Aratula

Aratula is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia.

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

The area was originally known as Carter's Gate, but the name was changed to reflect the railway station name of Aratula.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.St Pauls Lutheran Church opened in 1913 and closed in 1997, but 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.Aratula Post Office opened around 1925 (a receiving office had been open since 1912) and closed in 1987.St Stephens 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).In the 2011 census Aratula had a population of 505 people.

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.