Gympie

{{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox Australian place

Gympie (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell)<ref>Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. Template:ISBN</ref> is a city and a locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia.<ref name=qpnt>Template:Cite QPN</ref><ref name=qpnl>Template:Cite QPN</ref> Located in the Greater Sunshine Coast,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Gympie is about Template:Convert north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River, which floods Gympie occasionally. The locality of Gympie is the central business district for the city of Gympie and also the administrative centre for the Gympie Region local government area. In the Template:CensusAU, Gympie had an urban population of 22,424 people.<ref name=Census2021SUA/>

Gympie is famous for its gold field.<ref name="ewg">Template:Cite book</ref> It contains a number of historic buildings registered on the Queensland Heritage Register.

HistoryEdit

File:Plan of Leases and Claims on the Deep Lead, Gympie, 1869.jpg

Gold mining leases and claims on the Deep Lead, 1869

File:Gympie Hospital, 1891.png

Gympie Hospital, 1891

Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi, Cabbee, Carbi, Gabi Gabi) is an Australian Aboriginal language formerly spoken by the indigenous peoples of the Sunshine Coast Region and Gympie Region, particularly the towns of Caloundra, Noosa Heads, Gympie and extending north towards Maryborough and south to Caboolture.<ref>Template:Cite SLQ-CC-BY</ref>

Gympie's name derives from the Gubbi Gubbi word gimpi-gimpi, which means "stinging tree"<ref name="his1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and refers to Dendrocnide moroides. The tree has large, round leaves that have similar properties to stinging nettles. The city was previously named Nashville, after James Nash, who discovered gold in the area in 1867.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The name was changed to Gympie in 1868.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Graziers were the original European settlers. Subsequently, James Nash reported the discovery of "payable" alluvial gold on 16 October 1867.<ref name="adbnash">Stoodley, June. Nash, James (1834–1913) Template:Webarchive. Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography. Australian National University.</ref> At the time of Nash's discovery, Queensland was suffering from a severe economic depression. Nash saved Queensland from bankruptcy. A memorial fountain in Gympie's Park honours Nash's discovery.<ref name="adbnash" /> The Gympie Gold Rush Festival celebrates the event today. The Gold Rush Festival holds 10 days of cultural events in October.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> 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.<ref name="heritage" />

Nashville Masonic Lodge opened on 24 March 1869 in Duke Street. The first Master was Edward Henry King, the first goldfield commissioner in Gympie. The lodge later relocated and is now known as Pioneer Lodge, while the Duke Street site became the offices of the Shire of Woocoo.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

File:StateLibQld 1 231369 View of Gympie's streets, ca. 1925.jpg

Lower Mary Street, Template:Circa

In 1882, a handful of macadamia seeds was taken from trees in Gympie to Hawaii, where they became the basis of Hawaii's macadamia industry.<ref name="TG-20201212">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2019, researchers collected samples from hundreds of macadamia trees in Queensland, and compared their genetic profiles to samples from Hawaiian orchards. They determined that essentially all the Hawaiian trees must have descended from a small population of Australian trees from Gympie, possibly just a single tree.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Gympie Creek Post Office opened on 1 December 1867. It was renamed Gympie in 1868.<ref name="Post Office">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1868, a slab hut was built behind the Northumberland Hotel and called the Miner's Bethel. This hut was used to hold religious services by the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and Methodist Church until each had established its own church.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>

A Primitive Methodist Church opened on the diggings at Gympie Creek circa July 1868. It was claimed to be the first church in Gympie.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A new Primitive Methodist Church was opened on Commissioner's Hill on Sunday 30 July 1876.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Commissioners Hill is described as being from the post office in Duke Street to the corner of Channon and Henry Streets.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

A Catholic primary school was established in 1868 by Father. M Horan under lay administration, and was taken over by the Sisters of Mercy in 1880, becoming St Patrick's Catholic Primary School.<ref name="qfhs" />

