Yalboroo is on the Bruce Highway, about 71 kilometres (44 mi) north-west of Mackay. The highway and the North Coast railway line pass through from east to north-west on the same alignment. The town is centred on the former Yalboroo railway station, which is the location of a passing loop.[4]
A disconnected section of the Eungella National Park is in the south-east of the locality, while the west of the locality is within the Cathu State Forest which extends north into neighbouring Bloomsbury.[6]
The town takes its name from the Yalboroo railway station, which was named by the Queensland Railways Department on 7 August 1920. It is an Aboriginal word meaning happy.[2]