Aratula

Aratula is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2016 census, the locality of Aratula had a population of 532 people.[1]

Aratula
Queensland
St Stephen's Anglican church
Aratula is located in Queensland
Aratula
Aratula
Coordinates27.9813°S 152.5486°E / -27.9813; 152.5486 (Aratula (town centre))
Population532 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density20.31/km2 (52.59/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4309
Area26.2 km2 (10.1 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Scenic Rim Region
State electorate(s)Scenic Rim
Federal division(s)Blair
Localities around Aratula:
Frazerview Frazerview Fassifern
Tarome Aratula Morwincha
Tarome Mount Edwards Charlwood

Geography

Aratula is approximately 52 kilometres (30 mi) by road southwest of Ipswich.[4] The Cunningham Highway enters the locality from the north-east (Fassifern), passes through the town, and exits to the south (Mount Edwards).[5]

Warrill Creek enters the locality from the west (Tarome), flows across the north of the locality (and north of the town), exiting to the east (Morwincha). It is a tributary of the Bremer River, then the Brisbane River, flowing into Moreton Bay.[5]

History
First Aratula State School, circa 1915, before it burned down in 1916

The area was originally known as Carter's Gate, but the name was changed to reflect the railway station name of Aratula.[2][6]

Carter's Gate Provisional School opened on 29 May 1911. It became a State School on 9 January 1913. The name was changed in August 1913 to Aratula State School.[7][8][9] The school burned on either 27 or 28 February 1916; the fire was regarded as suspicious as nearby Mount Fraser State School had burned down four months earlier.[10] The school celebrated its centenary in May 2011.[11]

St Pauls Lutheran Church, 2005

St Pauls Lutheran Church opened in 1913 and closed in 1997.[12] The church building still stands at 57 Elizabeth Street (27.9807°S 152.5427°E / -27.9807; 152.5427 (St Pauls Lutheran Church, Aratula)). There is a Lutheran cemetery behind the church; the first burial was Hermann Gustav Muller in March 1916.[13]

The first stage of the Mount Edwards railway line reached Engelsburg (now Kalbar) on 17 April 1916,[14] but it was not until 7 October 1922 that the second and final stage of the line opened, including the Aratula railway station on the eastern end of Sawmill Road (27.98252°S 152.55450°E / -27.98252; 152.55450 (Aratula railway station (former))).[14][15][5] The Mount Edwards railway line closed on 1 November 1960.[16][17]

Kalbar Baptist Hall (formerly Aratula Baptist Church), 2005

Aratula Baptist Church opened on Thursday 25 October 1923.[18][19] It was on the western side of the Cunningham Highway (approx 27.9818°S 152.5479°E / -27.9818; 152.5479 (Aratula Baptist Church (former, approx))).[20] After the church's closure, the church building was relocated in 1972 to the Kalbar Baptist Church to be used as a church hall.[21]

Aratula Post Office opened around 1925 (a receiving office had been open since 1912[6]) and closed in 1987.[22]

School of Arts, 2005

On 16 April 1926, the Aratula School of Arts was officially opened by Ernest Bell, the local Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. A local public holiday was given to celebrate the occasion.[23] The School of Arts was at 26-28 Elizabeth Street (27.9806°S 152.5461°E / -27.9806; 152.5461 (Aratula School of Arts (former))). The building was sold into private ownership in December 2013 for $115,000.[24][25]

St Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church was dedicated on Saturday 18 December 1954 by Archbishop of Brisbane Reginald Halse. The first celebration of holy communication was held on St Stephen's Day (Sunday 26 December).[26][27]

In the 2011 census, Aratula had a population of 505 people.[28]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Aratula had a population of 532 people.[1] The locality contained 150 households, in which 50.5% of the population were males and 49.5% of the population were females with a median age of 42, 4 years above the national average. The average weekly household income was $1,187, $251 below the national average.[1]

Heritage listings

Aratula has the following heritage sites:

  • 25 Elizabeth Street: St Stephen's Anglican Church[29]

Education

Aratula State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 41 Elizabeth Street (27.9808°S 152.5441°E / -27.9808; 152.5441 (Aratula State School)).[30][31] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 44 students with 7 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[32]

There are no secondary schools in Aratula. The nearest government secondary school is Boonah State High School in Boonah to the east.[5]

Amenities
St Pauls Lutheran Cemetery, 2005

St Stephens the Martyr Anglican Church is at 25 Elizabeth Street (27.9813°S 152.5462°E / -27.9813; 152.5462 (St Stephens Anglican Church, Aratula)).[26]

Attractions

Local attractions include nearby Moogerah Peaks National Park, Main Range National Park, Lake Moogerah and ballooning.

Aratula is a common rest-stop for travellers coming eastward across the Great Dividing Range. There is a caravan park and a hotel just off the highway.

See also

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Aratula (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. "Aratula – town in Scenic Rim Region (entry 40970)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  3. "Aratula – locality in Scenic Rim Region (entry 45107)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  4. Google (2 September 2022). "Ipswich to Aratula" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  5. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  6. "New Name for Receiving-Office". Queensland Times. 14 February 1912. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  7. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  8. "Agency ID 4792, Aratula State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  9. "Our school". Aratula State School. Archived from the original on 11 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  10. "Aratula State School". Queensland Times. Vol. LVI, no. 9480. Queensland, Australia. 2 March 1916. p. 4 (DAILY.). Retrieved 2 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. "Our school". Aratula State School. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  12. "St Pauls Lutheran Church Aratula Historical Cemetery". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  13. "Aratula News". Queensland Times (Ipswich) (Qld. : 1909 - 1954). Ipswich) (Qld.: National Library of Australia. 8 April 1916. p. 2 Edition: DAILY. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  14. Kerr, John (1990). Triumph of narrow gauge : a history of Queensland Railways. Boolarong Publications. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-86439-102-5.
  15. "Queensland Two Mile series sheet 2m38" (Map). Queensland Government. 1955. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  16. Southern Downs Steam Railway (2009). "'Via recta' - The line that never was". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  17. QR Limited. "Rail as foremost mode of travel". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  18. "BAPTIST CHURCH AT ARATULA". The Brisbane Courier. No. 20, 522. Queensland, Australia. 31 October 1923. p. 14. Retrieved 2 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. "West Moreton News". Queensland Times. Vol. LXV, no. 11, 551. Queensland, Australia. 3 November 1923. p. 12 (DAILY). Retrieved 2 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. "Flinders" (Map). Queensland Government. 1927. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  21. Blake, Thom. "Aratula Baptist Church". Queensland religious places database. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  22. Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  23. "Goolman Council". Queensland Times. Vol. LXVI, no. 12, 367. Queensland, Australia. 4 March 1926. p. 3 (DAILY.). Retrieved 2 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. "26-28 Elizabeth Street, Aratula, Qld 4309". Realestate.com.au. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  25. "An opportunity too good to miss.@ $185000". Bartholomew and Co Auctioneers, Real Estate & Livestock Agents. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  26. "St. Stephen's Anglican Church, Aratula". Anglican Parish of Boonah-Harrisville. Archived from the original on 11 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  27. "Year Book" (PDF). Anglican Archdiocese of Brisbane. 2019. p. 133. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  28. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Aratula (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  29. "Local Heritage Register" (PDF). Scenic Rim Regional Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  30. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  31. "Aratula State School". Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  32. "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.

Further reading

Media related to Aratula, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

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