Land bought for new Gympie fire station

GYMPIE’S 74-year-old fire station will likely become obsolete in the near future after the State Government confirmed it had bought land for a new station.

The site of the new Gympie fire station. . Picture: Greg Miller

GYMPIE'S 74-year-old fire station will likely become obsolete in the next few years after the State Government confirmed this week it had bought land at Monkland for a new station.

The Golden Gate Motel on the southern outskirts of Gympie was recently bought for an undisclosed sum.

A spokesman for Police, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Jack Dempsey confirmed yesterday the site across the road from the new Madill's showroom had been bought as part of the State Government's strategic land acquisition for future growth in the Gympie area.

He said a confidentiality clause in the sale agreement prevented him from revealing any more details such as the price of the purchase, but that a new Gympie fire station was still at least several years away.

"We have set aside a lot of money this year for strategic land acquisitions so it probably won't be the last (purchase) in the Gympie area," he said.

A strategic review had yet to be done for the Gympie region which would identify if and when a new fire station was needed.

The collection of local fire memorabilia once housed at the Gympie fire station was relocated to the Gympie and District Historical Society museum earlier this year.

Retired firefighter Graham Alder had the presence of mind to save the artefacts and help restore one of the station's 1942 International fire trucks.

They have now been donated to the museum.

Mr Alder's efforts in collecting the pieces means that the museum will now have another string in its bow to attract tourists, but if the existing fire station become vacant in the future it could be the perfect site to house that memorabilia.