Bank of New South Wales (former)

The former Bank of New South Wales (NSW), built in 1891, now houses the Gympie Regional Council. The bank established its first branch in Gympie in 1867. As shallow mining declined, a need for more capital investments developed to finance deep reef mining from 1875. This proved to be lucrative during the early 1880s, and the wealth of Gympie grew. A disastrous fire in January 1891 led to the destruction of most of this block in Mary Street, including the original timber bank building. The rebuilding of upper Mary Street exemplifies the confidence in the wealth of Gympie mining at that time. The new Bank of NSW building, designed by Richard Gailey and constructed by local builder Thomas Kelly, was completed in August 1891 at a cost of 4000 pounds. The rendered masonry building comprised the ground floor banking chamber, a basement, and the manager’s residence on the upper floor. The bank built new premises on the corner of Mary and Smithfield Streets in 1940. The Widgee Shire Council purchased the building and commissioned architects Addison and McDonald to undertake changes to the building, creating council chambers and office space.