El Arish, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids El Arish Queensland
El Arish Tavern, 2016
El Arish Location in Queensland
Population	344 (2016 census locality)
• Density	48.5/km2 (126/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	19.1 km (12 mi) NE of Tully 36.2 km (22 mi) S of Innisfail 125 km (78 mi) S of Cairns 1,560 km (969 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Cassowary Coast Region
County	County of Nares
Parish	Parish of Hull
State electorate(s)	Hill
Federal Division(s)	Kennedy
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall  ? ? 3,648.9 mm 143.7 in
Localities around El Arish: Jaffa Jaffa Daveson Shell Pocket El Arish Maria Creeks Maadi Friday Pocket Granadilla

El Arish is a rural town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of El Arish had a population of 344 people.

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.

Soldiers settlement home at El Arish, around 1920

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°48′23″S 146°00′17″E / 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.

Amenities

Former El Arish railway station, 2016

The El Arish Country Golf Club has a 9 hole course and is located on Golf Course Road (17°48′36″S 146°00′14″E / 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.

RSL Memorial Hall, 2016

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Economy

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

Education

El Arish State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 28 Chauvel Street (17°48′28″S 146°00′09″E / 17.8078°S 146.0026°E / -17.8078; 146.0026 (El Arish State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 37 students with 3 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).

There is no secondary school in El Arish. The nearest secondary school is Tully State High School in Tully to the south-west.