The Shire of Cardwell was a Local Government Area of Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

. It was located on the Coral Sea

Coral Sea

The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...

 coast about halfway between the cities of Cairns

Cairns, Queensland

Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...

 and Townsville. The shire, administered from the town of Tully

Tully, Queensland

Tully is a small town in Queensland, Australia, adjacent to the Bruce Highway approximately south of Cairns by road and north of Townsville. At the 2006 census, Tully had a population of 2,457....

, covered an area of 3062.2 square kilometres (1,182.3 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1884 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the Shire of Johnstone

Shire of Johnstone

The Shire of Johnstone was a Local Government Area of Queensland. It was located on the Coral Sea coast about south of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Innisfail, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1881 until 2008, when it amalgamated...

 to form the Cassowary Coast Region.

The shire also had responsibility for some Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...

 islands, including Dunk Island, Goold Island and Hinchinbrook Island

Hinchinbrook Island

Hinchinbrook Island lies east of Cardwell and north of Lucinda, Queensland Australia. Hinchinbrook Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and wholly protected within the Hinchinbrook Island National Park, except for a small resort. It is the largest island on the Great Barrier Reef...

.

The area's economy is based around agriculture, in particular sugar and bananas, and tourism. Part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland

Wet Tropics of Queensland

The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km² of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range, stretching from Townsville to Cooktown, running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef...

 and Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

s are located in Cardwell Shire.

History

The Hinchinbrook Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. On 18 January 1884, the Cardwell Division split away from it. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Cardwell became a shire on 31 March 1903.

On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland

Parliament of Queensland

The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been...

 on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Cardwell merged with the Shire of Johnstone

Shire of Johnstone

The Shire of Johnstone was a Local Government Area of Queensland. It was located on the Coral Sea coast about south of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Innisfail, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1881 until 2008, when it amalgamated...

 to form the Cassowary Coast Region.

Towns and localities

• Tully
  Tully, Queensland
  Tully is a small town in Queensland, Australia, adjacent to the Bruce Highway approximately south of Cairns by road and north of Townsville. At the 2006 census, Tully had a population of 2,457....
  
  
• Cardwell
  Cardwell, Queensland
  Cardwell is a tropical coastal town in northeastern Queensland. It is located at the southern extremity of the Cassowary Coast. At the 2006 census, Cardwell had a population of 1,250. The Bruce Highway National Highway 1 and the North Coast railway line are the dominant transport routes;...
  
  

• Bilyana
• Birkalla
• Bulgun
• Cardstone
• Carmoo
• Damper Creek
• Ellerbeck
• Euramo
• Feluga
• Hull Heads
• Jarra Creek
• Jumbun
  Jumbun, Queensland
  Jumbun is an Aboriginal community located in the Cassowary Coast at Murray Upper which is 40 kilometres south-west of Tully in North Queensland, Australia. The word "jumbun" means "wood-grub" in Girrimay. The residents of Jumbun are predominantly from the Girrimay and Jirrbal Aboriginal tribes....
  
  
• Kennedy
• Lower Tully
• Merryburn
• Midgenoo
• Murray Upper
• Murrigal
• Rockingham
• Silky Oak
• South Mission Beach
  Mission Beach, Queensland
  Mission Beach is a small village along the Coral Sea in Queensland, Australia. The popular tourist destination of Dunk Island lies 4 km offshore.-History:...
  
  
• Tully Heads
• Wongaling Beach

Population

Year	Population
1933	4,416
1947	4,346
1954	5,045
1961	5,183
1966	5,640
1971	5,736
1976	6,478
1981	7,853
1986	8,666
1991	9,882
1996	10,130
2001	10,634
2006	10,584

External links

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Cardwell Shire