Map - Mount Nebo (New South Wales) (Mount Nebo)

Mount Nebo  (Mount Nebo)
Mount Nebo, a tall hill that is part of the Illawarra Range, is located in the foothills of the Illawarra escarpment on the edge of the suburban fringe of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. At 251 m above sea level, the hill is reached by the steep O'Brien's Road from the suburb of Figtree.

O'Brien's Road was built as a private toll road in the early 19th century to connect Sydney and the Illawarra. O'Briens Road began at the locally famous fig tree that gave the name to the suburb of Figtree. Views from the top look over Wollongong, Lake Illawarra and the local mountains. Nebo is the Aboriginal name for the hill, and the name was retained as in the case of Woonona Mountain and Mount Warrigal hill at Lake Illawarra.

In 1999 the council stopped vehicles from continuing from the summit due to illegal dumping, and the road has become a track to O'Brien's Gap and Mount Brisbane, at 469 m above sea level. However litter remains a problem.

The hill provides views of Mount Kembla and Mount Keira and is popular for photograph taking. It is connected to the Illawarra escarpment by Nebo Ridge. From the end of the trafficable part of O'Briens Road a short trail climbs to the summit area where, near television re-transmission towers and a water tank. From here the Illawarra Coastal Plain is visible, with the hills of Mount Mangerton, Mount Saint Thomas and Cobblers Hill visible amidst residential areas. To the southeast lies Saddleback Mountain, Noorinan Mountain and Barren Grounds Nature Reserve, Knights Hill, the southern escarpment and, most obviously, Mount Kembla and Kembla West.

The walking and bridle track goes from near the summit (a vegetated area east of the towers), down along Nebo Ridge, which rises to its own summit with views of Mount Keira, Mount Brisbane and the colliery below. A number of species of birds, snakes and plants are found here, as well as the problematic imported deer and Lantana. The track remains fairly consistent except for one section where it climbs very steeply up a 100 m hill before going along the side of Pupiana, an extension of Mount Brisbane. The track then makes its way past a waterfall, unused water pipes and a gate to Harry Graham Drive, a tourist route along the escarpment. From here it is a short walk to the Motocross Track and the Stafford's Farm Track.

The east and south sides of the hill have been encroached by residential development. The southwest slopes are taken up by agriculture and in the valley to the southwest is the Mount Nebo Colliery in the Kemira valley, the name comes from Mount Kembla and Mount Keira, two prominent local mountains. The track is used as a walking and jogging track and as a birdwatching site. The old road is crumbled in several sections, but this does not stop walkers.

 
Map - Mount Nebo  (Mount Nebo)
Country - Australia
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Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of 7617930 km2, Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country. Australia is the oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, with deserts in the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east, and mountain ranges in the south-east.

The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south east Asia approximately 65,000 years ago, during the last ice age. Arriving by sea, they settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuing artistic and religious traditions in the world. Australia's written history commenced with the European maritime exploration of Australia. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first known European to reach Australia, in 1606. In 1770, the British explorer James Cook mapped and claimed the east coast of Australia for Great Britain, and the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Sydney in 1788 to establish the penal colony of New South Wales. The European population grew in subsequent decades, and by the end of the 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and an additional five self-governing British colonies established. Democratic parliaments were gradually established through the 19th century, culminating with a vote for the federation of the six colonies and foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and wealthy market economy.
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