Century-old sofa puts Gympie in the national spotlight

THE past has put Gympie on the map once more thanks to a century-old antique sofa which claimed the cover of Australia’s premiere collectables magazine this month.

November’s edition of Australiana is fronted by the Egyptian-style sofa which, defined by papyrus reed and lion’s feet legs, dates to the second quarter of the 19th century before the gold rush.

The neoclassic design originates from around the time of the discovery of Pompeii in 1748 before being imported to Australia.

It is part of a collection housed within the Gympie region; the owner wished to remain anonymous.

Council heritage portfolio holder Bob Fredman says Gympie is rife with historical collections, and it should surprise no-one such an historical piece of furniture like the sofa has its home here.

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Gympie region councillor and heritage portfolio holder Bob Fredman said it was not a surprise such an iconic piece of Australian history had its home in Gympie.

“From kerosene lamps to guns, bicycles to Falcon GTs, a great collection of train memorabilia … there are some pretty serious collections in the region,” Mr Fredman said.

This was on top of there being no less than four museums running in the region

“We’ve got as many museums per 1000 people as anywhere else,” Mr Fredman said.

The quarterly Australiana magazine has been in publication since 1978.