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. Shire population was 33,000 at the 2001 Census.
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History
Originally settled for grazing purposes, the area became prominent when gold was discovered there in 1867 by James Nash. 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.
Its name is derived 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
The Mary Valley is a scenic location with rolling green pastures and many beautiful forests.
The Valley Rattler leaves the Gympie Railway station on Saturdays and Wednesdays. This steam-driven engine stops at many of the small forestry towns that exist in the Valley. At the final stop, Imbil, visitors can explore the quaint town that includes a scenic lookout, a museum, an old pub, a dam with good fishing and recreational capacity and a small market (Saturdays only).
Transport
Gympie is connected via the Bruce Highway, or QR's North Coast railway line which is served by daily CityTrain services to Brisbane and long distance services through TravelTrain.
Traveston Dam
The Queensland Government recently announced plans to build a dam on the Mary River at Traveston Crossing, approximately 16km south of Gympie. 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 Shire residents have staged rallies protesting against the proposed dam.
The Traveston dam is being protested for many reasons, including loss of 900 properties, endangering rare species: The Mary River Cod, Lungfish and Platypus. Also the Queensland Government has, as yet, failed to find suitable bedrock on which to build the dam.
Famous Residents
See also
Categories
Cities in Queensland