Snapshot
| Where | Hinchinbrook Island National Park, 8 km off the Queensland coast at Cardwell in North Queensland — Cardwell is 171 km north of Townsville and 203 km south of Cairns · Lucinda, near Ingham at the island's southern end, is 140 km north of Townsville and 244 km south of Cairns · Townsville Airport to Lucinda is 135.4 km by road, about 1 hour 40 minutes · Cairns is the other airport serving the region and is further away |
|---|---|
| Getting there | Sealed Bruce Highway to Cardwell, and to the Lucinda turn-off 8 km north of Ingham and then 19.5 km to Lucinda · The island itself is reached only by boat — private vessel launched from Cardwell or Lucinda (Dungeness), or commercial vessel operators to both ends of the Thorsborne Trail · There are no roads on the island and no vehicle access; services vary with weather, tides and season · Parking is available near the boat ramps at Cardwell and Dungeness; no source states 2WD or 4WD requirements for any section |
| Best time | April to September — the window Queensland Parks gives for the best weather and conditions on the island, and the discovery guide's pick of the hiking months · Wildflowers show in spring, and Agnes Beach camping is open only in this window to protect nesting beach stone-curlews |
| Worst time | January and February — the Thorsborne Trail closes every year from 1 January to the end of February for extreme heat, heavy rain and dangerous creek crossings · Queensland Parks strongly discourages walking from October to March, when water sources dry up before the wet and creeks rise quickly once it arrives |
| Time needed | A full day for the boat crossing and one day walk such as Nina Peak or the Zoe Falls track · Three to five days for the Thorsborne Trail, with a minimum of four days (three nights) the park's recommendation |
| Cost | No entry or vehicle access fee is published for the island · Camping $7.50 per person per night or $30.00 per family per night, $4.10 per person for students and accompanying adults on approved educational excursions (a family is one or two adults plus children under 18, up to 8 people; children under 5 camp free) · Boat transfers, cruises and scenic flights are extra and priced by the operators |
| Facilities | No drinking water is supplied — carry a minimum of 4 L per person per day, as creek sources dry up before the wet season · Toilets at camping and day-use areas; no shops, no fuel and no supplies anywhere on the island · Mobile coverage is unreliable — carry a satellite phone or PLB and know marine radio VHF channel 16 · Fuel and supplies at Cardwell and Lucinda only |
| Best for | Experienced multi-day walkers after a permit-governed wilderness trek, sea kayakers working the Hinchinbrook Channel, and boat campers who want a beach camp with no neighbours |
| Difficulty |
4 of 5 — Demanding
The short walks are easy, but the Thorsborne Trail is a 32 km ungraded and unhardened track, rough and difficult in places, with creek crossings, no facilities and a 4 L per person per day water carry — and no way off the island except by boat. |
Hinchinbrook Island is Munamudanamy to the Bandjin and Girramay people — the Biyay name for a whole journey through sea, mangroves, rivers, swamps, forests and mountains, each part with its own name and story. The island covers 393 km² and rises from a narrow coastal plain to a granite core: Mount Bowen reaches 1,142 m, Mount Diamantina 955 m and Mount Straloch 922 m, while the north-west mass around Mount Pitt and Mount Burnett is silicic volcanic rock rather than granite. The Hinchinbrook Channel, which separates the island from the mainland, is the flooded valley of the Herbert River, and the mangroves along it and Missionary Bay form one of the largest mangrove areas on the continent, with 31 species. The park sits inside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, and the 32 km Thorsborne Trail down its east coast is named after Arthur Thorsborne, who with Margaret spent a lifetime on nature conservation.
Four walking tracks cross the island, from a 1 km circuit at The Haven to the four-day Thorsborne Trail, and the boat-based camping areas stay open all year even when the trail closes in January and February. Everything here arrives by water, and everything you need you carry.
