Gympie
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Gympie Queensland |
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 Gympie
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| Coordinates | 26°11′S 152°40′E / 26.183°S 152.667°ECoordinates: 26°11′S 152°40′E / 26.183°S 152.667°E | ||||||
| Population | 20,810 (2015) | ||||||
| • Density | 300.29/km2 (777.7/sq mi) | ||||||
| Established | 1867 | ||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4570 | ||||||
| Area | 69.3 km2 (26.8 sq mi) (2011 urban) | ||||||
| Location | 160 km (99 mi) from Brisbane | ||||||
| LGA(s) | Gympie Region | ||||||
| State electorate(s) | Gympie | ||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Wide Bay | ||||||
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Gympie /ˈɡɪmpi/ is a regional town in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is about 160 kilometres (100 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River, which floods the town periodically. Gympie is the administrative centre for the Gympie Region area. At June 2015 Gympie had an estimated urban population of 20,810.
Gympie is famous for its gold field. It contains a number of historic buildings registered on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Gympie's name derives from the Kabi (the language of a tribe of Indigenous Australians that historically lived in the region) word gimpi-gimpi (which means "stinging tree"), which referred to Dendrocnide moroides. The tree has large, round leaves that have similar properties to stinging nettles. The town was previously named Nashville, after James Nash, who discovered gold in the area in 1867. The name was later changed to Gympie in 1868.
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 probably 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.
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