Jericho

History

The first exploration by Europeans was by Major Thomas Mitchell who passed through the area in 1846. By the 1850s, settlers had moved in. The Jordan Creek/River (as it is variously known) was named after Harry Jordan, an early settler in the area. The town and locality name are derived from the railway station, which had been named Jericho in 1885 by railway surveyor and engineer Willoughby Hannam in a reference to the Biblical town of Jericho being to the west of the Jordan River, since it was the first station to the west of Jordan Creek. Jericho Post Office opened on 2 July 1885; a receiving office had been open from 1884. Jericho State School opened on 20 February 1888. Jericho Methodist Church opened in October 1930. It became the Jericho Uniting Church following the merger of many Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational churches into the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977, but closed subsequently and is now in private ownership. It was at 15 Davy Street (). In December 2010, half of the town's houses were inundated by floods. On 22 November 2019 the Queensland Government decided to amalgamate the localities in the Barcaldine Region, resulting in five expanded localities based on the larger towns: Alpha, Aramac, Barcaldine, Jericho and Muttaburra. Jericho was expanded to incorporate Dunrobin (all except the south-west corner), Garfield (all except the western corner), Grant (eastern corner), Hobartville (south-western part), Mexico, and Narbethong (north-east corner).

Geography

Jericho is in Central West Queensland. The town is centrally located in the south of its locality. The Capricorn Highway traverses the locality from west (Garfield/Mexico) to east (Hobartville/Mexico), passing through the town on Darwin Street. The Blackall–Jericho Road commences at the town and exits the locality via the south (Mexico). The Central Western railway passes through the town and locality, immediately to the south of the highway to the west of the town and immediately to the north of the highway to the east of the town. The town is served by the Jericho railway station on Darwin Street (). Lagoon Creek rises north of the town and exits the locality to the north-east (Garfield). Jordan Creek enters the locality from the south (Mexico), passes to the immediate east of the town and splits into two branches north of the town, both of which exit the locality to the north (Garfield). All of these watercourses become tributaries to the Alice River in Garfield and contribute to the Lake Eyre drainage basin. The principal land use outside of the town is grazing on native vegetation.

Most-observed species

• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  26
• White-plumed Honeyeater

  Ptilotula penicillata (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  25
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  24
• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  24
• Apostlebird

  Struthidea cinerea Gould, 1837 · Aves
  24
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  24
• Striated Pardalote

  Pardalotus striatus (Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  23
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  23