Nebo, Queensland

Nebo is a small town and locality in the Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia, located 100km south-west of the city of Mackay on the Peak Downs Highway. In the 2011 census, Nebo had a population of 840 people.EconomyThe local economy has traditionally relied on coal-mining as it plays a significant role in the local economy, with eleven coal mines located in the Nebo district.HistoryThe district was named by explorer William Landsborough, after the Babylonian god Nabu (Hebrew: Nebo). Although the name Nebo was widely used for the town, the official name was Fort Cooper until it was eventually changed to Nebo in 1923. Fort Cooper was utilised as a Native Police barracks from 1862 until 1878 from which many punitive expeditions were conducted Officers such as Robert Johnstone were deployed to this post and their efficiency in forcing local Aboriginals into submission were appreciated by the local residents and squatters.Pastoralists settled in the Nebo region as early as the 1860s. The Nebo Post Office opened on 1 January 1864.The Nebo Court of Petty Sessions opened on 29 January 1866. The Nebo Small Debts Court opened on 31 December 1867. Following the Magistrates Courts Act 1921, the Small Debts Court became the Nebo Magistrates Court on 3 April 1922. On 31 December 1964, the Court of Petty Sessions was absorbed into the Magistrates Court. The Magistrates Court closed on 20 December 1990.