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Major city · Australia

Cardwell

Give Cardwell one night as a Bruce Highway stop between Townsville and Cairns: foreshore walk, jetty, bush telegraph museum, then move on.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
AUD
Best months
May–Oct (dry season)
avoid Dec–Mar (wet season, cyclones, marine stingers)
Airports
CNS · TSV
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7
  • Oceania ↗Oceania's island states guard their farms and reefs at the border: tick 'yes' on the arrival card for any food, plant, animal product, soil or used outdoor gear, and let the officer decide.
  • Oceania ↗Across the tropical South Pacific, cyclones are possible from November to April: choose insurance that covers weather delays and keep one spare night before a long-haul departure.
  • Australia and New Zealand ↗Both countries drive on the left, with long distances between fuel stops in the outback and on New Zealand's back roads; fatigue causes more visitor crashes than speed.
  • Australia ↗Almost every visitor needs a visa or an electronic authorisation (ETA or eVisitor, depending on passport) before boarding: apply only through the official Department of Home Affairs site or the official AustralianETA app, and check the rules for your passport.
  • Australia ↗Declare all food, plant material, seeds, wood and animal products on your arrival declaration; undeclared items can bring on-the-spot fines or visa cancellation. When unsure, declare it.
  • Australia ↗Drive on the left. An overseas licence in English (or with an official translation or International Driving Permit) is accepted for visitors; check the state rules and your rental contract.
  • Australia ↗Swim between the red and yellow flags on patrolled beaches; rip currents cause most beach drownings.

Cardwell is a small Cassowary Coast town on Rockingham Bay, halfway between Townsville and Cairns on the Bruce Highway. It sits between the Wet Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef, with Hinchinbrook Island offshore. There is no beach swimming culture here (marine stingers and crocodiles), so the town works as a quiet one-night stop, a base for the Thorsborne Trail, or a fishing and boating launch point.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Cardwell, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeA$4–6 (≈ US$3–4)
  • Beerschooner at a pub / can at a bottle shopA$7–10 (≈ US$5–7)A$4–6 (≈ US$3–4)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekA$20–40 (≈ US$14–30)
  • Budget bedHostel or caravan-park cabin bed, a night, per personA$40 (≈ US$30)
  • Mid-range bedMotel double room, a night, per roomA$160 (≈ US$110)
  • High-end bedMotel double room, a night, per roomA$240 (≈ US$160)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget A$80 (≈ US$55) · Mid A$150 (≈ US$100) · High A$260 (≈ US$180)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Hinchinbrook Island viewsCardwell Jetty and foreshoreBush Telegraph heritage centreGirringun Aboriginal artFishing and boating
Airports
CNS Cairns (About 2 h 15 min south by car on the Bruce Highway; the usual arrival airport.) · TSV Townsville (About 1 h 45 min north by car; smaller and closer for some connections.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Cardwell: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

31°C

24°C

15 rd

Feb

31°C

24°C

15 rd

Mar

30°C

23°C

14 rd

Apr

29°C

21°C

11 rd

May

27°C

18°C

9 rd

Jun

25°C

15°C

7 rd

Jul

24°C

14°C

6 rd

Aug

25°C

15°C

6 rd

Sep

27°C

17°C

6 rd

Oct

29°C

20°C

8 rd

Nov

30°C

22°C

11 rd

Dec

31°C

23°C

13 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The town is small and walkable: foreshore, jetty, Victoria Street and the rail station are all within about 15 minutes on foot. A car is needed for Girramay National Park, Murray Falls, the Dalrymple Gap track and the boat ramps at Meunga Creek. Cardwell Taxi & Charters and Ingham Travel shuttle cover local and regional trips.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Hinchinbrook Island (Thorsborne Trail)

overnight

Door to door: Full day or multi-day

Water taxi or charter from Cardwell or Lucinda to the trailhead

The Thorsborne Trail is a 32 km, 4-day walk with a permit and booked campsites; day visitors can land at Zoe Bay on some charters.

Murray Falls (Girramay National Park)

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Drive via Kennedy Valley and Bilyana, about 45 min

Boardwalk to the falls and a camping area; the road can be rough after rain.

Wallaman Falls (Girringun National Park)

go

Door to door: About 2 h 15 min

Drive via Ingham and Trebonne, about 2 h

Australia's highest single-drop waterfall; a long day from Cardwell, better from Ingham.

Ingham

go

Door to door: About 45 min

Drive south on the Bruce Highway, about 45 min

Bigger town with supermarkets, fuel and the Tyto wetlands.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Marine Parade foreshore

Motels and caravan parks facing the water; walk to the jetty and the main street.

Victoria Street (Bruce Highway) strip

Town centre; shops, cafés and the heritage centre within a few minutes' walk.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
A$80–130 (≈ US$55–90) excl. bed
Mid
A$130–220 (≈ US$90–150) excl. bed
High
A$220 (≈ US$150)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Motel double room1 × 1 night × A$160A$160
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × A$150A$300
Greyhound or FlixBus, Townsville–Cardwell2 × A$30 · checkA$60
Water taxi to Hinchinbrook Island2 × A$120 · checkA$240
eSIM, about a week of data2 × A$25A$50
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeA$81
Trip total≈ A$446 per person per day, bed includedA$891≈ US$600

2026 estimate in Australian dollars; flights and car hire excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

CoffeeA$4–6 (≈ US$3–4)
Pub or café main mealA$18–32 (≈ US$12–25)
Beer: schooner at a pub / can at a bottle shopA$7–10 (≈ US$5–7) / A$4–6 (≈ US$3–4)
Fuel, unleadedAbout A$2 (≈ US$2) a litre (2026 estimate)
Motel double room, one nightA$110–240 (≈ US$75–160)
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekA$20–40 (≈ US$14–30)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

The town is quiet and safe; the real risks are the water (stingers and crocodiles), the heat and the wet-season roads. Do not swim in the sea or estuaries, and check road closures before driving in summer.
  • Do not swim in the sea or estuaries: marine stingers (box jellyfish) in the warmer months and crocodiles year-round.
  • The wet season (Dec–Mar) can flood the Bruce Highway and cut access; check road conditions before driving.
  • Fuel and food options are limited; the last big supermarkets are in Tully and Ingham.
  • Mobile coverage is patchy on the range roads and in the national parks.

Emergency numbers

Emergency (police, fire, ambulance)
000

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

CardwellCardwell

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Can you take me to this address?To this address, please

Emergency

  • Emergency (police, fire, ambulance)000

Embassy

No embassies in Cardwell; consulates-general in Cairns and Townsville, embassies in Canberra (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Greyhound or FlixBus, Townsville–Cardwell: about A$25–40 (≈ US$17–30), 1 h 45 min (check)
  • Greyhound or FlixBus, Cairns–Cardwell: about A$35–55 (≈ US$25–40), 2 h 15 min (check)
  • Water taxi to Hinchinbrook Island: about A$100–150 (≈ US$70–100) return (check)

Say or show

  • Thanks — Thank you
  • Where's the loo? — Where is the toilet?
  • How much? — How much is it?
  • Card OK? — Can I pay by card?
  • Safe to swim? — Is it safe to swim here?

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Cardwell. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Oct (dry season) · avoid Dec–Mar (wet season, cyclones, marine stingers) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 2 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for CNS and TSV: last coach and shuttle times, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Walking clusters with rescue anchors: foreshore and jetty, Victoria Street, the rail station and cultural precinct.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Bush Telegraph, Girringun art centre, jetty, boat ramps) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Wet-season and stinger fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Australia

Sources