In August 1868, Wesleyan Methodists erected a bark hut of pole construction on Surface Hill to use as a basic chapel. It was replaced by a more permanent timber church on the same site facing Reef Street, which opened on Sunday 4 July 1869. The architect was Charles G. Smith and the builder was John Nesbit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1890 a brick church was built on the site facing Channon Street and became the Surface Hill Uniting Church (Template:Coord).<ref name="qhr">Template:Cite QHR</ref>

A Presbyterian Church opened on One Mile Road at One Mile on Sunday 8 November 1868.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1868, a Cobb & Co. service between Brisbane and Gympie commenced, running twice a week. The changing station stables were located adjacent to the Northumberland Hotel in Channon Street.<ref>Template:Cite SLQ-CC-BY</ref>

In 1869, the Church of England constructed a timber church on the corner of Palantine and School Streets; the first rector was Reverend Henry Jephson Campbell. It was known as the Church of St Peter. This church became the parish hall when a second church was built in Lady Mary Terrace in 1887. This was then superseded by the third and current church, built in brick, on the corner of Lady Mary Terrace and Amy Street (Template:Coord).<ref name=":0" />

One Mile State School was the first school opened in Gympie on 20 September 1869 as One Mile Boys State School with the One Mile Girls and Infants State School opening in October 1874. In January 1943, they were merged into One Mile State School.<ref name="qfhs">Template:Citation</ref>

Gympie Central Boys State School opened on 18 October 1869 with Gympie Central Girls and Infants State School opening in 1874. In 1899, the Girls and Infants School was separated to become Gympie Central Girls State School and Gympie Central Infants State School. They were amalgamated again in 1912 to become Gympie Central Girls and Infants State School. They were separated again in 1944 re-establishing Gympie Central Infants State School while amalgamating the girls' school with the boys' school to become Gympie Central State School. In 1963, the infants' school amalgamated into Gympie Central State School.<ref name="qfhs" /><ref name="qs">Template:Cite QldSchool</ref>

In January 1870, tenders were called for the erection of a Roman Catholic Church.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The railway from Maryborough was completed in 1881.<ref name="heritage">Template:Cite book</ref> The North Coast railway linked Gympie to Brisbane in 1891.<ref name="heritage"/>

St Andrew's Anglican Church was first established at Mount Pleasant/One Mile in 1876.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It closed around 1968.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As at 2019, the church building no longer exists, but the rectory in Graham Street had become a private home. In 2020, this was relocated to Gympie and opened on 29 January 1902.<ref name="qs" />The state declared Gympie a town in 1903.Template:Citation needed

Little Flower School was opened in 1904 by the Christian Brothers as a secondary school for boys. It was later renamed Sacred Heart Memorial College. It closed in 1982 when it was amalgamated with St Patrick's Catholic Secondary School for Girls to create St Patrick's Catholic College.<ref name="qfhs" />

Gympie South State School opened on 4 July 1910.<ref name="qs" />

Gympie State High School opened on 29 January 1912.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This school is one of the oldest state secondary schools in Queensland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

St Patrick's College in Gympie opened on 30 December 1916.<ref name="qs" />

St Patrick's Catholic Secondary School for Girls opened on 1917. In 1983, it merged with the Sacred Heart Memorial College to become St Patrick's Catholic College.<ref name="qfhs" />

A powdered milk factory began operations in 1953.Template:Citation needed

Gympie West State School opened on 28 January 1958.<ref name="qs" />

Gympie East State School opened on 25 January 1965.<ref name="qs" />

Gympie Special School opened in January 1972.<ref name="qfhs" />

James Nash State High School opened on 24 January 1977.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="qs" />

The Christian Family College opened on 1 February 1983 and closed on 24 January 1988.<ref name="qfhs" />

FloodingEdit

File:The Gympie flood, June 19 1873 - 31256978480.jpg

The 1873 Gympie flood

Significant floods along the Mary River have caused inundations of the city in 1870, 1873, 1893, 1955, 1968, 1974, 1989, 1992, 1999, 2011,<ref name="bommajflood">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 2013, and 2022. The first recorded flood in Gympie was in 1870. Most of the floods occur between December and April and are typically caused by heavy rainfall in the headwaters to the south.<ref name="mmq" />

The highest flood ever recorded in Gympie occurred on 2 February 1893, when the river peaked at Template:Convert.<ref name="mmq">Template:Cite news</ref> Gympie was declared a natural disaster area during the 1999 floods.<ref name="qfc">Template:Cite news</ref> The river peaked at Template:Convert then. On the 27 February 2022 the river peaked at 22.96 m, superseding the 1999 flood record by over a metre.

