The story of Nash’s discovery is a typical rags to riches story of luck. Nash was so down on his luck at the time that he literally had nothing more than a dog, a pick and a panning dish. When his pick broke he walked to Maryborough (5o miles to the north) where, with an ounce of gold which he had panned, he bought rations and some more equipment. He returned to the Gympie area and within a week had 75 ounces of gold which he sold for £200. The rush was on. Tales of the early months in Gympie are typical of a wild mining town. Every night it was brawls and fights. The cause in nearly every case was beer and barmaids. Nash managed to make £7000 from the field.

Located 166 km north of Brisbane and 95 m above sea level, Gympie is one of those strange towns which stretches for miles and miles. Gympie is named after a local stinging tree which the local Aborigines reputedly called ‘gimpi gimpi’ and was officially named in 1868. At this time all that existed was a mining shanty town with tents, small stores and of course, liquor outlets.

As with all mining towns, Gympie grew quickly. Within months there were 25 000 people on the goldfields. Within a year a gold battery had been built. It was proclaimed a municipality in 1880, became a town a decade later and was a city by 1905. The railway arrived in 1881 and in 1888 it became one of the few towns in Australia to have its own stock exchange. The gold mining continued until 1925. The city then became the most important regional center for the area servicing the rich variety of agricultural activities which spread from the coast into the hinterland. In recent times with the increase in gold prices, the mine has reopened and whilst only produce small quantities, is financially viable.

Today Gympie is the center of the Mary River Valley agricultural district in which beef, dairy, pigs, tropical fruit and vegetables are produced. Tourism plays a major role in the local economy together with events such as the National Country Music Muster and the Heart of Gold International Film Festival. Gympie is also the central to many of the whale watching activities with whale watching cruises leaving Hervey Bay. Whales can also be seen from Rainbow Beach. Campers on Fraser Island ofyen wake up to the scene of many whales playing less than a mile off shore.

Gympie is where I call home. Picture below is part of the camping area at the National Country Music Muster. As you can see, one of the highlights of the muster is the rainfall and the muddy camp grounds. I don’t think there has been one Muster where it has not rained.