Hinchinbrook Island National Park truly is a jewel of Northern Queensland, with the 32 kilometre Thorsborne Trail one of the most sought-after overnight hikes in Australia. The island is totally uninhabited by humans, and the only manmade structures we saw were docks, signs, and pit toilets.
This hike was logistically the most challenging (and most expensive) trek I've done in quite a while. To get to Hinchinbrook Island, we flew into Townsville (2 hours), took a shuttle to Lucinda (2 hours), stayed overnight, then took a ferry around to the hike's starting point. If you're interested in completing the trek, you can find more information at the bottom of the post.
Day 1 - 6.5km to Little Ramsay Bay
We spent the night before the hike at the Lucinda Wanderers Holiday Park, a newly-renovated park with great facilities. We made sure to pack our backpacks the night before, discarding extra items to try cut down on weight, but those starting packs are always heavy!
We boarded a small boat with one other person, a solo hiker who left us in the dust as soon as we landed.
Our first view of the island was stunning. For the entire ferry ride, we felt a bit like we were headed to Jurassic Park!
The ocean wasn't too rough, but it was a long ride.
We eventually turned off into a mangrove swamp (we sadly did not spot any dugongs). It was surprising to see a manmade dock after so long looking at pure wilderness. We were immediately attacked by sandflies and it started raining... Not an auspicious start.
The hike begins! Thankfully the skies cleared shortly afterward and we left the sandflies behind as we started hiking.
Our first beach walk beckoned, and the skies cleared.
We got to the turnoff for Nina Peak. I really didn't want to hike up to this lookout because it was HOT and I was already tired. I'm glad I did, but I forgot my wide angle lens!
Then back down it was, to collect our big packs and continue along to the next beach!
The theme of this trail was UP and then DOWN and then UP... you get the idea.
We took a lunch break at a lovely beachside spot in Nina Bay. Here we found our first pit toilet, and a campground for people with a bit more time on the trail. It was an idyllic spot, but no swimming in the ocean here due to the risk of crocodiles. The waves taunted the hot and sweaty hikers.
Then it was back to following the blazes.
Here's where the true work began, as we had to climb over many rocks. It was beautiful, but exhausting. Luckily we didn't have to worry about the tide times for our hike, as the low tide was in the middle of the day.
After a hot afternoon of rock hopping, we arrived at Little Ramsay Bay.
Just before the campground was a small inlet with picturesque reflections of the mountains. The water source was up to the right, from a rocky but clear-flowing stream. Again, we were tortured by the ocean and inlet, which were off-limits due to crocs.
We rested up a bit and then got into camp mode, putting up our tents and getting water to filter.
Trail tip: Keep in mind that there are rodents on the island, so keep any food or trash in your pack and hang it up when you are away from camp and at night. The pack rack is also a handy hook for your water filter bag.
We chatted with some of the other hiking groups, made dinner, and hit the hay early because we were all wiped.
Day 2 - 10.5 km to Zoe Bay
We were all a bit stiff and sore after our first full day of hiking, but we were also excited to see what Day 2 would bring!
The views back towards camp were pretty spectacular.
Right after this was a bit of vertical rock scrambling. Not easy with a big pack on!
After the rock scrambling, our first swim of the hike was in a teeny tiny waterfall. It was refreshing, but we were excited for the bigger ones!
We stopped for lunch, staying well away from the water as "Beware of Crocodile" signs were present.
The stream crossings continued, with us carefully stepping in some areas and removing boots for wading through others.
A hiker who'd done the trail previously tipped us off to the Blue Pools, which we would never have noticed on our own. It was the perfect spot for another swim!
After a very long day due to our many swim detours, we finally made it to Zoe Bay.
The ferry guy warned us about the sandflies here, and he was right. I covered up head to toe and still got eaten alive. The only solution was DEET. We were told about a campsite that's closer to Zoe Falls and less insect-infested, but it was already taken.
We strung up hammocks, explored the nearby waterfall (worth it if you want a post-hike swim), and had dinner on the beach.
We saw the same knowledgeable hiker again, who came over after dark with her crew and we went croc-spotting in the lagoon near the campground. Yep, we saw some big eyes shining... Surprisingly, no one had nightmares. In the morning we saw drag marks and prints in the same area, and oh boy, the croc threat is real!
Day 3 - 7.5km to Mulligan Falls
The next morning we packed up as quickly as we could to avoid the bugs and headed to Zoe Falls. We couldn't resist a swim in the lower pool, which was a good cool-off before the super steep ascent to the upper pools (there's one part where you use a chain to get up).
Well worth the trip, just for this view!
You can swim in the top of the falls, or in a pool below the first rim.
We had a very scenic breakfast.
We spent a few hours swimming, but knew we had to get moving or we wouldn't make camp before dark.
The day following was the hardest of the lot. It was mostly open trail, with the hot sun beating down. We wet our shirts and Buffs as often as possible, but there wasn't much shade.
It was long, it was hot, but when we got to the top of the ridgeline, we got 180 degree ocean views the whole way.
After a lot of down, we made it to a flat, tree-covered trail. Our final campground was nestled in a thick grove.
We hopped into the last waterfall of the trip before dinner. Ahh, refreshing.
We read our books for a bit and feasted on our favourite backpacking meal, Backpacker's Pantry pad thai, courtesty of Andrea's last trip to the U.S. and of course, REI.
Day 4 - 7.5km to George Point (2.5 hours)
A final trail breakfast was eaten at the top of the waterfall, and a final dip before the hot hike out.
