Gympie Gold

Gympie Gold - Ian

‘Twas the early 1800’s and the word was passed around
That the California gold rush had begun,
And Australian freeman settlers soon were California bound
Joining many hapless convicts on the run.

They ranged up and down the horse trails of the new and vibrant land
Many found their wildest dreams had been fulfilled,
They experienced much hardship, scarcely had a helping hand
But a lucky few their fortunes then did build.

Now Australia is a country that can grip you by the heart
And the winners and the losers soon came back,
As they settled in it’s provinces to make a brand new start
They remembered well the California track.

California was a cousin to this sunburnt southern land
And its landscape was surprisingly the same,
So the returnees sought river beds with mining gear in hand
And on striking rich another gold rush came.

From the 1850’s onward numerous quantities of gold
Beckoned migrants to this lucky sunburnt land,
Of the exploits in Eureka many stories have been told
But most miners dredged up nothing more than sand.

Then a bank collapse in England caused Australian banks to close
And the local folk cried out in desperation,
When Nash discovered Gympie gold, a cry of joy arose
For his find was the salvation of the nation.

More people came to settle here, community ethos grew
And the tales those early settlers have told,
Have inspired great achievements as we from their spirit drew,
And we owe a lot of it to Gympie gold.


“© Ian Grice 2008”