May 3

May 3 Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum

When your legs are tired from climbing mountains and hiking and the weather isn’t conducive to hitting the beach, the Sunshine Coast region still has a few tricks up its sleeve.

One overcast day, we decided to head north to Gympie for something a little different. We planned to spend some time in the Gympie Gold Museum (after hitting up the markets right next door that are held on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday of each month for a coffee and a browse).

To give you a bit of background, Gympie has been touted as the "Town that saved Queensland from Bankruptcy". This is why we wanted to see a bit of the history behind this.

It all kicked off when James Nash discovered 72 ounces of Gold in just six days back in 1867. Today that would be worth just under $100,000.

With five hectares of land and displays in 15 buildings, you can definitely while away a morning or an afternoon here.

As you enter the first stop is where you can try your luck gold panning. We didn’t have any luck here but I sure had fun trying.

From there you will find a lot of mining relics and gem displays and even a fully-functioning steam-powered winding engine. While all cold and quiet on the day we visited, apparently they do fired this up on special occasions.

The other buildings in the museum range from old school houses to a blacksmith's shop and the displays include an old camera and movie room, a military museum, a railway display, a trophy room celebrating Gympie's sporting achievements, and a dairy display. Other attractions include horse-drawn equipment, a blacksmith and a 1931 Leyland bus.