Forrest Beach is a small coastal locality in the Shire of Hinchinbrook, Queensland, Australia, while Allingham is the coastal town within the locality. In the, Forrest Beach had a population of 1,254 people.
Geography
Forrest Beach is bounded by the Coral Sea to the east with long sandy beaches; it is sheltered water due to the Orpheus and Palm island group. It is bounded along the south-west by Palm Creek and contains the Palm Creek Conservation Park. 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 Shire of Hinchinbrook.
History
The name Forrest Beach derives from George Brownrigg Forrest, who was the manager of the Victoria 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 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 2011 census, Forrest Beach had a population of 1,233 people.
Heritage listings
Forrest Beach has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Forrest Beach State School is a government primary school located at 40 Pandanus Street. In 2012, the school had an enrolment of 51 students. Ingham State High School is the nearest secondary school. The nearest high schools for boys and girls are Ingham State High School and Gilroy Santa Maria College in Ingham. St Teresa's College in Abergowrie is a secondary Catholic boys school but it is further north.