Numerous highways and roads in and around the city, which were destroyed or damaged during floods in 2011, were repaired under Operation Queenslander,<ref name="rfr">Template:Cite news</ref> the name given to post-flood reconstruction efforts in Queensland.

In March 2012, the Gympie Regional Council decided to spend about $30,000 for a cost-benefit analysis on flood mitigation measures.<ref name="staf">Template:Cite news</ref> Major flooding also occurred in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

DemographicsEdit

In the Template:CensusAU, Gympie had an urban population of 20,966 people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.9% of the population; 82.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most-common countries of birth were England 2.6%, New Zealand 1.9%, and the Philippines 0.6%. About 89.6% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were no religion 30.1%, Catholic 16.8%, and Anglican 15.6%.<ref name=Census2016SUA>Template:Census 2016 AUS File:CC-BY icon.svg Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Template:Webarchive.</ref>

In the Template:CensusAU, Gympie had an urban population of 22,424 people.<ref name=Census2021SUA>Template:Census 2021 AUS</ref>

Heritage listingsEdit

File:Gympie Court House.jpg

Gympie Court House, 2012

Gympie has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Monkland State School Residence, Brisbane Road<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Gympie Town Hall, 2 Caledonian Hill<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Gympie Court House, Channon Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Old Gympie Post Office, Channon Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Surface Hill Uniting Church, Channon Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Gympie Lands Office, 26 Channon Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
former Queensland National Bank, corner of Channon Street and Nash Streets<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
St Patricks Church, Church Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
former Gympie Ambulance Station, 17 Crown Road<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Gympie State High School buildings, 1 Everson Road (Template:Coord)<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Gympie and Widgee War Memorial Gates, Mary Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
former Royal Bank of Queensland, 199 Mary Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
former Crawford and Co Building, 216 Mary Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Tozer's Building, 218 Mary Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Smithfield Chambers, 235 Mary Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
former Australian Joint Stock Bank and former Gympie Stock Exchange, 236 Mary Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
former Bank of New South Wales, 242 Mary Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Gympie School of Arts, 39 Nash Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Gympie Memorial Park, River Road:<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Railway Hotel, 1 Station Road<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
Gympie railway station, Tozer Street<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>

ClimateEdit

Gympie experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with hot, rainy summers and mild, dry winters with cool nights. Annual rainfall averages around Template:Convert, with a summer maximum. Extreme temperatures have ranged from Template:Convert on 20 July 2007 to Template:Convert on 4 January 2014.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Weather box

AttractionsEdit

File:Rattler Hero 1.jpg

The Mary Valley Rattler C17 Locomotive 967

The Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum houses memorabilia from the early gold mining era, as well as displays showcasing military, rural, transport, communications, and steam development in Australia. The WoodWorks Museum provides an insight into the timber industry and social history of yesteryear through displays and demonstrations. Features include a large selection of pioneering hand tools, a 1925 Republic truck, bullock wagons, and a blacksmith shop.Template:Citation needed

The Valley Rattler steam train is a tourist train that began operations in 1996. It follows the Mary River through the forests and plantations of the Mary Valley to Amamoor.<ref name="qpmv">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The train departs and returns to the Old Gympie Railway Station in Tozer Street, an original railway station from the 1900s gold rush.Template:Citation needed

Approximately Template:Convert south of Gympie, the town of Amamoor hosts the annual Gympie Music Muster. It is held over six days and nights in August in the Amamoor Forest Reserve.<ref name="asf">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The muster is the largest outdoor country music festival in Australia.Template:Cn

