Forrest Beach is a small coastal

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the

Shire of Hinchinbrook The Shire of Hinchinbrook is a local government area in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Ingham, covers an area of , and has existed since its creation on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. In the , Forrest Beach had a population of 1,254 people. Allingham is the coastal town within the locality. Lady Elliot Reef lies close to the coast, about north of Forrest Beach.

Geography

Forrest Beach is bounded by the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...

to the east with long sandy beaches; it is sheltered water due to the

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...

and

Palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

island group. It is bounded along the south-west by Palm Creek and contains the

Palm Creek Conservation Park Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several Arecaceae#Other plants, other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer ...

. There is farming in the western part of the locality. The residential development is mostly beside the northern beaches. There is a small residential area beside the southern beaches known as Cassady Beach () which is named after Francis Andrew O'Connor Cassady who was chairman of the

Lady Elliot Reef

Lady Elliot Reef is a

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

, part of the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

, named after the ''

Lady Elliot ''Lady Elliot'' was a ship that was probably wrecked off the coast near Cardwell, Queensland, Australia in 1816. It was a ship of 353 tons and had been constructed in Bengal, India, completed in 1815. The ship was probably named after Anna Mari ...

'', said to be wrecked at this spot in 1816.

History

The name ''Forrest Beach'' derives from George Brownrigg Forrest, who was the manager of the Victoria Mill (a sugar mill) near Ingham, while Christopher Allingham was one of the first European pastoral settlers in the district, taking up the pastoral run ''Muralambeen''. Allingham was surveyed as a town in 1925. The Forrest Beach Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1927 but closed in 1956. The

Hinchinbrook Shire Council The Shire of Hinchinbrook is a local government area in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Ingham, covers an area of , and has existed since its creation on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 division ...

initiated a meeting which caused the club to reopen in 1958-9. Allingham Post Office opened on 1 March 1967. Forrest Beach State School opened on 29 January 1980. Forrest Beach War Memorial was dedicated in 2006. It commemorates Australian servicemen and women who served in all wars and conflicts. It is located at the north-east corner of the intersection of Palm Street and Pine Street (). In the , Forrest Beach had a population of 1,233 people. In the , Forrest Beach had a population of 1,254 people.

Heritage listings

Forrest Beach has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...

sites, including: * Off Bosworth's Road: Muralambeen Homestead (the home of the Allingham family)

Education

Forrest Beach State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 40 Pandanus Street (). In 2012, the school had an enrolment of 51 students. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 38 students with 6 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). Ingham State High School is the nearest government secondary school. Gilroy Santa Maria College is a Catholic school for boys and girls in Ingham. St Teresa's College in Abergowrie is a secondary Catholic boys school but it is further north.

Amenities

There is a one-lane boat ramp into the Coral Sea at Sheoak Street. The Forrest Beach branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

meets at the Kenmore Library at 6 Palm Street.

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Queensland Shire of Hinchinbrook Coastline of Queensland Localities in Queensland