|
Cooloola Shire Information
Gympie, the administrative and population centre of Cooloola Shire was founded after the discovery of gold by James Nash in 1873.
Gold is still mined by Eldorado Gold Mining Company. The city is also home of a number of major companies such as: Nestlé Australia Limited, Nolan Meats Pty Ltd, J Smith & Sons, Laminex, Carter Holt Harvey and Hyne Timber.
The Cooloola Shire is very close to Brisbane, is well serviced by road and rail transport, and offers a choice of lifestyle, either beach or rural living. As can be seen above a diverse range of medium to large businesses have chosen Cooloola as their base, testimony to underlying strengths of the Shire.
COOLOOLA SHIRE INDUSTRIES
Timber & Timber Processing
Cooloola Shire is a major centre for the Queensland timber industry supplying 57.2% of Queensland’s pulpwood. 27.2% of Queensland’s total hardwood timber output is also produced.
The Shire is undergoing an exciting phase in the timber industry with many companies investing in new capital equipment which will add value to the timber processed. As the major regional centre for timber industry in Queensland it is ideally located for a timber processing cluster.
Tourism
Tourism in the Cooloola Region is underpinned by the Region's historical, environmental and wilderness attractions. Major attractions include, Gympie’s gold mining heritage, access to Fraser Island, coastal areas, including Rainbow Beach’s coloured sands, surfing boating and fishing, its’ National Parks and State Forests with drive and walking tracks, bird watching as well as the City of Gympie itself and the free hand feeding of dolphins in the wild at Tin Can Bay.
The Cooloola region is becoming increasingly popular as a tourist drive destination, primarily for the South East Queensland market that can take advantage of being within 1.5 hrs drive away. Tourists spend approximately $26 million in the local community per annum in the Cooloola Region.
Agriculture
Agriculture and agribusiness is an important part of the local economy with agriculture adding $60 million in gross value product. Major crops include dairy, beef, pineapples, French and runner beans and macadamia nuts.
Seafood
Hundreds of tonnes of seafood are produced out of the fishing port, Tin Can Bay. Seafood products include, scallops, prawns and crabs as well as finfish.
Beef and Dairy
Cattle studs and a fully operating sale yard operate near Gympie. Dairy has also been a traditional industry in the area.
COOLOOLA SHIRE INFRASTRUCTURE
Road
Businesses are extremely well serviced by the location of the National Highway One (Bruce Highway) which runs directly through Gympie. This offers a direct road link to Brisbane, major southern markets and international destinations via Australia’s Trade Coast as well as important Queensland population centres to the north.
Importantly the city falls inside two hours drive to Brisbane, this makes Gympie a very attractive operational base for producers of perishable goods.
In addition to this north south access, the Wide Bay highway links just north of Gympie and provides access inland to the South Burnett, Toowoomba and inland New South Wales.
Rail
Much of Cooloola’s produce is transported via electric rail from the QLink Depot which is located near the city centre. Passenger rail is serviced via Gympie North station. The tilt train (Queensland’s express passenger train) offers a daily service.
Air
The Gympie airport has some minor freight capacity, however Maroochydore Airport supports all major domestic commercial airlines and is only 85 kms away. Brisbane international airport is 150km from Gympie.
Telecommunications
A fully developed modern telecommunications network exists across the Shire. It is serviced by analogue, digital and CDMA telephone services. Broadband (ADSL at 1.5Mbps) is available in selected locations across the Shire. Internet access is provided by local companies at a local call rate.
Electricity
Energex is responsible for energy supply and businesses can negotiate with this organisation as to their particular requirements. Some innovative companies have invested, or are considering the potential for con-generation which can feed excess power back to the grid.
Gas
Domestically, gas is presently available in the region through bottles and tanker refilling, or by exchange gas bottles. Gas supply is available from major suppliers. Whist no reticulated gas system supplies Gympie currently, some options are under consideration.
Water
Reticulated water is available in Township areas throughout the Shire. The principal water source is the Mary River with Lake Borumba. The Cooloola Shire Council owns and operates Shire water treatment plants.
Industrial Estates
There are seven designated industrial estates for business and light industry in the Cooloola region. The zonings are generally for light industry except for the Brisbane Road Industrial Estate which is zoned for high-tech industries. Industrial land is also available at Rainbow Beach and Imbil.
For more information on Cooloola Shire, contact the Cooloola Regional Development Bureau on Ph: 07 5482 5444 or visit www.cooloola.org.au |
