Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum


Useful Information

Location: Gympie
Open: All year daily 9-16.
Closed Good Friday, 25-DEC.
[2010]
Fee: Adults AUD 8.80, Primary School Students AUD 3.30, Pre-School Children free, Students AUD 4.40, Family (2+2) AUD 24, Concessions AUD 6.60.
Groups (+): Adults AUD 6.60, School Pupils (3-18) AUD 2.20.
[2010]
Classification: MineGold Mine
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography: Robyn Besley (1977): The Gold of Gympie, Queensland Government Mining Journal, vol. 78, no. 914, December 1977, pp. 605-08.
Ian G. Carnell (1976): A History of Gympie 1867-1900, BA Thesis, University of Queensland, 1976.
A.K. Denmead (1987): The history of the Gympie goldfield, Geological Society of Australia, Queensland Division, Field Conference, Proceedings, 1987, pp. 78-79.
Hector Holthouse (1973): Gympie Gold, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1973.
Aleck J. Ivimey (1887): The Gympie gold mining handbook, Muir and Morcom, Brisbane, 1887.
Arthur Laurie (1963): The drama and romance of the Gympie goldfields, Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland, vol. 7, 1963-64, pp. 105-16.
William Lees (1899): The Goldfields of Queensland: Gympie goldfield, 1868-1898, 1899.
Paul D. Wilson (1980): James Nash and the Gympie goldfields, John Oxley Journal, vol. 1, no. 8, 1980, p. 16.
Address: Gympie Gold Mining & Historical Museum, 215 Brisbane Road, Gympie, QLD, Tel: +61-7-5482-3995, Fax: +61-7-5482-5686. E-mail: contact
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1867 gold discovered by James Nash.

Geology


Description

The Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum is somewher between a show mine and a museum. Although there is no underground tour, it is not simply a mining museum. It is a museum located at a former mine showing the impressive surface buildings of the mine, the former No2 South Great Eastern Mine. The museum site is actually a 5 hectares park with 15 major buildings. There are 30 display areas, a café and a souvenir shop. The museum houses memorabilia from the early gold mining era, military, rural, transport, communications and steam development in Australia.

Some of the highlights of the exhibition are the still operational authentic steam winding engine, compound air compressor and generator. The 5th Light Horse Regimental Military Museum houses an award winning collection of military equipment and memorabilia of locals who went to the military. The Andrew Fisher House is named after Australia's first Labour Prime Minister (*1910-✝1915) who lived here with his Family. The Tank is the main building of the museum, originally a water reservoir constructed in 1902, it was opened as a historical Museum in 1970.

Gold mining started at Gympie almost 150 years ago, in 1867 with the first discovery of gold by James Nash. It ended lately, when the Gympie Eldorado Goldmine was closed. Some years ago it produced 50,000 ounces of gold per year.