Loading AI tools
Town in Queensland, Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
El Arish is a rural town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.[3][4] In the 2021 census, the locality of El Arish had a population of 337 people.[1]
| El Arish Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 El Arish Tavern, 2016 | |||||||||||||||
  El Arish | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 17.8038°S 146.0055°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 337 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 47.5/km2 (122.9/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1921 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4855 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 20 m (66 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 7.1 km2 (2.7 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Cassowary Coast Region | ||||||||||||||
| County | County of Nares | ||||||||||||||
| Parish | Parish of Hull[2] | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Hill | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
The Bruce Highway enters the locality from the south (Maadi / Friday Pocket) and passes immediately east of the town and exits the locality to the north-east (Daveson).[5]
The North Coast railway line enters the locality from the south-west (Maadi), passes immediately to the west of the town and exits the locality to the north (Jaffa / Daveson).[5] The town is served by the El Arish railway station (17.8094°S 146.0016°E) but its railway station building has now been repurposed as a museum.[6][7] The now-abandoned Quatia railway station (17.7944°S 146.0056°E) served the north of the locality and is the source of the name of the Quatia neighbourhood (17.8°S 146.0000°E).[6]
The town was named in 1921 after the city of Arish in Egypt where the Australian Light Horse saw action in December 1916 and which was later developed as a major base area with an allied hospital.[3][4] The name Quatia was assigned by the Queensland Railways Department on 31 August 1922 and was the suggestion of the soldier settlers and refers to a city in Egypt where the Australian Imperial Force engaged in the Battle of Katia in World War I.[8]
The town was founded in 1921 as a soldier settlement area. Many of the streets were named after high-ranking officers, including:[9]
And some were named after general veterans such as:
The El Arish War Memorial is located on the south-west corner of Monash and Ryrie Streets (17.806332°S 146.004821°E).[10] It was unveiled in September 1947.[11][12][13]
The Maria Creek State School opened on 13 May 1922; it was renamed El Arish State School in 1925.[14][15]
El Arish Post Office opened by 1926 (a receiving office had been open from 1921).[16]
El Arish Tavern was established in 1927.[7]
The RSL Memorial Hall opened in October 1930. It was built by local people using timber donated by the Myers sawmill.[17]
The area was later settled by Italian Australians who worked in the sugar cane fields.
The town was hit by Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi in February 2011.[18]
In the 2006 census, the locality of El Arish had a population of 232 people.[19]
In the 2011 census, the locality of El Arish had a population of 442 people.[20]
In the 2016 census, the locality of El Arish had a population of 344 people.[21]
In the 2021 census, the locality of El Arish had a population of 337 people.[1]
Heritage-listed places in El Arish include:[7]
Today, the area is home to a large sugar cane industry and banana plantations.[18]
El Arish State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 28 Chauvel Street (17.8078°S 146.0026°E).[22][23] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 37 students with 3 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[24]
There is no secondary school in El Arish. The nearest secondary school is Tully State High School in Tully to the south-west.[5]
El Arish Police Station is at 24 Ryrie Street (corner Monash Street, 17.8065°S 146.0052°E).[5][25]
El Arish Fire Station is at 5–7 Ryrie Street (17.8057°S 146.0037°E).[25] In 2020 the old buildings were replaced with a new fire station.[26][27]
El Arish Post Office is at 46 Chauvel Street (17.8066°S 146.0029°E).[28]
The El Arish Country Golf Club has a 9-hole course and is located on Golf Course Road (17.81007°S 146.00377°E).[29]
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church is at 32 Glasgow Street (17.8045°S 146.0067°E). It is within the Silkwood Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.[30]
El Arish RSL Memorial Hall is at 17 Royston Street (17.8070°S 146.0047°E). It can seat 250 people and has a dance floor, stage, kitchen and coldroom.[31][32]
![Thumb](#/media/File:The_former_El_Arish_railway_station_in_Queensland,_now_a_"history_station".jpg)
The former El Arish railway station building has been reoriented on its block in order to face Chauvel Street (17.8072°S 146.0025°E). It is used as a local history museum, and is currently known as the El Arish Diggers Museum (formerly the El Arish History Station).[33]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
