QLD · Cassowary Coast Council

Cardwell, QLD, 4849

Current weather

19°CMainly clear

95% humidity · 1.4 km/h wind · 23.5° / 17° today · 1.7 mm rain

Desirability index

31/100

#263 among Coastal & beach suburbs

How this score is calculated

Suburb snapshot

Cardwell is a small locality in the Cassowary Coast area, home to around 1,320 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 96 offences in Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 with falling year-on-year trends (-34%), roughly 72.7 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $400, and 1 school and preschool site in the area. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb and hospitals or GP clinics within the suburb.

Population

Population
1,320
Median age
60
Median household income / week
$846
Dwelling vacancy
25.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings
199 of 785
Median monthly mortgage
$1,278
Employment rate
34.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
59 / 82 / 57

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$400

Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Data sources & freshness

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2026 to Dec 2026)
96
Against the person
18
Against property
36
Rate per 1,000 residents
72.7
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 73 residents
State safety percentile
11.1th (lower crime is better)
Year-on-year change
-34.2%

Most common offence types

  • Assault9
  • Drug Offences21
  • Other Property Damage14
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)18
  • Traffic And Related Offences14

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime MapQueensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Dec 2026; Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates

Schools & preschools

Schools & preschools
1
Median school ICSEA
932
  • Cardwell State SchoolPrimary

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

5 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Cardwell Lions ParkPark
  • Cardwell ParkPark
  • Colleen Mclaughlin ParkPark
  • Coral Sea Battle Memorial ParkPark
  • White Street ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
2
Emergency department
Not in suburb
  • Cardwell Pharmacypharmacy
  • Sullivan Nicolaides Pathologysample_collection

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
1/10
IRSD decile (2021)
1/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Data sources & freshness

Heritage

2 state heritage places

  • Cardwell Divisional Board Hall (former) and Honour BoardState heritage place
  • Cardwell Post Office - Residence (former)State heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
13
Parks (OSM)
9

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover featuresOpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability index

Desirability score
31.0/100
Cohort rank
#263 among Coastal & beach suburbs

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • Cardwell Divisional Board Hall (former) and Honour BoardheritageState heritage place
  • Cardwell Post Office - Residence (former)heritageState heritage place
  • Cardwell Pharmacyhealthpharmacy
  • Sullivan Nicolaides Pathologyhealthsample_collection
  • Cardwell Lions Parkgovernmentpark
  • Cardwell Parkgovernmentpark
  • Colleen Mclaughlin Parkgovernmentpark
  • Coral Sea Battle Memorial Parkgovernmentpark
  • White Street Parkgovernmentpark
  • Cardwell State SchoolschoolsPrimary

Data sources & freshness

Similar suburbs

Suburbs with a comparable population profile, socio-economic decile, and location.