Mainly due to Queensland's three major gold mining centres - Gympie, Charters Towers and Mount Morgan - gold production contributed between 21.61 and 35.53 percent of Queensland's export income during the 1880s and 1890s.
The influx of money and the resultant yield of gold at Gympie were reflected in the redevelopment of upper Mary Street during the 1880s and 1890s with substantial commercial buildings such as banks and company secretary and brokers' offices.