Guide to Gympie Queensland Australia

Gympie is a regional city of about 22,000 people on the Mary River, two hours north of Brisbane and 45 minutes inland from Noosa. It was founded on gold in 1867, at a moment when the young colony of Queensland was close to bankruptcy, and it has been known ever since as the town that saved Queensland. Steep streets, grand old banks and a restored railway station recall those days, and a heritage steam train still runs from the city into the Mary Valley.

Known For

• The Mary Valley Rattler heritage railway
• Gold-rush history and one of Queensland’s best regional museums
• The Gympie Music Muster each August

The city is built over hills and gullies that were once covered in diggings, which is why its streets wind and climb as they do. Mary Street, the main street, follows the line of an old creek and is lined with nineteenth-century buildings. Gympie is the commercial centre for a wide farming district and the turn-off for Rainbow Beach and Tin Can Bay.

Things To Do in Gympie

Mary Valley Rattler

From the beautifully restored 1913 station on the edge of the city centre, steam and diesel trains run south through the Mary Valley to the village of Amamoor and back, a round trip of about 46 kilometres taking three hours. The line crosses the Mary River, passes through a tunnel and climbs through farmland and forest. Trains generally run from Wednesday to Sunday, with themed services at times; book ahead, and allow time for the station’s museum and cafe.

Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum

Spread over several hectares beside Lake Alford, on the southern approach to the city, this museum has more than thirty buildings, including a mine headframe, a steam winding engine, a gold battery, a blacksmith’s shop and the cottage of Andrew Fisher, the Gympie miner who became prime minister of Australia. Gold panning is offered, and steam engines run on special days.

Woodworks Museum

On the northern side of the city, this museum is devoted to the timber industry, with a working steam-driven sawmill, blacksmith and cross-cut saw demonstrations and displays of fine local timbers. It opens on weekdays.

Heritage walk and Lake Alford

Walk Mary Street and the streets above it for the old banks, the town hall and the School of Arts, now the regional art gallery. Lake Alford, opposite the mining museum, has a duck pond, a playground and picnic lawns, and is a favourite rest stop.

Mothar Mountain rock pools

Twenty minutes south-east of the city, Woondum National Park has a string of granite rock pools and small cascades in the forest, with a picnic area and a short walk. They are popular for a swim in summer.

Music Muster and other events

The Gympie Music Muster, held over four days in late August in the Amamoor forest, is one of Australia’s biggest country music festivals, with tens of thousands camping on site. The city also holds a gold rush festival each October, marking the anniversary of the first find.

Where To Stay

Gympie has a good range of motels, several caravan parks and heritage pubs with rooms.

Farm stays, cabins and bed and breakfasts are found in the Mary Valley around Kandanga and Imbil, half an hour south.

Eat & Drink

Mary Street and the nearby shopping centres have cafes, bakeries and restaurants, and the old hotels serve hearty counter meals. The cafe at the Rattler’s station is a pleasant spot for breakfast or lunch even if you are not travelling.

History

Gympie is in the country of the Kabi Kabi people; its name comes from their word for the stinging tree, which grew along the river. In October 1867 the prospector James Nash found gold in a gully here, and within months 15,000 people had arrived. The alluvial gold was soon worked out, but deep reef mines kept producing until the 1920s, yielding more than four million ounces. Dairying, timber and small crops then took over. The Mary River has flooded the city centre many times, most recently and severely in 2022.

Getting to Gympie

Gympie is on the Bruce Highway, 170 kilometres north of Brisbane; a bypass now carries through traffic east of the city. Trains on the North Coast line stop at Gympie North, a few kilometres from the centre, and long-distance coaches call in. Maryborough is an hour north.