hinchinbrook island

Hinchinbrook Island Cruises offer boat transportation for exploring the Island.Beautiful day trip or you can organise to walk the trail.

Took a boat trip to Hinchinbrook Island, very good. Bushwalking, visits to other islands. Lots to see

Hinchinbrook Island is a great place, especially viewed from Cardwell or looking down from the top of one of the peaks. However the Thorsborne trail left something to be desired from a bushwalkers point of view. Because of the number of walkers who visit each day (booked out at 40 other walkers the weekend we were there) you end up being constantly surrounded by other people. If I am visiting a 'wilderness area' I prefer it to be a little quieter so I can enjoy things with out others snapping selfies around me. Because there are so many people on the Island, you are required to stay at arranged campsites which are mostly sandfly infested (the sites are located by waterways so the parks people can maintain the toilets etc.). This means you won't have any peaceful nights out enjoying the scenery. It would be much better if you could break the rules and get out and camp elsewhere, such as up any of the ridges which have awesome views and privacy. The cost of the boat trip out to the Island is also a bit of a downer.Hinchinbrook Island would suit people who don't go hiking often and feel secure following large numbers of other people, but it's not great for people who have bushwalking experience and want something adventurous. After Hinchinbrook Island we did some other walks, which are less publicised but were better than the Thorsborne trail: Mt Pieter Botte and Thornton Peak both in the Daintree area. Compared to the Thorsborne track, these places had better views, more challenging walking, better swimming spots, magical camping sites and privacy. We didn't meet anyone else in either of these places but it is harder to find track information for these walks.

Yes this Island is amazing and is to be respected for its relative unspoilt beauty and ruggedness. We did a day trip with John from Absolute North Charters from Cardwell across to the Northern tip of the island. John is a great bloke and a wealth of knowledge having grown up in the area. He offers sound and safe advice in all aspects of the island, its conservation value and our interaction with it. He is very flexible in arranging a charter that best suits your interest and conditions on the day. With hidden bays, waterfalls and sheer mountain peaks this is an island experience not to be missed. We will definitely be heading back to do the Thorsborne trail sometime very soon. Steve Tate September 2014

This is a walk for well practiced hikers with will familier equipment and comfy boots. We walked the trail from north to south in 5 days with a rest day at zoe falls. Little ramsay was my favorite camp but all sites were clean and shady with pit toilets and tables. Take plenty of insect repellant and long pants and long sleeved shirts for the evening. The sand flies are epic! You need to be well prepared with everything you need, food, water, shelter, a good first aid kit. Some trail markers are hard to find and I would recommend a good walking stick for some creek crossings. Help is a few hour away by chopper so be careful.It really is one of those must do walks that will challenge and thrill you. Around every turn is a stunning mountain view, an untouched beach or tropical rainforest. The island is a completely untouched beauty, that keeps calling you back. This trip will stay with you for life.

Great place to have a challenging but relaxing bushwalk. Great camping spots and swimming in water holes after a day of sweating (northern end of Island). We walked from south to north but most people do it the other way around. I enjoyed starting in the south and ending north as we were going to Cairns on Greyhound bus afterwards. Recommend booking the ferry on the southern end with John from Absolute North Charterswww.absolutenorthcharters.com.auPhone: 0419 712 577Email: info@absolutenorthcharters.com.auHe is very friendly and more flexible as to drop off or pick up times.

We wanted to do the walking trail but with young kids we felt it was too difficult. So instead we contacted John from Absolute North Charters and booked a boat transfer to camp at Zoe Bay. John is very knowledgeable as he has been camping there since he was a boy and he is also a very experienced boatie (even with a great boat that pulls right up to the beach).He gave us lots of good tips to get the most of the experience & even hired us his crab pots and other camping/fishing gear. He was genuinely concerned about our safety and has a great understanding of weather and sea conditions. We had a magical 3 nights at Zoe Bay and even caught many mud crabs and loads of fish. The beach is stunning and so too are the falls (not far from the beach). An amazing trip that we could not have achieved without John.

