Harman Patil (Editor)

El Arish, Queensland

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Population
  
442 (2011 census)

County
  
County of Nares

State electorate(s)
  
Hinchinbrook

Postal code
  
4855

Lga
  
Cassowary Coast Region

Postcode(s)
  
4855

Parish
  
Parish of Hull

Elevation
  
20 m

Local time
  
Wednesday 8:04 AM

Federal division
  
Division of Kennedy

El Arish, Queensland cdngdaypubscomauimagesphotoslargepub7960jpg

Location
  
1,586 km (985 mi) from Brisbane 125 km (78 mi) from Cairns 226 km (140 mi) from Townsville

Weather
  
27°C, Wind SW at 3 km/h, 88% Humidity

El Arish is a small town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region of Queensland, Australia. In the 2011 census, El Arish had a population of 442 people.

Contents

Map of El Arish QLD 4855, Australia

History

The town is named 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.

The town was founded in 1921 as a soldier settlement area. Many of the streets were named after high-ranking officers, including:

  • Chauvel Street after General Harry Chauvel
  • Glasgow Street after Major General Thomas William Glasgow
  • Monash Street after General John Monash
  • Royston Street after Brigadier General John Royston
  • Ryrie Street after Major General Granville Ryrie

    • And some were named after general veterans such as:

  • Francis Martin Street after Francis Paxton Martin who set up some soldier settlements in El Arish in the 1920s.

    • The El Arish War Memorial is located on the south-west corner of Monash and Ryrie Streets (17.806332°S 146.004821°E / -17.806332; 146.004821 (El Arish War Memorial)).

    The Maria Creek State School opened on 13 May 1922; it was renamed El Arish State School in 1925.

    El Arish Post Office opened by 1926 (a receiving office had been open from 1921).

    El Arish Tavern was established in 1927.

    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.

    Heritage listings

    Heritage-listed places in El Arish include:

  • the former El Arish railway station, now the" El Arish History Station, which houses a small soldier settlement and local history museum collection. There is a social morning tea held in the museum almost every Friday of the year at 9am, and visitors are more than welcome. We charge $2 as a donation.
  • the El Arish Tavern
  • the El Arish RSL Memorial Hall. We are very proud of the fact that we still have our hall, thanks to a long line of local volunteers since 1930.

    • Economy

    Today, the area is home to a large sugar cane industry and banana plantations.

    Education

    El Arish State School is a government primary (P-7) school located at 28 Chauvel Street (17.80779°S 146.002822°E / -17.80779; 146.002822 (El Arish State School)).

    Amenities

    The El Arish Country Golf Club has a 9 hole course and is located on Golf Course Road (17.81007°S 146.00377°E / -17.81007; 146.00377 (El Arish Country Golf Club)).

    Past population

    At the 2006 census, El Arish had a population of 232.

    References

    El Arish, Queensland Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA