peaked at 22.96 m, superseding the 1999 flood record by over a metre.

Numerous highways and roads in and around the city, which were destroyed or damaged during floods in 2011, were repaired under Operation Queenslander, the name given to post-flood reconstruction efforts in Queensland.

In March 2012, the Gympie Regional Council decided to spend about $30,000 for a cost-benefit analysis on flood mitigation measures. Major flooding also occurred in 2022.

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Gympie had an urban population of 20,966 people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.9% of the population; 82.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most-common countries of birth were England 2.6%, New Zealand 1.9%, and the Philippines 0.6%. About 89.6% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were no religion 30.1%, Catholic 16.8%, and Anglican 15.6%.

In the 2021 census, Gympie had an urban population of 22,424 people.

Heritage listings

Gympie has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Monkland State School Residence, Brisbane Road

Gympie Town Hall, 2 Caledonian Hill

Gympie Court House, Channon Street

Old Gympie Post Office, Channon Street

Surface Hill Uniting Church, Channon Street

Gympie Lands Office, 26 Channon Street

former Queensland National Bank, corner of Channon Street and Nash Streets

St Patricks Church, Church Street

former Gympie Ambulance Station, 17 Crown Road

Gympie State High School buildings, 1 Everson Road (26.1888°S 152.6794°E / -26.1888; 152.6794 (Gympie State High School))

Gympie and Widgee War Memorial Gates, Mary Street

former Royal Bank of Queensland, 199 Mary Street

former Crawford and Co Building, 216 Mary Street

Tozer's Building, 218 Mary Street

Smithfield Chambers, 235 Mary Street

former Australian Joint Stock Bank and former Gympie Stock Exchange, 236 Mary Street

former Bank of New South Wales, 242 Mary Street

Climate

Gympie experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with hot, rainy summers and mild, dry winters with cool nights. Annual rainfall averages around 1,117.4 mm (43.99 in), with a summer maximum. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −4.3 °C (24.3 °F) on 20 July 2007 to 42.4 °C (108.3 °F) on 4 January 2014.

Attractions

The Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum houses memorabilia from the early gold mining era, as well as displays showcasing military, rural, transport, communications, and steam development in Australia. The WoodWorks Museum provides an insight into the timber industry and social history of yesteryear through displays and demonstrations. Features include a large selection of pioneering hand tools, a 1925 Republic truck, bullock wagons, and a blacksmith shop.

The Valley Rattler steam train is a tourist train that began operations in 1996. It follows the Mary River through the forests and plantations of the Mary Valley to Amamoor. The train departs and returns to the Old Gympie Railway Station in Tozer Street, an original railway station from the 1900s gold rush.

Approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Gympie, the town of Amamoor hosts the annual Gympie Music Muster. It is held over six days and nights in August in the Amamoor Forest Reserve. The muster is the largest outdoor country music festival in Australia.

Gympie's Mary St offers a wide array of bars, cafes, and shops with 19th-century Victorian architecture. The historic Railway Hotel was built in 1915 and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. The Gympie Town Hall Reserve Complex, built in 1890, was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2011.

Mothar Mountain Speedway is Gympie's local speedway track. With a history spanning over 50 years, its most well-known feature is the unique right-hand kink. The venue hosts a variety of classes, including SSA Modified Sedans, SSA Super Sedans, SSA Junior Sedans, SSA Production Sedans, SSA Street Stocks, Modlites, and Late Models. The speedway has hosted the Australian title for SSA Production Sedans in 2014, and was scheduled to host the Australian titles for Modlites and SSA Super Sedans in April 2023.

The annual Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival is held in Gympie in March.

About 24 km (15 mi) south-east of Gympie, Woondum National Park provides access to subtropical rainforest, creeks, and granite outcrops. Facilities include picnic tables, barbecues, firewood, fresh water, amenities, and bush-walking tracks. Access is by dirt road, and a high-clearance vehicle is recommended.

Education

Gympie Central State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 14–20 Lawrence Street (26.1886°S 152.6646°E / -26.1886; 152.6646 (Gympie Central State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 235 students with 18 teachers (16 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).

Gympie West State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at 41 Cartwright Road (26.1738°S 152.6621°E / -26.1738; 152.6621 (Gympie West State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 524 students with 45 teachers (38 full-time equivalent) and 45 non-teaching staff (26 full-time equivalent).

