Travel Feature: Cardwell, Qld

Words and pics: Tony and Denyse Allsop

We normally drive through Cardwell in north Qld on the way to destinations further north, but this trip we decided to stop for a few days and check out the Beston-owned Cardwell Village Beachcomber Tourist Park.

This Top Tourist Park is one of the more recent acquisitions for Beston, and the newly appointed managers, Suze and Andy Fawaz, told us of the many changes and upgrades they're making to this six-acre park.

First to go are the unsuitable tree plantings, with pine, mango and coconut trees reaching maturity. These present a significant risk of falling branches, fruit and nuts, and attract birds and bats, which will lead to droppings on parked vehicles. An arborist is checking all trees, and already many unsafe ones have been cut out, with more to be removed to make way for larger powered caravan and motorhome sites. More suitable tropical shrubs and shade trees will be planted.

FACILITIES
The camp kitchen was being renovated while we were there. The barbecue area had already been updated and new furniture installed. There's also a new dump point. The old green shed will be removed to make way for more powered sites.

There are several drive-through sites and some have room for trailer boats, as this is a popular area for fishing. Bigger sites will replace the 'squeezy' ones, in order to accommodate the increased average size of touring vans.

Many sites have plug-in coax cable TV (five channels), but we found we had good reception on four channels with our own antenna.

There were four bars on our mobile phone and four to five bars on our mobile wireless broadband.

The modern amenities block is very clean with plenty of hot water, and the showers have hooks and a shelf, though the plastic curtains are flimsy and some need replacing. Soap is provided over the hand basins, as are paper towels. The toilets have double ply toilet paper and there are disabled facilities. The usual laundry with washing machines and dryers is next to the amenities.

There is a camping and unpowered area, and the old camp kitchen has been converted into a fish cleaning area with bait fridge.

The park covers a whole block, from the waterfront back to the Bruce Highway, and has a licensed restaurant facing the ocean in a prime position. We ate there one evening and were impressed by the meals. We also tried the whimsically named Leaf Spring Chardonnay in their "Van Vino" wine range from SA and found it quite palatable. The restaurant is open five nights a week while the bar opens each evening.

The caravan section of the park has motel units between it and the Bruce Highway, providing some noise protection, although the small amount of road noise did not trouble us. Other accommodation options include villas and studios. There's a well-patronised, resort-style swimming pool, with another, older pool near the original motel units.

The office sells soft drinks, ice and gas, and can book you on tours in the area. There's a small supermarket a short walk away, several petrol stations, a post office, restaurants and take away stores, and there's a good hardware shop nearby.

ACTIVITIES AND SIGHTS
The tourist park is a corporate member of the Cardwell Country Club (golf and bowls) and guests have automatic full member playing rights.

The park fronts a long beach where the fishing is good - if you can beat the crocs to the fish. Other good fishing spots are the jetty as well as the rock wall at Port Hinchinbrook.

This area is a dugong sanctuary. While we were there, dugongs were feeding in front of the park, and they are often seen feeding from the jetty in the early morning.

There are several walks in Edmund Kennedy National Park to the north. Pick up a brochure from Cardwell's Rainforest and Reef Information Centre, which is worth a visit in its own right.

One of the interesting drives in the area is the 20km Cardwell Forest Drive, which takes you on a loop via waterfalls, a spa pool and a lookout.

The Five Mile Creek swimming hole is 7km south of Cardwell and 1km off the Bruce Highway. It's a terrific swimming hole, with clean composting toilets and a picnic area. Steps lead down to the clear, fresh water where often you may see fish swimming. The hole is croc-free and is a delightful spot for a swim and picnic. Camping is not allowed, and it is patrolled.

HINCHINBROOK
We had always wanted to visit Hinchinbrook Island again, the largest island national park in the world. In our yachting days, we spent a romantic wedding anniversary anchored in Zoe Bay on the eastern side of the island, feasting on oysters and champagne.

Hinchinbrook Ferries, based at Port Hinchinbrook marina, runs daily tours to the island and another down the passage to Lucinda, and operates coaches from Townsville and Cairns to connect with its cruises. Our tour took us over to the small jetty at Cape Richards, where the Wilderness Lodge and Resort is located, and we fed the huge groper that appears from under the jetty. "Sly" has been here for many years.

After the resort passengers disembarked, we were on our way across the seagrass fields where we saw feeding dugongs, and then into the mangroves to the boardwalk to Ramsay Bay. The 500m boardwalk leads to a brilliant, turquoise bay with bright white sand, fringed with she-oaks and coconut trees. We had the whole beach to ourselves, as this is the only way in unless you have a boat.

The beach is well known for fossilised crabs and we found several. As the whole island is national park, and Ramsay Bay is in a green zone, you may pick them up and examine them, but do not take!

We spent an hour here - plenty of time to explore and have a swim in the crystal-clear water with a mountainous backdrop. A few of our party got off at Ramsay Bay for the three to five-day walk through Hinchinbrook Island - an unforgettable experience for those who've done it.

After re-boarding, the Hinchinbrook Explorer II continued to Macushla where a few other people left, complete with sandwiches and water supplied by the operator, to walk the 5km back to the resort. This easy two-hour walk passes along beaches and winds through rainforest.

We elected to stay on board and have lunch (included) at the resort. We still had enough time to explore Orchid Beach with its flowering golden rock orchids, climb up to the two rocky lookouts and then visit Turtle Bay. We weren't lucky enough to spot any turtles this time, though.

You also have the (free) option of spending the whole day at the resort and using its facilities, which include a swimming pool, beach sun lounges, bar, etc.

All too soon it was 4pm and time to return to the boat and back to Port Hinchinbrook at Cardwell.

We found the cruise and tour excellent value, and can recommend it. It cost $125, or a nicely discounted $85 for seniors and pensioners, and there's also a discount for children.

Next time you drive through Cardwell, stop for a few days and take in the attractions here. We were very pleased we did.

CARDWELL VILLAGE BEACHCOMBER TOURIST PARK FAST FACTS