Go if…
- You want a multi-day walk where the logistics are part of the trip — boat in at one end, boat out at the other, and no road anywhere on the island
- You can carry a self-sufficient pack, camp with no facilities at all and hold 4 L of water per person per day
- You want wildlife in real numbers: about 150 bird species, 19 mammals, 32 reptiles, and dugongs, snubfin dolphins and turtles in the mangroves and seagrass beds
- You prefer a walk where permits control who is out there, and you are willing to book months ahead for it
Skip it if…
- You need mobile coverage — it is unreliable across the island, and you need a satellite phone or PLB and VHF channel 16 as your fallback
- Your trip falls in January or February — the Thorsborne Trail closes every year from 1 January to the end of February, and Queensland Parks strongly discourages walking from October to March
- You want to swim whenever you feel like it — marine stingers are present at any time and estuarine crocodiles may turn up on any beach, tidal river or creek
- You want a bed, a meal or a shop — the island is uninhabited, and there is no accommodation, no fuel and no supplies on it
What to expect
Reviewed
You get to Hinchinbrook Island by boat and nothing else. The island lies 8 km off Cardwell and stretches south to Lucinda near Ingham; Cardwell is 171 km north of Townsville and 203 km south of Cairns on the Bruce Highway, and Lucinda is 140 km north of Townsville. Commercial vessel operators — Queensland Parks lists Absolute North Charters and Hinchinbrook Island Cruises — run to both ends of the Thorsborne Trail, and they may only drop off and collect walkers at the trailheads, so the crossing takes about 45 minutes to an hour and is governed by weather, tides and season. On the way in, the Hinchinbrook Channel opens beside you: the flooded valley of the Herbert River, lined with mangroves that make up one of the largest mangrove areas on the continent, 31 species of them. You land on sand, in surf that depends on the tide, and the first thing you notice is that there is no road anywhere on the island.
From Ramsay Bay the trail runs south behind orange markers, and from George Point at the other end it runs north behind yellow ones; where the markers stop you follow rock cairns. This is not a graded or hardened track and Queensland Parks is blunt about that — it is rough and difficult in places, through rainforest, open eucalypt forest, banksia forest, mangrove and paperbark country. Creek crossings, slippery rock and uneven ground are the everyday conditions, and seven walk-in camping areas are spread along the way, all without facilities. Water is the planning constraint: the park asks you to carry a minimum of 4 L per person per day, and creek sources dry up before the wet season.
The island's interior is where the walking gets serious and where most people never go. The granite mass centred on Mount Bowen reaches 1,142 m, with Mount Diamantina at 955 m and Mount Straloch at 922 m, and the north-west corner around Mount Pitt and Mount Burnett is silicic volcanic rock instead of granite. Access to the fragile mountain ecosystems is extremely rugged and dangerous and requires permission from Queensland Parks, so the high country is not a casual extension of the trail. What you can do is climb Nina Peak — 6.6 km return from the Ramsay Bay boardwalk, about 3 hours, challenging and unmarked — for a view back over the north-east peninsula, where four rocky outcrops are joined by sand dunes reaching up to 60 m high near the northern end of Ramsay Bay. Cyclone Yasi scoured that bay in February 2011 and uncovered the timbers of the brigantine Belle, lost about 130 years earlier, one of five ships wrecked in the same stretch of water.
More than 19 mammal, 32 reptile and about 150 bird species live on and around the island: pied imperial-pigeons turn up in numbers, beach stone-curlews nest on the sand, and the mangroves, fringing reefs and seagrass beds hold dugongs, Australian snubfin dolphins and turtles. Spring brings the wildflower colour, and about 700 plant species have been recorded across some 30 plant communities, including species found on the island and nowhere else. What shares the water with them is why you think before every swim: estuarine crocodiles may be present anywhere, including on tidal rivers and beaches, and marine stingers occur at any time but more frequently in warmer months. Days are hot and humid at any time of year and nights can be very cool, so you carry clothing for both ends of the range.
Where to stay
Most walkers overnight in Cardwell for the Ramsay Bay end, or in Lucinda and Ingham for the George Point end, before and after the boat; the only beds on the island are your own tent at a beach or trail camp.
