Hiking - 2022 07 - Thorsborne Trail

Pre-Trail

Hiking somewhere with coveted permits often has its drawbacks. Its worth it though, that's why so many people seek to hike there. Hinchinbrook Island, Thorsborne trail is no different. 

For the trail we had to wait until midnight for the day to roll over to snag permits. That means booking 6 months in advance. Definitely a hard thing to plan, especially post covid. The other drawback is weather. You can pick the 'right' season but that's no guarantee. 

Day 0

We were cautiously checking the weather and seeing the 100% chance of 40-60mm of rain... John from Absolute North gave us a check in call, asking if we were crazy enough to hike starting that day... we were... or at least I am... and he was talking to me. John shared his concerns about a few creek crossings and talked plan for a bit but ultimately left the decision to us. I think some of his questions were aimed at gauging my experience, which I think is a valuable attitude for an operator. 

Flight to Cairns was busy. School holidays... forgot about that. Baby and a 4yo behind us but fairly well behaved, only a few hits to the back of the chair. 

After landing it was just a last minute shop and picking up Amelia's dogs from her home (dropping them off on the way) and driving to Lucinda. With a stop for lunch and the dog drop we arrived at our destination just after 5pm. A quick check in to Wanderers Caravan Park before heading over to the pub for dinner. 

Day 1

Weather report is actually better. Only 90% chance... of 50-70mm... great. We made our way to the boat ramp and hid under the awning of the bait shop before spotting John and our transport. There were a few hikers in need of an early pickup (some over the rain, some over their heads...) so rather than up the calm bay side we headed out to open ocean. 

The boat handled it beautifully but we did cop some sea spray, as if the rain wasn't enough. As a diver I've been hit with plenty of it over the years and you do get use to it, but it's never enjoyable... as we were on the outside it was also a beach drop, rather than a pontoon. I jumped in knee deep water and helped others off. Few small waves, nothing big, but enough to get sand in the shoes.

Luckily there was a good creek almost immediately and I was able to rinse them out. We then found suitable places for our packs and headed north (the wrong way) to reach the boardwalk and official starting sigh. Actually had no rain for it too, sort of.

Doubling back at a good pace we grabbed the packs and slowed to a more reasonable pace. 

It wasn't too long before we reached Nina Saddle and dropped the packs again to bag the peak. It was a bit steep and obviously way less travelled than the main trail but we pushed on. About 2/3rds we stopped at a rock outcrop and enjoyed a break in the clouds. I'm glad we did as they closed in again before we reached the peak and all we could see was white. 

Down to Nina Bay for lunch before moving on. The end of Nina Bay started with rocks, up and over a headland and then into an entire bay full of rocks. I enjoyed bouncing across them, even with a pack, but others in the party were less excited for them. I doubled back almost 75% of the bay after dropping my pack to carry theirs through.

When we were finally through the boulder field it was just another smallish headland before heading down to Little Ramsay Bay. With the rain there was a nice flowing creek right by the trail we collected from before hitting the beach. Another deeper creek crossing from the lagoon overflow, being only a few hundred more on the beach to camp we opted to keep our shoes dry (ish...) on this one. 

Mostly rain at camp but dry-ish setup and an extra tarp for a mess hall. There are two other hikers at camp (taking 6 days to our 4) who caught the boat with us. They are planning to have a chill day most of tomorrow when we push on. They invited us over for a game of cards, Exploding Kittens, which was good to end the day on. The rain started getting heavier so we retreated to the safety and warmth of our tents. I was quick to fall asleep.

Day 2

Was a wet morning, as expected but high hopes as the weather, while still rain, was meant to ease off a bit. That was true for about an hour... The day started out walking down the bay and almost immediately climbing over another rocky headland... then another... certainly more than I expected on a trail like this. Some more rock hopping and yet another headland later and we finally pushed inland a bit. Before we left the beach though, we did see our first evidence of Crocodile (or possibly shark left overs) the head of a Leopard Ray with some sizable bite marks in it!

For a trail that sees 40 people a day I did expect it to be a bit more 'used' as well. I enjoy it, though I could go without the Lawyer Vine/Wait-a-while. With all the rain we also were able to 'enjoy' the swamp in all its glory. Only shin high mud in places but a very distinct aroma. Luckily, again because of the rain, the creeks were swollen so we got to wash our boots off... 

North Zoe and Cypress Pine were the deepest. Only up to the knees on North Zoe but a strong current. Cypress pine was just below the crotch and even stronger current. I crossed and dropped my pack then doubled back to help the others through. Not that they needed anything more than a little reassuring. 

