Longreach

History

Longreach lies within the traditional tribal lands of the Iningai people. Iningai (also known as Yiningay, Muttaburra, Tateburra, Yinangay, Yinangi) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Iningai people. The Iningai language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Longreach Region, particularly the towns of Longreach, Barcaldine, Muttaburra and Aramac as well as the properties of Bowen Downs and catchments of Cornish Creek and Alice River. Kuungkari (also known as Kungkari and Koonkerri) is a language of Western Queensland. The Kuungkari language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of Longreach Shire Council and Blackall-Tambo Shire Council. The first Europeans to enter the area were part of the expedition led by William Landsborough in 1862. This party initially tried to intimidate the resident Iningai by galloping their horses at them and shooting over their heads, but the Iningai were undeterred. Through an Aboriginal Native Police trooper named Jemmy who accompanied Landsborough and spoke the Iningai language, they were able to communicate with the Iningai and were told the geography of the region and shown the best roads to travel by. An Iningai man named Wittin acted as their guide. In 1862, the enormous Bowen Downs cattle station was established across the region by William Landsborough, Nathaniel Buchanan and Edward Cornish, with the financial backing of Robert Morehead and Matthew Young of the Scottish Australian Investment Company. In 1872, Bowen Downs was divided into two huge properties, the section along the Thomson River being named Mount Cornish, managed by Edward R. Edkins. An outstation of this Mount Cornish cattle station was called Longreach, because it was situated…

Geography

Longreach is in Central West Queensland, approximately from the coast, west of Rockhampton. The town is on the Tropic of Capricorn in the south-east of the locality. The town is named after the ‘long reach’ of the Thomson River on which it is situated. Lochern National Park is in the south-western part of the locality (formerly in Vergemont). The main industries of the area are cattle, sheep, and, more recently, tourism. The Landsborough Highway enters the locality from the south-east (Ilfracombe), passes through the town and then exits to the north-west (Corfield). The Central Western railway line takes the same route, the town being served by the Longreach railway station. The Thomson Developmental Road commences at the town and passes through the south-east of the locality (briefly passing through the westernmost part of Ilfracombe) before exiting to the south (Stonehenge). The main business street is called Eagle Street. Other streets honour Hudson Fysh, an Australian aviation pioneer, and Sir James Walker, a farmer and long-serving mayor of the former Longreach Shire Council.

Most-observed species

• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  414
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  376
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  376
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  330
• White-plumed Honeyeater

  Ptilotula penicillata (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  307
• Whistling Kite

  Haliastur sphenurus (Vieillot, 1818) · Aves
  273
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  267
• Yellow-throated Miner

  Manorina flavigula (Gould, 1840) · Aves
  259