Hinchinbrook is one of the greatest islands in
Australia.
With mangrove habitats on the western side, lovely beaches on the
eastern side, and towering mountains in the middle, it is a great place
to bushwalk. There is a resort in the northern end of the island, but
the rest is wild, and the most popular thing is the
Thorsborne Trail, a three-day bushwalk through some
great rainforests and bays. Here is some information about the island,
and in the end of the page is a map of Hinchinbrook
Island.
Hinchinbrook Island. by
Tatters:) via Flickr.com
Hinchinbrook Island Queensland: The
Thorsborne Trail
You can always go and enjoy the Hinchinbrook Island Resort in the
northern end of the island, but the best way to explore the island is
to walk the 32km Thorsborne Trail. It is a walk so popular that it gets
booked out a year ahead as campers’ numbers are limited. The best
season to do the walk is between May and October, because the rest of
the year is very hot and rainy with tropical cyclones and monsoonal
rains in northern Australia.
Thorsborne Trail. by Tatters:) via
Flickr.com
Thorsborne Trail: Ramsay Bay to Nina Bay
Most people start the Thorsborne Trail in the northern end of the
island. Ferries from Cardwell take you to a boardwalk leading to Ramsay
Bay. It’s a nice walk along the beach, and in the southern end of
Ramsay Bay you come to Blacksand Beach. After the Blacksand Beach, the
walk passes a creek and then enters an open forest with Melaleuca
trees. You can see Nina
Peak, and after that the walk goes through a mangrove
forest where you have to
cross a creek, which is best done during low tide. 4km from the start
of the walk you come to Nina Bay, where there is a camping ground with
toilets.
Ramsay Bay. by Tatters:) via Flickr.com
Thorsborne Trail: Nina Bay to Little Ramsay Bay
After Nina Bay, the trail crosses a rocky section and then climbs a
small cliff and goes to Boulder Bay where you get to do some rock
hopping. Green turtles
are often seen swimming in
the water here. The track then continues to the northern end of Little
Ramsay Bay, where there is a camping area with toilets. It is 2.5km
from Nina Bay to Little Ramsay Bay.
Little Ramsay Bay. by Tatters:) via
Flickr.com
Thorsborne Trail: Little Ramsay Bay to Zoe Bay
This is a 10.5km long section. South of Little Ramsay Bay the trail
crosses a creek, and then continues to some rocks where you will do
some more rock hopping. After that it goes to the upper edge of the
rocks above a sandy beach, and then up to the top of a ridge. There’s a
600m-return side track to Banksia Bay where there is a small camping
ground, and after that the main track continues south. It first
descends to the Banksia Creek, then goes up again and then descends to
North Zoe Creek. There is an interesting succession through different
vegetation types from dry open forest to mangrove swamps, palm swamps
and tall rainforest. There are many species of birds around here and
you can also see some interesting rainforest plants like climbing palms
and sticky vines. The walk then continues to the southern end of Zoe
Bay where there are a few campsites and toilets.
Boulder Bay. by Tatters:) via Flickr.com
Thorsborne Trail: Zoe Bay to Zoe Falls
From the Zoe Bay camping site, the walk goes to the beautiful Zoe
Falls, and South Zoe Creek where you can see small blue Soldier Crabs.
There is some interesting rainforest here, with large Eucalypts as the
tallest trees. Because Eucalypts
don’t normally grow in
rainforests, this indicates that rainforest has invaded the open
Eucalypt forest here. There is no camping ground at Zoe Falls.
by Tatters:) via Flickr.com
Thorsborne Trail: Zoe Falls to Diamantina Creek
This section is 5.7km long. The track that run parallel to the creek
until Zoe Falls, will now turn away from it and climb uphill where
there are some nice views of Zoe Bay. At its highest point, 260m, you
can see as far as to Palm Islands and Magnetic
Island on a clear day.
There are some rare blue banksias here and lower down on the slopes of
Sweetwater Creek there are she-oaks and grass trees. There is a
side-track to Sunken Reef Bay where there is a campsite, and the main
track continues to Diamantina Creek.
Zoe Falls. by Tatters:) via Flickr.com
Thorsborne Trail: Diamantina Creek to Mulligan Falls
It is only 1km from Diamantina Creek to Mulligan Falls. After the
Diamantina Creek, the track goes up a short slope and then descends to
the base of Mulligan Falls. It’s the typical lowland rainforest around
the falls, and from a lookout point you can see Lucinda and Palm
Islands. There is a camping area here, but beware that the rocks are
very slippery and dangerous.
by Tatters:) via Flickr.com
Thorsborne Trail: Mulligan Falls to George Point
It is 7.5km from Mulligan Falls to George Point, the southern end of
the track. After Mulligan Falls, the trail crosses a few creeks, and
then turns to the coast. It first comes to Mulligan Bay where you can
camp on the beach, and then there is another 5km walk along the beach
to George Point. You can organise with Hinchinbrook Wilderness Safaris
so they take you from Cardwell to Ramsay Bay, and then pick you up from
George Point once you have finished the Thorsborne Trail, and take you
back to Cardwell.
by Tatters:) via Flickr.com
Camping and Hinchinbrook Island Resort
You have to book all camping in advance with EPA, and
because the campers numbers are limited to 40 people at any tone time
on the track, the campsites can be booked out as long as a year in
advance, particularly during the Dry Season (May – October), so plan
your trip well ahead. The only accommodation
on the island is the Hinchinbrook
Island Resort in the
northern end which is not reachable from the Thorsborne Trail.
Hinchinbrook Island Ferries will take you there from Port Hinchinbrook
Marina. There are a few short bushwalks around the resort, and you can
enjoy the Turtle Bay and Orchid Beach, but beware the Box Jellyfish
between November and
April.
by Tatters:) via Flickr.com
Here's a map of Hinchinbrook Island where
I have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You can
click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click
anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the
map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with
Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
Been to Hinchinbrook Island and maybe even done the Thorsborne trail?
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What Other Visitors Have Said
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Beautiful Hinchinbrook Island Not rated yet Be prepared for thousands of Marsh Flies, or March Flies, everywhere, especially in the hotter months.
Zoe Bay was particularly bad because of the vegetation …
Hinchinbrook Island Not rated yet It is a beautiful island with a high mountain range and apparently the three day bushwalk is great.
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