Gympie looks for ways to stay on map after Bruce Hwy Bypass opens

Business owners in Gympie’s CBD have banded together to reinvent and renourish the city, this time to protect it not from a natural disaster, but man-made change: the Bruce Hwy Bypass.

As the much anticipated $1 billion Gympie Bypass draws closer to its grand opening, the city’s businesses are grappling with which future they want – a thriving tourist gold mining town or remnants of a past forgotten?

Business owners, councillors, event planners and artists met Monday night to discuss the future of Gympie’s main street when heavy haulage traffic disappears and with it curious tourists and travellers.

The answer may lay bringing the past to the future.

CBD business leader Tony Goodman pointed to examples of what happened to some towns along the east coast when the Pacific Motorway was built around them.

“Some thrived and some disappeared,” Mr Goodman said.

$336m Tiaro Bypass ‘jeopardised’ by funding pipeline fears

Gympie's CBD Action Alliance met on Monday, November 6, 2023 to discuss the future prospects of the town after the Gympie Bypass opens. Picture: Christine Schindler

He used a clip from the movie Cars telling the story of Radiator Springs, which would bustle with activity as a main town on Route 66 in the United States, to emphasise the point,

The hustle and bustle quickly turned to empty shop fronts when a new highway bypassed the town, leaving it empty and bereft of life.

“Hope is not a strategy,” Mr Goodman said pointing out the need for a plan for the change.

Councillor Bruce Devereaux flagged the idea of merging heritage, commerce and tourism together, finding ways to ultimately turn Gympie into a living, breathing, commerce museum based on its gold mining heritage.

“It is kind of like mixing tourism, heritage and commerce together, so that they have all the funds to pay for the idea rather than relying on grants or government,” Mr Devereaux said.

Capitalising on its heritage, Gympie could become Queensland’s Sovereign Hill, a Victorian town hugely successful in turning its streets into a town set in the 1800s gold rush, a theme park without an entry ticket.

The main street is closed off to cars, and school re-enactments and business selling arts and crafts are reminiscent of the historic time.

“We’re not talking about doing something as big as that, it is just a small idea to get people thinking,” Mr Devereaux said.

“Instagrammable is just the way I say it, something that’s worth putting a photo up on social media is a great way of marketing our region.”

Sovereign Hill is a tourist favourite location in Ballarat with plenty to do.

While the idea was met with enthusiasm, more practical aspects were discussed.

These included where to start, the difficulty of getting all the businesses and property owners on board, and the expense of refurbishing heritage buildings, especially those with flood damage.

Visitor accommodation was another hurdle.

Mayor Glen Hartwig hoped investment into the region would mean those accommodation businesses would find the city a lucrative location.

He said his commitment to resurrect the old Gympie Eldorado Gold Mine would bring more prospects to the town, particularly if the mine offers underground tours.

Another idea, put forward by Yamba realtor Janzey Pratt, was to create a real estate or development foundation that could contribute or sponsor the maintenance of heritage shops.

This would mean the burden would not land on property owners or businesses, or hinge solely on the good will of the region.

“We need to focus on corporate sponsorship and go beyond government grants and community volunteers,” Ms Pratt said.

Small steps can lead to big dreams – but where to begin first?

Vote in our poll, or tell us in the comments below.

Originally published as Gympie looks for ways to stay on map after Bruce Hwy Bypass opens