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IMBIL - history
Original inhabitants
The original inhabitants of this area spoke a language named Kabi after the word they used for “no”. They became known as the Kabi Kabi tribe (pronounced Gubbi Gubbi).
The arrival of Europeans in the 1840s impacted badly on their food and water supplies and traditional social arrangements. During the 1850s and ‘60s their resistance was broken and by the time of the Gympie Gold Rush the survivors were either living and working on stations for the settlers, or pushed out into the remote swamps and forests of the Cooloola Region.
Imbil township
The town of Imbil was formerly part of Imbil Station, a cattle run originally squatted in 1850 by John D. Mactaggart.
Immigrants from Germany, Scotland, Ireland and England were the first European settlers in the Mary Valley.
Imbil began as a township in 1914 after land subdivision allowed closer settlement of the upper Mary Valley (Imbil and the Yabba Valley, Kenilworth, Brooloo, Kandanga, Amamoor) during the 1914-1920 period.
The opening of the Mary Valley Branch Railway extension from Kandanga to Brooloo in 1915 improved access to the area.
Economy
Cattle and timber have been the main components of the community’s economy, though in the 1950s pineapple farming and a small manganese mine contributed significantly to the local economy.
The agricultural (dairying) and the timber industry have always provided the base employment. The forestry was a critical national industry in the immediate post-war years, and in Imbil there was a boost in sawmill activity and employment and the construction of new mills.
Imbil State Forest became a place of employment for European refugees who were accepted into Australia. In 1948, the Queensland Government established a refugee camp for these "New Australians" near Imbil, at Derrier Creek. The refugee men became labourers in the forestry, planting hoop pine plantations.
The construction of Borumba Dam (1960-64) further increased the population of the town.
Imbil today
Continued investment in modern sawmills and the supporting forestry and trucking employment, means Imbil remains a milling town, with assured employment.
The growth of the Sunshine Coast and both tourism and recreation, has meant that this picturesque area, close to major urban areas, has become "The Bush Behind the Beach".
Proposed Traveston Crossing Dam
It is now more than 18 months since the Queensland Government announced the building of a mega-dam on the Mary River.
This proposed dam would be north of Imbil, but the impact of the storage at full capacity would raise levels in Yabba Creek, a tributary to the Mary, and the beautiful waterway which flows through this country town.
The dam is part of the Queensland Government’s water grid for the south-east corner of the State and is a major link in the strategy to “drought-proof” this area.
It has been heavily opposed by local residents, business and community, and international and national experts, who believe the inundation of such a rich valley should never occur.
The Mary River is home to the endangered Mary River Turtle and Mary River Cod, and also the Queensland Lungfish, and it provides water to one of the State’s biggest dairy farms, among other agricultural properties.
Damming this river would also damage the Great Sandy Strait and globally recognised Ramsar wetlands of Hervey Bay.
For more information visit www.savethemaryriver.com
Origin of place names - Imbil
Imbil-Imbil: A native name for a climbing vine, which contained water should a hunter or traveller need a drink.
Yabba: This word is a corruption of “Yapper” which was a native word for a currajong tree.
Bella - Supposition is that this was the name of an aboriginal chief's wife, Bella -Bella.
Borumba: This means a place of minnows in the kabi language. “Burum” was the name of the mountain
minnow (galazia) also called the jolly tail or eel-gudgeon. “Ba” in the English language usually means “place of”'.
Watawa: Means dingo. The aborigines used this name for the mountain overlooking Imbil, but when John Grainger lived at the base of it from 1898 to 1915 it became known as Mt Grainger. Mt Tilgal is the name for the highest peak on the opposite side of the Yabba Creek.
Diggings Road: This was probably the first road named in the Imbil area, as when gold strikes occurred in 1897, the area being dug was on either side of the road. When Imbil was surveyed and developed, the road leading from the Butcher's Shop corner out to Diggings Road was called Mellor Street. However this became Diggings Road because of natural usage of the old term.
Melawondi: This is the name of an aboriginal tribe from the Dawson River district. It was selected by the railway department when the Mary Valley Line was being planned.
Little Bella and Derrier Roads took their name from the creeks in their area. Rozynski, Rush, Dwyer, Ticknell, Kropp, Bundy, Ballard and Barsby were all farmers of the area.
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