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Hinchinbrook
The
Thorsborne
Trail, Hinchinbrook, is a magnificent walk through the Wet Tropics World
Heritage Area. The Thorsborne Trail runs from Ramsay Bay in the North of
Hinchinbrook for 34 kilometers to George Point at the South east of the Island.
Hinchinbrook island is the largest Island national park in Australia and has a camping
permit system in place so that only 40 walkers can be on theThorsborne Trail at
any one time. Queensland parks and wildlife service manage the camping permit
system and and have a website at www.epa.qld.gov.au where availability can be
checked and bookings made. There is a small charge for the camping permits which
can be paid when you book.
Walking the Thorsborne Trail, Hinchinbrook, can be done either way but the most
popular way is from the north to the south which is the way we walked it. Winter
is the best time to walk the trail as it can get quite hot over the summer
period. March to October is best but also the most popular for bookings so
forward planning is essential to ensure getting a permit. We walked the trail in
September 2009 and even then the temperature was warm in the middle of the day.
Hinchinbrook Island is located just offshore from Cardwell which is about
halfway between Townsville and Cairns. It is about a 2 hour drive and there are
bus services available from either place. There are ferry services from Cardwell
out to Hinchinbrook and can be booked through
www.hinchinbrookferries.com.au
This Hinchinbrook ferry drops you at Ramsay Bay which is the start of the walk
from the northern end of the Hinchinbrook island. At the end of the walk you
leave from George Point and you need to organise a pickup through the following
link:
http://www.hinchinbrookwildernesssafaris.com.au/transfer.htm
This Hinchinbrook ferry company is different to the drop off company and they
drop you off at Lucinda which means you also need to organise a bus transfer to
get back to Cardwell if you are leaving the area from there. This can be done
through the following: For all bus connections, contact Ingham Travel on:
07 4776 5666 or ingtravel@hotmail.com
The Hinchinbrook ferry times are dependent on tide times which will be advised
by the ferry companies.
We did the walk on Hinchinbrook in four days which a lot of other walkers also
did however there are some side trips to do if you want to stay longer and some
walkers were staying an extra day at some of the campsites as there are nice
beaches ,waterfalls and swimming holes to enjoy.
Day1:
Catch the Hinchinbrook ferry to Ramsay Bay and then walk to Little Ramsay
Bay which takes about 4.5 hours. The walk starts off along the beach and then
heads inland towards Nina Peak. You can leave your pack on the trail and climb
up Nina Peak which provides panoramic views of mangrove swamps and sandy bays to
the north and south of Hinchinbrook. From here you continue through Nina bay
,Boulder Bay and on to Little Ramsay Bay where there is a campsite near the
beach. We had a swim at the beach but you have to be careful as this is a
crocodile habitat. As there had not been much rain we had to walk up the creek
about 400 meters to get freshwater.
Day 2:
Little Ramsay Bay to Zoe Bay. This is about a 6hour walk and involves
some climbing and descending. The last 5.5 kilometers winds through eucalypt
forest and rainforest. There are a number of creek crossings which are tidal.
Although we didn’t have any trouble crossing it would be wise to carry a tide
chart to try and cross at low tide . The campsite is at Zoe Bay and once we had
set up camp we walked up to Zoe Falls to get freshwater and swim in the crystal
clear pool at the base of Zoe Falls.
Day 3:
Zoe Bay to Mulligan Falls. This involves a walk of about 4.5 hours and
once again there is climbing and descending involved. As you leave Zoe Bay the
trail takes you up the side of Zoe Falls to the top of the waterfall which
provides some some spectacular views of Zoe Bay. There is a campsite at Mulligan
Falls and once again a nice rock pool at the base of the waterfall for swimming
and freshwater.
Day 4:
This is a short 2 hour walk along the beach to George Point for the ferry
ride back to the mainland. There is a creek to cross which must be crossed at
low tide. However the ferry picked us up at low tide so crossing the creek
wasn’t a problem.
There were quite a lot of march flies and mosquitoes on the walk so some sort of
insect repellant is needed to keep them away. There are also bush rats at all
the campsites which will eat any food that you have. There are metal boxes to
place your food in overnight however we carried some rope to hang up the packs
at night .We took 2 empty plastic bottles with a hole in the bottom to thread on
either end of the rope so that the rats cannot walk along the rope to get to the
packs. We carried about 3 liters of water and took every opportunity to top this
up along the way while we explored Hinchinbrook island.
The Thorsborne Trail in Hinchinbrook has some excellent scenery and is highly
recommended.
Hinchinbrook is a spectacular place with amazing scenery, breathtaking views and
crystal clear waters. Hinchinbrook should definitely be put on your list of
places to visit and included in your best hikes to do list.
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