Gympie is a town in Queensland, Australia. The city is built on the banks of the Mary River. It is about north of Brisbane. In 2011 there were 18,602 people living in Gympie. Gympie is named after the Aboriginal words "Gympie Gympie" or "Gimpi Gimpi", meaning the stinging tree. The town was first called Nashville, after James Nash who found gold there in 1867. In 1868 it became Gympie.