Trekking Hinchinbrook Island

Just thought I'd share some photos of the trek I did a couple of weeks ago when over in Queensland.

Hinchinbrook Island is Australia's largest island national park covering 39,900 hectares and falls within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. It's part of the continent separated from the mainland by rising sea levels.

The island's protected from overuse by an access permit system which allows only a maximum of 40 people on it at any one time, and a maximum number of 6 in a group.

There's a rough but marked trail running along the eastern side of the island for 32 kilometres called the Thorsborne Trail. This is usually done in 4 days with part of the first and last days being taken up with getting to and from the island.

There are designated campgrounds with pit toilets, water is obtained from running streams.

Use of the park is subject to "minimal impact bushwalking" and "no-trace camping" principles. No open fires are permitted but small portable liquid or gas fuelled camping stoves are allowed. There's no rubbish bins on the island and all rubbish must be carried out.

The first photo shows the start at the southern end of the island, George Point.
Photo 01

From George Point it's an easy walk along the sandy beach of Mulligans Bay for a number of kilometres.
Photo 02

Scenes along Mulligans Bay
Photo 03

Scenes along Mulligans Bay
Photo 04

Leaving the beach the trail goes through the rainforest which provides a shady canopy, along with multitudes of mosquitos.
Photo 05

Campsite was near Mulligan Falls which, being late in the dry season, were only slow flowing.
Photo 06

Camp for the night
Photo 07

Day two the track kept more to the interior of the island. There was an initial climb up to 260 metres altitude in a pass between two peaks 400 metres one side and nearly 1000 metres the other side. Along the way we crossed Diamantina Creek which flows into Mulligan falls.
Photo 08

A lot of the upper parts we crossed were old volcanic rock which didn't hold water and only supported a short scrubby vegetation. These are Grass Trees - Xanthorrhoea johnsonii.
Photo 09

New foliage on Blue Banksia - Banksia plagiocarpa. Was a pity it wasn't flowering, I'd loved to have got photos of a blue flowering banksia.
Photo 10

View southwards, across Mulligan Bay to the mainland.
Photo 11

View eastwards across Sunken Reef Bay.
Photo 12

Native Lasiandra - Melastoma malabathricum
Photo 13

Helena Brown Butterfly - Tisiphone helena
Photo 14

Above Zoe Falls looking across to Zoe Bay.
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Zoe Falls
Photo 16

Afternoon, sun sinking behind Zoe Bay
Photo 17

Sunrise lighting up the front of Zoe Bay. We camped at Zoe Bay.
Photo 18

The ubitiquous Crinum pedunculatum in flower at the back of mangrove and Melaleuca swamps.
Photo 19

Cymbidium commencing flowering in a tree at the back of mangrove and Melaleuca swamps. Most likely Cymbidium madidum.
Photo 20

A timely reminder where there are creek crossings. Although, I only saw one set of croc tracks, at Little Ramsay Bay near the campground. But they would have only been from a 1 to 1.5 metre animal.
Photo 21

Approaching Little Ramsay Bay from the south.
Photo 22

Golden Orchid - Dendrobium discolor - at Little Ramsay Bay.
Photo 23

A very common flower along beaches and on boulders and cliff faces along the coast. It even grows in coral rubble washed up at the back of beaches.
Photo 24

Northern end of Little Ramsay Bay.
Photo 25

Sunrise over Little Ramsay Bay.
Photo 26

Lagoon behind Little Ramsay Bay (where I saw the croc tracks).
Photo 27

Approaching Nina Bay from the south.
Photo 28

Hoya australia ssp tenuipes, Dendrobium discolor and Scaevola taccada growing amongst shoreline boulders.
Photo 29

Nina Bay Beach
Photo 30

Nina Bay Beach
Photo 31

View southwards from headland north of Nina Bay
Photo 32

View from headland northwestwards to Ramsay Bay Beach.
Photo 33

Southern end Ramsay Bay Beach looking southwards.
End of trail.

Photo 34

Aloha Tropic,

Thank you so much for taking us along with you on your trek - the pictures are wonderful! I thought that some of the shots look very much like the coast and mountains here in some parts of Hawaii.

Is the flower in pic 24 an orchid of some type? - it sure is beautiful.

Very glad you only saw the croc tracks and not come face to face with the croc itself! Would they be what you call "Salties" in that area?

I always enjoy your treks, thanks for posting.

Jenn

Beautiful island and pictures, thanks for taking us along. It looks like you get quite high tides. Also, what were the temps like?

Looks like so much fun! Thanks for sharing.

Tina

I enjoyed viewing your trek in Queensland tropicbreeze as well. Just beautiful and thank's for sharing them.

Hinchinbrook Island is a bit closer to the equator than your Big Island (Hawaii). But it sits right close to the mainland so has weather influences from that. It was very late in the dry season and the temperatures would have been in the mid to high 20's (celcius). There's only the "salties" (crocs) there since they live in fresh and salt water. Photos 23 and 24 are the same plant - Golden Orchid, Dendrobium discolor. I love trekking, only wish I had the time (and money) to do it more often.

Beautiful! "Salties" = scary to me. High 20's = perfect weather. Beautiful trek, someday I'd love to visit your continent.