The Thorsborne Trail.What an experience!We travelled with John at www.absolutenorthcharters.com.auHis operation is superbly placed on the front beach, close to all accommodation houses in Cardwell which is why we chose his service, 70 dollars for the transfer (about an hour) ours was a little longer as we stopped to watch large numbers of Dugong grazing on seagrass. You can see the grass floating on top of the water where they are grazing. Sea turtles seemed to be everywhere as well and that was before we got onto the trail.We'll be back, and we will use Absolute North Charters again, John's local, he told us where we could find water especially on the northern end that is a little drier if rain had been scarce and as it was in the later part of last year (October) he was spot on.I highly recommend this walk, it's truly one of the most inspiring places I've visited. I still dream of Zoe Bay with it's waterfalls and Mount Bowen towering over it during a setting sun! Words cannot truly do it justice.

wilderness, stunning vistas across the mangrove creeks and coral sea to tropical islands...waterfalls, rugged majestic mountains.. wonderful birdlife.. watch turtles surfing into the tiny coves and if you are lucky you may even catch site of a dugong grazing in the shallows... watch the giant stingrays gliding thru crystal clear water... leave the world behind and remember what it is truly like to relax and have time to listen to the sounds of the forest and the ocean. This really is a wonderful wild part of the wet tropics.

A friend and I recently took our kids and their friends camping on hinchinbrook island, at Zoe bay.This is a little piece of paradise in North Queensland. An amazing camping area, right on the beach, near a small creek. We drove our boat over there from dungeness ramp at Lucinda, which was a comfortable 30 minute drive.On arrival we set up the campsite, and headed off to Zoe falls to enjoy the freshwater pools and waterfalls. If you are going to Zoe bay you must head to the falls and take the time to climb to the top, along a well marked track to see the view.Amazing place, and can't speak highly enough of it. I have a video if anyone wants to let me know I will send them a link to you tube.

Prepare for the worst, because you will sweat like hell!!!But expect the best, because the scenery is just epic! The campgrounds are to dream of, and the waterfalls are just what you need after a hot day of hiking.I did 5 treks during this stay, and I would categorize this one as the best one allover…Getting there and back is, unfortunately a ripoff, but well…One thing, online you won't find John's boat service, but call the information center, they can book him for you, great guy!!

We walk along the East cost of the island during 4 days including the side track to Nina Peak. This was a great walk with beautiful landscapes and we were almost alone on the island!But, as there are not many people, we don’t have any choice concerning the organization: only one boat per day which is very expensive: 90$ for 1 hour boat to go to the island, then 50$ for 15 minutes boat to go back + 35$ for the shuttle bus from Lucinda to Cardwell…

Plenty of spots if you have a boat to pull in on a deserted beach and relax. Also good fishing spots all around.

Excellent 7 day sea kayaking trip of Hinchinbrook Island run by David of Coral Sea Kayaking. David did all the cooking, preparing restaurant quality food on portable shellite stoves. We had perfect weather to view the spectacular coastline, seeing Green Turtles and Dugongs close to the shore as well as pristine beaches. We camped on these beaches to wake to perfect dawns and watch beautiful sunsets. The paddling was not difficult or the days long, giving plenty of time to either explore or lie in a hammock and read a book and have a nap. If you visit the island you do need good insect repellant and beware the March Flies, 'blue meanies' in particular if it is the season for them. Great trip and well worth a visit to the Island and especially with this company.

We went on a half day trip to Hinchinbrook Island. We paid $99 for an enjoyable boat ride and interesting snacks, water and soft drink. We had a 20 minute walk over to the beach where we explored and sunbaked having 2 hours to spend there. We did get a bit bored as it was too windy and cold to swim however the scenery was magic. The guys on the boat were fun and answered all our questions. I would love to walk the Thorsborne Trail in the future