Cardwell Attractions

Cardwell (pop. 1280) is now a quiet little coastal town. It is set against a backdrop of rugged hills and sheltered on the east by Hinchinbrook Island, with the largest island National Park (magnificent bush walking through tropical forest).

Cardwell offers good fishing and attractive boat trips. In the past it was of importance as a gateway to the interior, for before the foundation of Cooktown in 1873 Cardwell was the only port between Bowen, far to the south, and the northern tip of the Cape York Peninsula, from which supplies were conveyed to the Etheridge goldfields.