Cardwell, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Cardwell is a coastal town on the Cassowary Coast of north Queensland, set on Rockingham Bay about 165 kilometres north-west of Townsville. It lies within the country of the Girramay and Warrgamay peoples, between rainforested ranges and the sea. Established in 1864, the town was named after Edward Cardwell, then the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. Cardwell looks straight across to Hinchinbrook Island and is a gateway to its national park and to the surrounding World Heritage rainforest and Great Barrier Reef waters. The conservationist Margaret Thorsborne, after whom the island's famous coastal walk is named, lived here. In February 2011 the severe tropical Cyclone Yasi crossed the coast at Cardwell, badly damaging the town and its marina.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Cardwell is more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 850, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Cardwell at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,320
- Median age
- 60
- Median weekly household income
- $846
- SEIFA score
- 850
- Coordinates
- -18.2706, 146.0016
Cardwell demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Cardwell using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 40%, 39% of homes are rented, and 18% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 133 | 10% |
| Youth (15–24) | 78 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 177 | 13% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 405 | 31% |
| Seniors (65+) | 527 | 40% |
Share of the 1,320 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 252 | 44% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 81 | 14% |
| Rented | 226 | 39% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 410 | 71% |
| Townhouses & semis | 82 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 57 | 10% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 578 occupied private dwellings in Cardwell.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,278
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,172
- Median weekly personal income
- $508
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 213 (18%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 67 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 127 (10%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 372 (32%)
- Labour-force participation
- 37.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 8.1%
- Employed full-time
- 207
- Employed part-time
- 161
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Cardwell
Where is Cardwell?
Cardwell is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Cardwell?
At the 2021 Census, Cardwell had a population of about 1,320.
Is Cardwell an advantaged area?
Cardwell has an ABS SEIFA score of 850, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 4 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of Australian suburbs.
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