12 of the Best Things to do With Kids in Gympie and Nearby

We recently spent about six weeks house and pet sitting in the Gympie region. Here we share our top picks for things to do in Gympie with kids, from parks and hikes to museums, swimming holes, and more!

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Gympie Aquatic Centre

The Gympie Aquatic Centre is the ideal location to take the kids and cool off! It features a 50m outdoor pool, 25m indoor pool, kids splash area, and two tube slides.

The tube slides are similar to those at the Nambour Aquatic Centre. You need to be 120cm tall, and they’re only open on the weekends. The slides are an extra $7 per person, or all ages can have fun on the little (but fast!) slide in the splash park.

Nelson Reserve

Nelson Reserve is one of the best fun and free places to visit with the kids in Gympie. It’s home to the Gympie Youth Precinct and Skate Park, where they can zoom around on scooters or skateboards and also test their strength on the climbing walls.

I would love to see more climbing walls in parks; they’re such a fab addition.

The Apex Playground is also within Nelson Reserve. Although most of the equipment is better for younger kids, there are monkey bars and one or two other things the older ones might enjoy.

The best thing about the park is the big trees, which provide excellent shade. So if it’s too hot at the skate park, you can hang out in the playground until it cools down.

River to Rail Trail

If you’re after active and free things to do in Gympie, the River to Rail Trail is a lovely option.

This 7.6km out-and-back walk starts at Albert Park and follows the Mary River with nice greenery along the way. It’s mostly flat with a little bit of up and down and a few steps to keep it interesting.

Along the trail, you’ll pass Sands Creek (a canoeing and swimming area) and the Deep Creek gold fossicking area.

This part of the trail finishes at Brisbane Road, at which point you turn back and walk back to Albert Park. However, you can turn it into a loop if you choose, walking through Gympie’s streets.

We decided to stick to the nature trail, and the complete walk took us two hours. You could certainly walk it a bit faster. We tend to stop and capture photos and pat many passing dogs 😆

Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum

The Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum has a vast array of artifacts and old machinery to discover. It has many small buildings, each with a different focus.

Sit at the old school desks in the schoolhouse, marvel at the extensive collection of precious gems, and check out historical items at the post office and war museum.

The first building is dedicated to the area’s Gold Mining History. After reading about it (there are also a few interactive exhibits), you can head outside and try your hand at gold panning. If you find some, or any nice stones, you can take them home!

The museum also has a cafe attached and is next to Lake Alford if you’re looking for something to do afterwards. There’s also a really nice tree in the museum grounds that our kids loved climbing.

Lake Alford

Lake Alford is a gorgeous spot to take the kids to Gympie. There’s a massive array of birdlife to observe, and the fountains on the lake are a nice touch.

The paved pathway around the lake offers a nice, short walk and a place for kids to ride their scooters and blades.

The park has two playgrounds: a larger one and a smaller, fenced one. My kids managed to find plenty to keep them busy at the bigger playground.

Echelon Park

Echelon Park is a lovely, smaller-style playground in Jones Hill, Gympie. It’s shaded and quiet. The playground equipment is best for younger kids, but there are also paved pathways for scooters and roller blades.

Hike to the Boulder Mountain Summit

If you’re after things to do around Gympie and don’t mind getting a sweat up, the Boulder Mountain Summit hike is a must!

This was the first uphill hike I’ve taken Miss 6 on in a long while, and she did it! She now says it’s the worst hike she’s ever done, but I still hold out hope that this is the beginning of bigger outdoor adventures as a family 😆.

We got through it with snacks, eye spy, and their ‘sisters’ (companions you may have noticed travel many places with us) 🙂.

The hike starts from the Mothar Mountain Rock Pools car park, 17km Southeast of Gympie. It’s a 3.2km out-and-back trail with 360m of elevation gain. The peak lies at 496m, and the trail is easy to follow.

This hike is rated as hard and climbs steadily, with a steeper section for the last 300 metres. I didn’t need to scramble, but the little one did for the final section.

There is tree cover the whole way, making it doable on a hot day. Once you reach the top, you can take a few steps over to a rocky area to enjoy the views.

The complete walk took us 3 hours and 20 minutes, including our rest time at the top. An adult with decent fitness would likely complete it in 1.5-2 hours.

When you have finished, you can cool off at the rock pools at the bottom – my favourite type of hike!

Swim at the Mothar Mountain Rock Pools

The Mothar Mountain Rock Pools are a gorgeous spot for swimming near Gympie. It’s best to go after some decent rain to ensure the water is flowing and ideal for swimming.

There’s a large rock pool at the bottom, which you will see first. It’s shallow enough for an adult to stand up all the way around.

From the main pool, you can walk or rock hop upstream to discover other spots. It’s the perfect area to explore nature with kids.

The only downer was the March flies (horse flies). I seemed to be a target for them, getting bitten even through my rash shirt. It’s supposedly best to wear light coloured and loose clothing, of which I was wearing the opposite. I will know for next time😆.

We swam here after climbing Boulder Mountain. The hike and swimming area share the same car park, so it’s easy to combine the two.

Brooyar State Forest Lookout Points

If you’re looking for things to do in the Gympie area and enjoy excellent lookout points, head to the Brooyar State Forest, about 22km Northwest of Gympie.

After driving 6km up a gravel road, you’ll reach two lookout points, just along the road from each other.

The first one is the Eagles Nest Lookout, and the second is the Pure Point Lookout. Both offer fantastic vistas amid beautiful nature. They are also favourite spots for abseiling down the steep rock faces.

We visited the lookouts in the late morning and didn’t see anyone else there, but I’ve heard they’re popular locations at sunset. (Personally, I don’t think I would want to drive on that gravel road in the dark or with too many other cars around.)

Rainbow Beach

If you’re looking for things to do in the Gympie region, we highly recommend visiting Rainbow Beach. This place is a gem, just under an hour’s drive from Gympie. It’s also just a little further to Maryborough.

Rainbow Beach is named for its colourful sands, which are rich in mineral deposits. One of the other things it’s known for is the Carlo Sand Blow, which we didn’t even get to.

We did visit a smaller one, though, which you can walk to along the beach, leaving from the patrolled area. It’s such an amazing spot to walk up and run or sandboard down, plus the coastal views are spectacular.

We found that Rainbow Beach offered family-friendly swimming, with waves perfect for playing in. There are also two good playgrounds on the cliffs above the beach, and a small skatepark.

Don’t miss checking out the colourful rainbow steps that lead to the beach!

Finally, if you have a little time before or after your visit, the Seary’s Creek day use area looks fantastic. We didn’t have time to stop as we spent all our time at the beach. But I read reviews about crystal-clear swimming water in a beautiful natural spot.

We will visit next time for sure! The creek is on your left-hand side, about 7 minutes before reaching Rainbow Beach (on the road from Gympie).

Looking for a family-friendly tour from Rainbow Beach? This epic 3-hour kayaking and 4WD tour is perfect for adventurous families with kids aged six and older. Or, enjoy an all-inclusive day trip to K’gari (formerly Fraser Island), rated 4.8 stars from more than 3,000 reviews.

Things to do in Gympie with Kids | In Conclusion

As you now know, there are several fun things to do in Gympie with kids. There are a couple of additional attractions we didn’t get to see, which are on our list for next time:

• Take a ride on the Mary Valley Rattler, a gorgeous journey on a restored 1950s steam train
• Visit the Woodworks Museum

Gympie is only about an hour north of the Sunshine Coast, and even closer to many Hinterland attractions. If you’re planning to travel around, check out these recommended places to visit on the Sunshine Coast and in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland with kids.

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