Gympie's Mary St offers a wide array of bars, cafes, and shops with 19th-century Victorian architecture. The historic Railway Hotel was built in 1915 and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.<ref name="poh">Template:Cite news</ref> The Gympie Town Hall Reserve Complex, built in 1890, was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2011.<ref name="shl">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Mothar Mountain Speedway is Gympie's local speedway track. With a history spanning over 50 years, its most well-known feature is the unique right-hand kink. The venue hosts a variety of classes, including SSA Modified Sedans, SSA Super Sedans, SSA Junior Sedans, SSA Production Sedans, SSA Street Stocks, Modlites, and Late Models.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The speedway has hosted the Australian title for SSA Production Sedans in 2014, and was scheduled to host the Australian titles for Modlites and SSA Super Sedans in April 2023.<ref name="Mothar Mountain Speedway Calendar">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The annual Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival is held in Gympie in March.

About Template:Convert south-east of Gympie, Woondum National Park provides access to subtropical rainforest, creeks, and granite outcrops.<ref name="wnp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Facilities include picnic tables, barbecues, firewood, fresh water, amenities, and bush-walking tracks. Access is by dirt road, and a high-clearance vehicle is recommended.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

About 30 minutes' drive east of Gympie is Tin Can Bay, where one can hand-feed Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphins. The feeding is regulated for the protection of the dolphins.Template:Citation needed

Gympie and the surrounding area are part of the Great Sandy Biosphere Reserve, listed by UNESCO as a world conservation site.Template:Citation needed

Gympie Cemetery crawls are run by the Gympie Family History Society.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Participants learn about the town's pioneering families.Template:Citation needed

EducationEdit

Gympie Central State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Lawrence Street (Template:Coord).<ref name="SchoolList2018">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 235 students with 18 teachers (16 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).<ref name="ACARA2018">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Gympie West State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at 41 Cartwright Road (Template:Coord).<ref name=SchoolList2018/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 524 students with 45 teachers (38 full-time equivalent) and 45 non-teaching staff (26 full-time equivalent).<ref name=ACARA2018/>

One Mile State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at John Street (Template:Coord).<ref name=SchoolList2018/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 421 students with 37 teachers (32 full-time equivalent) and 18 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent).<ref name=ACARA2018/>

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 18-26 Church Street (Template:Coord).<ref name=SchoolList2018/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 308 students with 21 teachers (19 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent).<ref name=ACARA2018/>

Gympie Special School is a special primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 52 Cootharaba Road (Template:Coord).<ref name="SchoolList2018" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 57 students with 19 teachers (15 full-time equivalent) and 26 non-teaching staff (15 full-time equivalent).<ref name="ACARA2018" />

Gympie State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at 2 Everson Road (Template:Coord).<ref name="SchoolList2018" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,016 students with 93 teachers (86 full-time equivalent) and 51 non-teaching staff (40 full-time equivalent).<ref name="ACARA2018" />

File:James Nash State High School, 2025 01.jpg

James Nash State High School, 2025

File:James Nash State High School, 2025 02.jpg

James Nash State High School, 2025

James Nash State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at 109 Myall Street (Template:Coord).<ref name="SchoolList2018" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,219 students with 113 teachers (105 full-time equivalent) and 52 non-teaching staff (41 full-time equivalent).<ref name="ACARA2018" />

St Patrick's College is a Catholic secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at Church Street (Template:Coord).<ref name=SchoolList2018/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 417 students with 35 teachers (34 full-time equivalent) and 21 non-teaching staff (15 full-time equivalent).<ref name=ACARA2018/>

Gympie Flexible Learning Centre is a Catholic secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at 30 Everson Road (Template:Coord).<ref name=SchoolList2018/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 89 students with 8 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent).<ref name=ACARA2018/>

Gympie is home to one campus of the Wide Bay Institute of TAFE located on Cartwright Road.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) has a campus in Gympie located on Cartwright Road. This campus offers undergraduate study in primary education, nursing, business, and commerce.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

