Gympie

History

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. Gympie's name derives from the Gubbi Gubbi word gimpi-gimpi, which means "stinging tree" 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. The name was changed to Gympie in 1868, after a local species of tree was found, the Gimpie-Gimpie. 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 saved Queensland from bankruptcy. A memorial fountain in Gympie's Park honours Nash's discovery. 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. 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. 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. Gympie Creek Post Office opened on 1 December 1867. It was renamed Gympie in 1868. In…

Most-observed species

• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  969
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  937
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  850
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  843
• Australian Ibis

  Threskiornis molucca (Cuvier, 1829) · Aves
  822
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  812
• Lewin's Honeyeater

  Meliphaga lewinii (Swainson, 1837) · Aves
  697
• Noisy Miner

  Manorina melanocephala (Latham, 1801) · Aves
  697

Most recent

• M 4.9 — 2025-08-15
  12 km ESE of Cherbourg, Australia