Jericho, Tasmania

Jericho is an historical village in the centre of Tasmania, Australia, located between Hobart and Launceston off the Midland Highway. Founded in 1816, it is one of the oldest townships in Australia.

Like its better known neighbour, Oatlands, the main road of Jericho contains many fine examples of early colonial sandstone architecture, and constructions including examples of convict cut culverts, bridges and walls, many of which date from the 1830s. The main Anglican church, St James (built in 1888 contains the grave of Trooper John Hutton Bisdee, who was the first Tasmanian to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

The most notable buildings in Jericho are the Commandant's Cottage (built in 1842) and the Probation Station (built in 1840), which was constructed to house the 200 convicts who were used to construct the road linking Hobart and Launceston. The land adjacent to the station was originally known as ‘Fourteen Tree Plain’ and was the site of the first horse race in the colony of Van Diemens Land, held in April 1826.

The town flourished for a time in the nineteenth century as a stage coach resting post, but declined in the twentieth century. Now bypassed by the Midland Highway, the state's main north-south highway, it is a sleepy village that retains its colonial charm and is part of Tasmania's Heritage Highway.

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