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GYMPIE - The town that saved Queensland
Some history and a few photos from our town and region - Please enjoy !!!

View from the Fire Station - Photo Greg Weir

Gympie is located 160 km's north of Brisbane on the East Coast of Australia and has a population of around 17,000. It is also known for being the town that saved Queensland, the Queensland economy was in a bad way until gold was discovered in 1867 by prospector James Nash who had made the journey down from Maryborough and dug up 75 ounces of gold in six days to stake his claim. This claim by Nash started the Gympie Gold Rush which in turn boosted the Queensland economy allowing the State to survive.

Photo of early Gympie in the mining days

 

 

The Retort House - Photo Greg Weir

 

Gympie was also home to Labour Prime Minister Andrew Fisher, who was born in Ayshire, Scotland in 1862 and moved to Gympie in 1885. Fisher was active in the Amalgamated Miners Union and became President of the Gympie branch in 1891, he was also part owner of a labour newspaper called the Gympie Truth which was founded in 1896.

Fisher was elected in 1891 as the first president of the Gympie branch of the Labour Party and in 1893 he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as labour member for Gympie. Andrew Fisher became the Australian Prime Minister in 1908, Fisher had three terms as Prime Minister and returned to London in 1915 after being appointed High Commissioner in London, Fisher died 22nd October 1928.

Fisher carried out many reforms in defence, constitutional matters, finance, transport and communications, and social security achieving the vast majority of his aims in his first government. These included such specifics as establishing old-age and disability pensions, a materninty allowance and workers compensation, issuing Australia's first paper currency, forming the Royal Australian Navy, the commencement of construction for the Trans Australian Railway, expanding the bench of the High Court of Australia, founding Canberra and establishing the government owned Commonwealth Bank.
More info on Andrew Fisher here.

 

courtesy flicker.com

 

The name "Gympie" is derived from an Aboriginal name for a tree called the Gympie-Gympie tree. The technical name for this plant is Dendrocnide morodies, the Gympie Gympie tree or stinger has broad round leaves that have similar properties to stinging nettles. The leaves have numerous stinging hairs which can be very painful if they come in contact with skin.

 

Major industries and employers in the Gympie region include Nestles coffee processing plant, Smith & Sons truck & trailer body builders, Nolan's Meats, Suncoast Macadamias, Laminex Industries, Carter Holt & Harvey and others. Farming is also big in the Gympie area with beef cattle and dairy, pineapples, small crops and aquaculture. Tin Can bay which is about 40 mins drive from Gympie is a local fishing port, local products include fish, prawns, crabs and scallops.

 

 

Aerial view of Laminex Industries - Photo Greg Weir

 

Water skiing on Borumba Dam - Photo Greg Weir

 

Tourists attractions in the Gympie area include the Mary Valley Rattler steam train, the Gympie Gold Mining Museum, Wood Works Museum, Rainbow beach coloured sands, Borumba Dam and Tin Can Bay. The Gympie region is also famous for its events which include the Rainbow Beach Fishing Classic and the Toyota National Country Music Muster which attracts people from all over Australia and is held every August in the Amamoor Creek State Forest.

 

 

The Mary Valley Rattler Steaming towards Amamoor- Photo Greg Weir

 

"The Yank" loco pulls the train over Deep Creek Bridge - Photo Greg Weir

Waterfront bar at the 2007 Country Music Muster - Photo Greg Weir

Carlo Point - Photo Greg Weir

Lightning & Rainbow at Glastonbury - Photo Greg Weir

 

Fishing at Borumba Dam Imbil - Photo Greg Weir

Gympie Central Business District - Photo Greg Weir

 

Gympie Fire Station - Photo Greg Weir

Helicopter at Gympie Airport - Photo Greg Weir

 

Warbird at Gympie Airport - Photo Greg Weir

Seawind about to takeoff from Gympie Airport - Photo Greg Weir

 

Glider winch launching off runway 14 Gympie Airport - Photo Greg Weir

 

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Original site content Greg Weir VK4GDW

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