When bookings open: Queensland camping permits book online up to 12 months ahead and the window rolls forward daily; Queensland Parks advises booking at least six weeks ahead for popular sites and holiday periods. Official booking page. Checked 15 October 2026.
| Stay | Guest rating | Best for | Distance | Style | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorsborne Trail bush camping areas | Not rated | Walkers on the 32 km trail, camped on the east coast | East coast of Hinchinbrook Island, between Ramsay Bay and George Point | Seven walk-in, remote bush camping areas with no facilities, totally self-sufficient · $7.50 per person per night or $30.00 per family per night · the permit covers any of the seven camps and is booked under 'Great walks' · the trail closes every year from 1 January to the end of February | Book now |
| The Haven (Scraggy Point) camping area | Not rated | A boat-based camp on the sheltered side, with the 1 km circuit at your door | Western side of Hinchinbrook Island, overlooking the Hinchinbrook Channel — reached by boat from Cardwell or Lucinda | Tent camping reached by boat, overlooking the channel · the only camping area on the island's western side · toilets at camping and day-use areas, no drinking water, no campfires · $7.50 per person per night or $30.00 per family per night | Book now |
| Agnes Beach camping area | Not rated | A private beach camp with ocean views and sunrise | Hinchinbrook Island coast — reached by boat | Sheltered beachside tent camping with ocean views · open April to September only, to protect nesting beach stone-curlews · boat-based camping permits do not permit walking the Thorsborne Trail · $7.50 per person per night or $30.00 per family per night | Book now |
| Lucinda Cove Resort | 4.5 / 5 (149 ratings, Exa Places — review platform not named) | A base at the George Point end, with a boat ramp on site | 54 Dungeness Road, Lucinda — the mainland access point at the southern end of the Hinchinbrook Channel | Low-key seafront rooms and units with an outdoor pool, playground and dual boat ramp with pontoon | Check rates |
| Hinchinbrook Resorts | 4.2 / 5 (292 ratings, Exa Places — review platform not named) | Fishing-based stays on the channel, before or after the walk | Dungeness Road, Lucinda, on the Hinchinbrook Channel | Self-contained fishing-lodge style units on the channel, positioned for the water rather than the trail | Check rates |
| Hinchinbrook Lodge | Not rated | A quiet base at the Ramsay Bay end of the trail | Tradewinds Drive, Hinchinbrook Harbour, just south of Cardwell | Lodge accommodation on a canal at Hinchinbrook Harbour, with access to the channel, the Coral Sea and the reef | Check rates |
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What to do here
8 walks & sights
The Thorsborne Trail
The Thorsborne Trail runs 32 km one way down the island's east coast, from Ramsay Bay in the north to George Point in the south, and Queensland Parks suggests four days for it, with three to five days the usual range. It is not a graded or hardened track and is rough and difficult in places, crossing rainforest, open eucalypt forest, banksia forest, mangrove and paperbark country, with seven walk-in camping areas along the way. Book the permit under 'Great walks' in the Queensland National Parks Booking Service — it covers any of the seven trail camps, and a boat-based camping permit does not let you walk the trail. The trail closes every year from 1 January to the end of February for extreme heat, heavy rain and dangerous creek crossings.
Nina Peak
The best view on the northern end of the island, and the walk most day trippers come for. The route is challenging and unmarked, so you navigate with care and give yourself daylight either side of the climb. From the top you look back over the north-east peninsula — four rocky outcrops stitched together by sand dunes — and across to the mainland ranges. Allow time for the boat back; services vary with weather, tides and season.
