Gympie: Gold Rush Heritage Town on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland

Gympie is a friendly country service centre and community in the heart of  the Sunshine Coast hinterland. It is located on the banks of the Mary River, about 160 km north Brisbane, the Brisbane Airport and the Gold Coast. Gympie is the heritage centre and cultural hub of the Cooloola Region and the amicable community welcomes tourists. The town features a fine heritage tradition but has up to date conveniences and grest facilities for tourists. The Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum showcases a wonderful range of memorabilia from the early gold mining era, as well as exhibitions about country life, transport, showcasing military, communications and the way the river was part of the development of the region. Gympie is known  as 'Town that Saved Queensland', Gympie's fascinating heritage started in 1867 with the discovery of gold by prospector James Nash at the location now used by the Town Hall.

In the middle 1800s, the colony of Queensland was opposite bankruptcy initiated by drought. Nash journeyed down the Mary River over 5 days from Maryborough and accumulated more than 75 ounces of gold in 6 days, producing his fortune. This triggered the Gympie Gold Rush that kept the Queensland finances and permitted the colony to survive.The WoodWorks Museum showcases annals of the timber commerce and the communal annals of the area. The Valley Rattler vapour train presents a stunning trains excursion through the valley starting at the Old Gympie Railway Station. The Mary Valley has a spectacular countryside of revolving green pastures and numerous attractive rainforest remnants.

There's a wide variety of attractions and activites in Gympie for the whole family.

The hills are covered with a patchwork of macadamia nuts, pineapples and other tropical crops. The little township at Amamoor hosts the well renowned National Country Music Muster every August. The Muster, held over six days and nights in the Amamoor Forest Reserve, is the largest outdoor carnival for country music held in Australia. Gympie's Mary St boasts a broad array of taverns, bars, bistros, cafes, and diverse shops with spectacular 19th Century Victorian architecture. Gympie is furthermore dwelling to the Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival in March. The carnival, held over 5 magnificent days is full of joy, inspiration, creativity and magnificent ideas.

You can stay in the magnificant range of beachfront holiday accommodation in the Sunshine Coast.

There are many attractions in the area including:

• The Valley Rattler - a historic steam train that journeys down the Mary River Valley beginning at the historic Old Gympie Railway Station
  

• The charming Mary River Valley which features the villages of Dagun, Amamoor, Kandanga and Imbil.

• The Gympie Town Centre features many historic building, bars, restaurants, cafes, and arts and craft outlets and antique stores.

• Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival

• The Annual Country Music Muster.

• The Mary River has unique fauna including the Mary River Turtle, the Mary River Cod and the Australian Lungfish