Gymea is 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.

The Gymea Lily, Doryanthes excelsa is a 6 m tall perennial that is prevalent in the area.

The Gymea Lily has been adopted as a symbol of the area and features on the crest of many local organisations.

Development in the area has eradicated most of the lilies but many can still be found, a few kilometres south, in the Royal National Park.

Private buses, principally operated by U-Go Mobility also service the local area and provide school student transport.

Like many suburbs in the Sutherland Shire, Gymea maintains an active culture of youth sport and has well-established cricket, rugby league, swimming (Gymea Bay Amateur Swimming Club), football (Gymea United FC, which is currently the largest club in the Oceania region), and netball clubs.

Australian writer Scot McPhie named his podcast and collection of poetry published in 1999 'Gymea', after living near the suburb in the 1990s.