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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.
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Photo
of early Gympie in the mining days
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The
Retort House - Photo
Greg Weir
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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.
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courtesy flicker.com
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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.
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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.
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Aerial
view of Laminex Industries - Photo
Greg Weir
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Water
skiing on Borumba Dam - Photo
Greg Weir
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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.
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