Hinchinbrook Island is a national park just off the coast from Cardwell in
north Queensland. It's almost totally wilderness, and the walk along its east
coast, the Thorsborne Trail, is absolutely fantastic and an Australian classic.
The pictures here are from a walk I did in 1994. Some things may have
changed since then, but hopefully not too much.
You can do the walk in either the north or south direction, and it's pretty
easy to catch a boat out and arrange for another to pick you up at the other
end a few days later. The typical northern starting point is Ramsey Bay, on the
north-east coast of the island. The ferry from Cardwell actually approaches
this beach from the western side - a network of mangrove lined estuaries
run almost all the way across the island, and a landing at the end of one of
them leaves you with only a few hundred metres of boardwalk to reach the east
coast.
Nina Bay makes a good campsite for the first night. Or the rest of your life if
you are so inclined. It's only two kilometres or so from the start of the walk,
but you might find that a good part of the first day is taken up with just
getting to the island.