Zoe Falls track
The Zoe Falls track leaves the South Zoe Bay day-use area and runs 900 m return, about 30 minutes, to the pool at the base of the falls, where water comes down dark rock slabs into a rainforest pool. A second, more difficult track climbs to the top of the falls, and the difference between the two is the difference between a stroll and a scramble, so treat the upper route accordingly and turn back if the rock is wet. Zoe Bay sits on the Thorsborne Trail, so many walkers meet it on day two or three with a pack on and a camp to reach before dark; arriving by boat, the day-use area and the pool make a straightforward half-day. Swimming here is in water that estuarine crocodiles and marine stingers use too, so you check signage, stay well back from crocodile-slide marks on the bank, and a full-body lycra suit is worth carrying if you go in.
North Shepherd Bay track
A 3.8 km return walk from Macushla, about an hour, out to North Shepherd Bay on the island's east coast. The track runs through coastal forest where orange-footed scrubfowl work their nesting mounds, which is what most people remember it for. It is a straightforward half-day addition to a boat-based camp at North Macushla, and one of the four walking tracks the park lists on the island.
South Shepherd Bay track
A 7.6 km return walk from Macushla, about 3 hours, and the longest of the day walks outside the Thorsborne Trail. Walk out and return the same way — the park is explicit that you do not attempt to walk around the headlands between the two bays. Carry water for the whole walk, since the park's minimum is 4 L per person per day, and start early enough to be off the rocks in daylight.
The Haven track
A 1 km circuit starting at The Haven camping area at Scraggy Point, on the island's western side above the Hinchinbrook Channel. It is a moderate walk through mixed vine forest along a small creek, and the only short walk on the sheltered side of the island. The Haven is the only camping area on that side, which makes this the natural first-evening wander after a boat drop.
Hinchinbrook Channel cruises
The Hinchinbrook Channel is an attraction in its own right, and operators run cruises along it: roughly 110 km trips past Haycock Island and the entrance to Deluge Inlet, with lunch on a remote beach, crocodile spotting on the water, and shorter sunset and wildlife runs out of Cardwell and Lucinda. This is how most people see the island's mangrove country — one of the largest mangrove areas on the continent, 31 species of it — without carrying anything. Departures run from Port Hinchinbrook at Cardwell and the Dungeness jetty at Lucinda, and services vary with weather, tides and season. The island's history sits in that water too: Cyclone Yasi uncovered the wreck of the brigantine Belle in Ramsay Bay in 2011, one of five ships lost in the same stretch, and the American B-24 Liberator 'Texas Terror' crashed on Mount Straloch in December 1942 with all 12 on board.
Scenic helicopter flight over the island
A 90-minute flight around the island, run out of Townsville Airport with headsets and in-flight commentary. It is the only way to see the whole island in one view — the granite peaks, the channel and the reef water beyond — and it suits travellers short on time or unable to walk the trail. Flights run on request and availability, so book ahead and expect to be governed by weather.
Hinchinbrook Island itineraries: 1, 2 or 3 days
3 plans
One day: the crossing and Nina Peak
- Early, from Townsville or Cairns. Drive to Cardwell on the Bruce Highway — 171 km north of Townsville and 203 km south of Cairns — and fuel up there. There are no supplies and no fuel on the island, and no entry or vehicle fee applies to the park.
- Mid-morning. Take the boat across to the Ramsay Bay trailhead at the island's northern end — about 45 minutes to an hour on the water, with services varying by weather, tides and season. Commercial operators may only drop off and collect at the trailheads, so book both legs before you leave the mainland.
- Midday. Walk the 6.6 km return from the Ramsay Bay boardwalk to the top of Nina Peak — about 3 hours, challenging and unmarked. Give yourself daylight for the whole climb and the boat back.
6.6 km of walking and no nights. Base at Cardwell, 171 km north of Townsville, where there is fuel and supplies — nothing is sold on the island. Book the boat transfer both ways with a listed operator (Queensland Parks names Absolute North Charters and Hinchinbrook Island Cruises), carry at least 4 L of water per person, and check the QPWS park alerts before you leave; access can be impossible in severe weather.
Two days: Nina Peak and a first night on the trail
- Day 1, morning. Boat across to Ramsay Bay, then walk the 6.6 km return to the top of Nina Peak — about 3 hours, challenging and unmarked.
