The historic Nebo Hotel

The day after New Year’s Day we decided to risk a drive out to Nebo – which I may have mentioned before in conjunction with the only petrol station between Mackay and Moranbah. Nebo is about an hours drive away and has quite a few historic sites to see, and some walks so we thought we’d take a look.
The first European to travel through this area was Ludwig Leichhardt in 1845, and then William Lansborough in 1856 who named Nebo creek. The town was surveyed in 1865 and originally called Fort Cooper (after the mountain nearby) but in 1923 by popular demand (!) the name was changed to Nebo after the creek. The main production here used to be dominated by sheep, but then they found the area more suitable to cattle. Apparently, a horse bred in Nebo became one of King George V’s favourite chargers (recognised from the brand on its shoulder)!
Five aborigine tribes used to dominate the area, each tribe averaging 500 people. Now, the population is mainly from mining and cattle workers.
Unfortunately, a lot of the attractions were shut when we got there due to it being a public holiday, but we did get to have a drink at the hotel. Nebo hotel was originally Fort Cooper Hotel (due to name change described above). It was built in the 1860’s and still maintains the original structure.