The town takes its name from the Imbil pastoral run which was named 1857 by the pastoralists Clement Francis Lawless and Paul Lawless. Imbil is a Kabi word referring to the bamboo vine, and is also used to refer to a lagoon below the Imbil station house. The town was established in 1868 at the start of the gold rush in the area. In 1887, of land were resumed from the Imbil pastoral run. The land was offered for selection for the establishment of small farms on 17 April 1887. The first Imbil post office opened on 9 July 1870 and closed in 1872. The second office opened in 1877 and closed in 1907. The third office opened by 1919. Imbil Provisional School opened on 19 July 1897. Due to fluctuating student numbers, it closed and reopened a number of times before closing in 1911. In 1915 it reopened as Imbil State School. On 30 January 1962 a secondary school section was added. On 30 November 2002 it was renamed Mary ValleyState College. The opening of the Mary Valley branch railway line in 1914 brought a second surge of development to the town. An Imbil Railway StationPost Office opened in 1917 and closed in 1920. Christ Church Anglican was dedicated on 28 May 1924 by the Most ReverendGerald Sharp. Its closure circa 2018 was approved by Bishop Jeremy Greaves. It is located at 88 Yabba Road. The Imbil Public Library building opened in 1987. The Imbil War Memorial is dedicated to those who served in World War II. It was dedicated on 11 November 1997 by the president of the Mary Valley Returned and Services League of Australia, Clive Colburn. At the, Imbil had a population of 942. In the, Imbil had a population of 924 people.
Mary Valley State College is a government primary and secondary school for boys and girls at 15 Edward Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 155 students with 17 teachers and 16 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education program.
Imbil is home to the annual Mary Valley Art Festival. The festival began in 2000. Viewing of entrants artwork is conducted at the Imbil public hall. The town is also home to the motor rally event, the International Rally of Queensland, a long running event on the Queensland and Australian Rally Championships. It was recently promoted to international standing as a round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Stages are held in surrounding forests and the show grounds are converted into the garage facilities for approximately 70 race cars over the course of the three-day event. It is now the longest running national level rally event in the country. The town is the home of the Mary Valley Stags Rugby League Club.