Cypress Pine Creek

Eventually we made it to camp to find a family that was having a rest day. 3 Parents and 4 kids, youngest just 10yo. They have done amazing to get here! Lucky they were able to cross the creeks before the worst of the rain.  At camp and barely managed to setup in brief gaps in the rain. We were all cold so hid in our tents. I was just getting comfortable on my pad when:

POP!!! 

The hell was that, I thought. Initially thinking my air mattress had completely failed. Only partially though, a baffle had popped. Then another... then another... and eventually the top 25% of my air mattress was just one big air bubble... might not get the best sleep. 

(Side note: I have been in contact with Thermarest and they have already sorted it out! Very happy with the service)

Back out for dinner. Rain managed to hold off right until we wanted to clean our teeth and get ready for bed... We also had an additional tiny furry guest (bush rat) at our feet, begging for scraps. Definitely hanging packs tonight. As soon as I got back to bed there was yet another pop from my pad... here's hoping it was the last one for the night...

Day 3 

There were a few more pops in the night, about a third is just a huge bubble now. Thankfully during the night the rain stopped and we woke to clear blue skies and sunlight! First time seeing the sun on trail... We all hung our gear over the camp signs and trees along the beach to dry.

Zoe Bay proved a popular spot with 4 boats turning up in the morning. 3 for a day visit to Zoe Falls (1 tour and 2x private) and a 4th boat with some camp maintenance people with new tables. After enjoying the sunshine some more we decided to get moving, around 10am. Late start hiking for me. Zoe Falls was only 1km away and was as spectacular as the stories lead you to believe. We needed to filter water and hung out a little longer but after two straight days of rain, no-one was keen to get wet again for a swim. 

After moving on we had to cross Zoe Creek a few more times. At one precarious spot I stopped so I could help the others. I took a trekking pole off my wrist to have a free hand and fumbled and dropped it. It, of course, immediately rolled off the rock and into some rapids. I ditched my pack and went off in pursuit without much luck. It stopped in an eddy slightly so I thought I had a chance but had to get around a boulder, as I got back into view it was gone again. I set off down the river and quickly found myself back at the top of Zoe Falls where we had just before had a break.

Assuming it was gone I made my way back up creek. I decided to hop up the left bank this time for a different viewpoint. If it sunk there was crystal clear water and I should see it. About 1/2 way back to the crossing I saw it wedged under a rock. Waist deep to retrieve it, so I guess I had my swim anyway... 

We continued up crossing Zoe even more times (this time gripping my pole tight), stopping for lunch at one of the higher reaches with a great flow and a few yabbies getting about. Over Magic Saddle and down to Mulligans Camp and Falls, the planned stop for today.  Camp is a bit below the Falls and is apparently always that little bit damp due to mist from the Falls. 

Beautiful and full flowing Falls, a benefit from all the rain. Ultimately we decided that we could push through to Georges Point this afternoon. There we could see the stars over the beach and perhaps have some more sun to dry everything fully with a casual slow packup.  

There was another swamp area to get through and a few more creeks before we finally broke out onto the beach. 4.5km of sand walking, after an already pretty long day, took its toll on some feet. Mulligan's creek wasn't an issue for us, even at mid tide, and barely slowed us down. Everyone has accepted wet boots now, so we just strolled through. 

Further along the beach was a huge whale bone and not much past that our first wild pig of the trip (though we had seen their damage previously.) The 5.75km Sugar Cane Jetty from Lucinda was also in view for the length of the beach, very close to that hot shower. 

Not much room at Georges Point camp. Probably 4 tents max. The jetty lights and stars make for a pretty sky, and we got a pretty decent show for the sunset before they came out. Mosquitoes seemed bad here, but I think the heavy rain played a part in suppressing them at previous camps.

Day 4 

Sleep in... as best I could on my broken air bubble of a mattress... Amelia decided to stretch the legs a little more before the trip was done and went for a stroll on the beach. We stayed back at camp and dried out the remainder of gear. Either still wet from the first 2 days of solid rain or yesterday afternoons creek crossings. 

Our boat arrived a little earlier than planned with some gear still left out so it was a quick jostle to shove it into packs and catch our ride. They dropped us on the beach right in front of Wanderers Caravan park, saving us the car shuffle. It also allowed us to drive under the ~6km long Sugar jetty that extends out from Lucinda. Sadly no longer publicly accessible.  

It was a short 200m walk and once we arrived to grab our car we were offered fresh towels and use of the facilities. Favourite words to hikers! After we were smelling all like roses it was time for the drive home. Stopping at the Cardwell bakery for lunch before picking up the dogs and heading to Cairns for a relaxing evening and an early bed. 

A lot of rain this hike, and some challenging rocky scrambles because of it but overall an amazing place and one I would like to do again... but maybe put in a request for less rain next time...