Timber-getters used its rivers and lakes as seaways to float out logs of cedar, and prospectors climbed its mountains to reach the Gympie gold. With the coming of the railway line to Gympie, the coastal towns, which were founded as ports for the early river trade, were bypassed. The Sunshine Coast later grew into a holiday destination, which was further expanded in the development boom of the 1960s and 1970s.