AmenitiesEdit

The Gympie Regional Council operates a public library at 8–14 Mellor Street.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It opened in 1995.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Gympie branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the St Johns Ambulance Rooms at 20 Apollonian Vale.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Gympie Regional Uniting Church is at 15-17 Red Hill Road (Template:Coord).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is part of the Mary Burnett Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Gympie Wesleyan Methodist Church is at 70 Exhibition Road, Southside (Template:Coord). It is part of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Two lawn bowls clubs are in Gympie:

Gympie Bowls Club, 16 Bowlers Drive<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Albert Bowls Club, River Road<ref name=":1" />

TransportEdit

Road connection to Gympie is via the Bruce Highway. Rail connects via QR's North Coast railway line, which is served by daily Queensland Rail Citytrain network services to Brisbane and Traveltrain services for long distances. Few public buses operate in Gympie and automobiles are the main mode of transportation.Template:Citation needed

Gympie Airport is a small local airport located to the south of the city. It has general aviation, recreational aviation, and gliding communities. The nearest domestic airport is Sunshine Coast Airport, and the closest international airport is Brisbane Airport.Template:Citation needed

GovernanceEdit

Eight councilors are elected to the Gympie Region local government area.<ref name="rfc">Template:Cite news</ref>

The electoral district of Gympie in the state legislature was created in 1873 and includes Tin Can Bay, Rainbow Beach, Cooran, Pomona, and parts of the Mary Valley.<ref name="loe"/> In 1893, Andrew Fisher was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as Labor member for Gympie and went on to become the fifth Prime Minister of Australia.<ref name="loe"/> Gympie's seat was eliminated in 1950 but restored in 1960.<ref name="loe"/> Since 1960, it has been considered a safe State Liberal-National seat having been won by the Country or National Party every election except for a brief period in the early 2000s.<ref name="loe">Template:Cite news</ref> (It was held from 2002 to 2006 by Elisa Roberts, first as a member of the One Nation party and then as an independent, before returning to the National Party with the election of David Gibson.)<ref name="loe"/>

Since 2015, Tony Perrett of the Liberal National Party is the member for Gympie in the Queensland Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Traveston Crossing DamEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

The Queensland government had plans to build a dam on the Mary River at Traveston Crossing, about Template:Convert south of Gympie, arguing that the geology is sound and that the South East Queensland region needed greater water security due to climate change and population growth.<ref name="ppnmww">Template:Cite news</ref> The project was scrapped in 2010.

The proposed dam would have flooded about 900 properties. The affected land owners and other shire residents staged rallies protesting the proposed dam. Strong opposition to the dam from the wider and international community based on environmental concerns related to the endangered Mary River cod, Mary River turtle, giant barred frog, Cascade tree frog, and Coxen's fig parrot and the vulnerable Queensland lungfish, tusked frog, honey blue-eye fish, Richmond birdwing butterfly, and Illidge's ant blue butterfly finally shut down the project.

Notable peopleEdit

Template:Div col

The Amity Affliction – metalcore band
John Francis (Frank) Barnes – politician
John O'Connell Bligh – Native Police Commandant
Allan Boase – Australian Army Lieutenant General<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Henry Ernest Boote – writer
Glen Boss – jockey<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Archie Bradley – boxer
Jimmy Downey – football player
Thomas Dunstan – politician<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Hugo William Du Rietz – gold miner, architect
Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui – NRL Rugby League Player
Tino Fa'asuamaleaui – NRL Rugby League Player
Andrew Fisher – Australian Prime Minister
John Flood – Fenian and newspaperman
Sir Thomas William Glasgow – Australian Army Major General
Kaden Groves – professional cyclist
Darren Hanlon – musician
Peter Hanlon – sports writer
Kenneth Hayne – Supreme Court Justice
Trevor Housley – Postmaster-General
Angus Finlay Hutton – naturalist
Thelma Keane – businesswoman
Lachlan Keeffe – AFL player
James Kidgell – politician
Tracey Lewis – Paralympic swimmer
George Mackay – politician
Barry McTaggart – rugby player
Mathew Mellor – politician
James Nash – prospector
Francis Isidore Power – politician
Gregory Charles Rivers – actor
Marjorie Roche – Red Cross nurse
Christopher Scott – Paralympic cyclist<ref>– cyclist{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation