General News
28 October, 2026
Time is ticking
IF you happened to glance out the window along the Bruce Highway lately expecting to see Cardwell’s traditional analogue timepiece, you might have rubbed your eyes in disbelief.
In place of the 5m-high green landmark at the foreshore, locals are being greeted by a solitary, bright orange traffic cone.
The town clock – notorious for its temperamental timekeeping and penchant for getting hopelessly stuck – appears to have officially ticked its last tock on the foreshore.
For a community that has spent years debating the merits of the controversial timepiece, its sudden vanishing act has triggered a flurry of roadside double-takes.
Among those who noticed the abrupt temporal shift was local shopowner Robyn Smith, whose business sits directly across the highway from where the relic once stood.
“I was talking on the phone when someone told me it had gone,” Ms Smith shared with The Observer.
“I said, ‘I’ll look outside.’ I went, ‘What’s that big orange cone doing there?’ And I go, ‘My God, the clock’s gone’.”
For years, the clock was a visual fixture for travellers passing through town, though it was rarely used to tell the time.
Originally bought through fundraising efforts of the Great Greenway Tourism group – driven by the late visitor centre coordinator Bev and Mrs Thelma Stevenson – the clock (above) was installed following Cyclone Yasi when the town redid its foreshore.
However, local legend suggests the timepiece was cursed from the start. It frequently fell into disrepair, famously prompting a hands-on rescue attempt by Nick Dametto during his days as State MP for Hinchinbrook.
Watchmakers offered their services and local Desiree Lake notes Bev once paid an electrician out of pocket for repairs.
Yet, despite grassroots efforts, the clock remained stubbornly unreliable, recently locking its hands permanently at two minutes past nine o’clock.
Ms Smith recalled a candid conversation with Bev’s daughter, Amelia: “Melia told me it was a dud right from the beginning. It cost $9900 and whatever dollars ... the council just put it in.”
Cassowary Coast Regional Council has since clarified the situation, confirming it authorised the temporary removal of the clock after it deteriorated to a point where it was detracting “from the appearance of the Cardwell CBD precinct.”
The clock is not council-owned, having been installed independently about 12 years ago by a now-defunct community group.
Council confirmed the structure is not being disposed of and is currently stored at the Cardwell depot pending potential restoration.
“The priority is to ensure that any clock returned to a prominent public location is functional, well-maintained and contributes positively to the appearance of the township,” a council spokeswoman said.
“We encourage any community groups or organisations to reach out if they would be interested in taking on the revitalisation and upkeep of this clock.”
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