Cardstone is a rural locality in the Cassowary
Coast Region in Queensland, Australia. It is 50
kilometres (31 mi) south-west of Innisfail
Cardstone is a long thin locality following the
valley of the Tully River. The northern part of the
locality is mostly bushland, but the southern
part is farming land.
Construction of the Kareeya Hydro Power
Station on the Tully River commenced in 1952
and the power station commenced operation in
1957. The staff and families were provided
accommodation in a small village called
Cardstone located about 3 miles (4.8 km)
downstream from the plant. In about 1990, the
power station became fully automated and
could be operated from Townsville, making
many of the Cardstone operating staff
redundant. As only a small number of
maintenance workers would be required to
visit the station, it was decided to close down
the village and relocate the maintenance
workers to Tully.