One Mile State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at John Street (26.1993°S 152.6753°E / -26.1993; 152.6753 (One Mile State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 421 students with 37 teachers (32 full-time equivalent) and 18 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent).

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 18–26 Church Street (26.1923°S 152.6656°E / -26.1923; 152.6656 (St Patrick's Primary School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 308 students with 21 teachers (19 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent).

Gympie Special School is a special primary and secondary (Prep–12) school for boys and girls at 52 Cootharaba Road (26.1878°S 152.6808°E / -26.1878; 152.6808 (Gympie Special School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 57 students with 19 teachers (15 full-time equivalent) and 26 non-teaching staff (15 full-time equivalent).

Gympie State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 2 Everson Road (26.1883°S 152.6781°E / -26.1883; 152.6781 (Gympie State High School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,016 students with 93 teachers (86 full-time equivalent) and 51 non-teaching staff (40 full-time equivalent).

James Nash State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 109 Myall Street (26.1758°S 152.6560°E / -26.1758; 152.6560 (James Nash State High School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,219 students with 113 teachers (105 full-time equivalent) and 52 non-teaching staff (41 full-time equivalent).

Amenities

The Gympie Regional Council operates a public library at 8–14 Mellor Street. It opened in 1995.

The Gympie branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the St Johns Ambulance Rooms at 20 Apollonian Vale.

Gympie Regional Uniting Church is at 15–17 Red Hill Road (26.1939°S 152.6727°E / -26.1939; 152.6727 (Gympie Regional Uniting Church)). It is part of the Mary Burnett Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Gympie Wesleyan Methodist Church is at 70 Exhibition Road, Southside (26.2022°S 152.6436°E / -26.2022; 152.6436 (Gympie Wesleyan Methodist Church)). It is part of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia.

Two lawn bowls clubs are in Gympie:

Gympie Bowls Club, 16 Bowlers Drive

The Albert Bowls Club, River Road

Transport

Road connection to Gympie is via the Bruce Highway. Rail connects via QR's North Coast railway line, which is served by daily Queensland Rail Citytrain network services to Brisbane and Traveltrain services for long distances. Few public buses operate in Gympie and automobiles are the main mode of transportation.

Gympie Airport is a small local airport located to the south of the city. It has general aviation, recreational aviation, and gliding communities. The nearest domestic airport is Sunshine Coast Airport, and the closest international airport is Brisbane Airport.

Media

Radio stations that covered Gympie are ABC Sunshine Coast, 91.9 Sea FM, 91.1 Hot FM, and 4GY, a community-based station.

Gympie is served by 3 major free-to-air commercial television networks:

Seven Queensland – Seven Network owned and operated

WIN Television – Nine Network affiliate

10 Queensland – Network 10 owned and operated

ABC Television

SBS Television

Governance

Eight councilors are elected to the Gympie Region local government area.

The electoral district of Gympie in the state legislature was created in 1873 and includes Tin Can Bay, Rainbow Beach, Cooran, Pomona, and parts of the Mary Valley. In 1893, Andrew Fisher was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as Labor member for Gympie and went on to become the fifth Prime Minister of Australia. Gympie's seat was eliminated in 1950 but restored in 1960. Since 1960, it has been considered a safe State Liberal-National seat having been won by the Country or National Party every election except for a brief period in the early 2000s. (It was held from 2002 to 2006 by Elisa Roberts, first as a member of the One Nation party and then as an independent, before returning to the National Party with the election of David Gibson.)

Since 2015, Tony Perrett of the Liberal National Party is the member for Gympie in the Queensland Legislative Assembly.

Traveston Crossing Dam

The Queensland government had plans to build a dam on the Mary River at Traveston Crossing, about 16 km (9.9 mi) south of Gympie, arguing that the geology is sound and that the South East Queensland region needed greater water security due to climate change and population growth. The project was scrapped in 2010.

The proposed dam would have flooded about 900 properties. The affected land owners and other shire residents staged rallies protesting the proposed dam. Strong opposition to the dam from the wider and international community based on environmental concerns related to the endangered Mary River cod, Mary River turtle, giant barred frog, Cascade tree frog, and Coxen's fig parrot and the vulnerable Queensland lungfish, tusked frog, honey blue-eye fish, Richmond birdwing butterfly, and Illidge's ant blue butterfly finally shut down the project.