- Day 1, afternoon. Walk south from Ramsay Bay on the Thorsborne Trail — orange markers from this end, rock cairns where the markers stop — to the first of the seven Thorsborne Trail camping areas, and set up for the night.
- Day 2. Walk back the way you came to Ramsay Bay and take the boat back to Cardwell, allowing the same time for the section you walked in.
6.6 km of documented walking plus the trail section to your camp and back (the park publishes no stage distances); one night at a Thorsborne Trail camping area at $7.50 per person per night or $30.00 per family per night. Book the Thorsborne Trail permit through the Queensland National Parks Booking Service under 'Great walks' — it covers any of the seven trail camps, and a boat-based camping permit does not let you walk the trail. Carry a minimum of 4 L of water per person per day, use a fuel stove (no campfires anywhere), and note the trail closes every year from 1 January to the end of February.
Three days: the Thorsborne Trail end to end
- Day 1. As for the two-day plan: boat to Ramsay Bay, the 6.6 km return climb of Nina Peak (about 3 hours), then south on the trail to the first camping area.
- Day 2. Walk on south past the eastern bays to Zoe Bay, and stop at the South Zoe Bay day-use area for the 900 m return Zoe Falls track — about 30 minutes to the pool below the falls. Camp at the next Thorsborne Trail camping area.
- Day 3. Continue south to George Point, where the yellow markers end, and take the boat back across to Dungeness at Lucinda, 140 km north of Townsville.
32 km one way plus the 900 m return Zoe Falls track, and two nights at Thorsborne Trail camping areas at $7.50 per person per night or $30.00 per family per night. Book the permit under 'Great walks' and arrange both boat legs before you leave — operators can only drop off and collect at the trailheads. Carry at least 4 L of water per person per day and allow at least four days (three nights) if you want it less rushed; the trail closes every year from 1 January to the end of February.
Suggested gear for Hinchinbrook Island
17 items
- Water bottles or a hydration bladder Carry at least 2 litres per person on the walks.
- Water treatment tablets or a filter Treat creek and camping-area water before drinking.
- Sun hat, sunscreen (SPF 50+) and sunglasses
- Sturdy, broken-in walking shoes or boots
- Day pack (20–30 L)
- First aid kit, including blister care
- Insect repellent
- Head torch with spare batteries
- Lightweight rain jacket
- Personal locator beacon Mobile coverage is unreliable in remote parks.
- A full-body lycra stinger suit Marine stingers may be present at any time and occur more frequently in warmer months, and Queensland Parks recommends a full-body lycra suit for swimming at the island's beaches and pools.
- A fuel stove with spare fuel Campfires are not allowed anywhere in the park and the discovery guide asks you to carry a fuel stove with spare fuel plus one to two days of extra emergency food, so the stove is how every meal gets made and how you cover a delayed boat.
- Water bags holding at least 4 L per person per day No drinking water is supplied anywhere on the island and creek sources dry up before the wet season, so the park's minimum of 4 L per person per day becomes the number your whole pack is built around.
- Dry bags for the pack and sleeping gear Every landing is on a beach in surf that depends on the tide, creek crossings are part of the trail, and rock surfaces stay slippery — wet sleeping gear on a multi-day walk ruins the trip faster than anything else out here.
- A satellite phone Mobile coverage on the island is unreliable and Queensland Parks names a satellite phone or PLB as the way to call for help; without network access you signal from the nearest bay or coastal point, or use marine radio VHF channel 16.
- A warm layer for camp Heat and humidity run high at any time of year but nights can be very cool, and the park tells you in as many words to carry clothing for both ends of the range.
- A map and compass or GPS Nina Peak is an unmarked climb and the trail relies on rock cairns wherever the orange and yellow markers stop, so on unmanaged track you need to know where you are.
How this compares
Hinchinbrook Island vs Wallaman Falls
Wallaman Falls is the mainland alternative in this stretch of coast — Australia's highest permanent single-drop waterfall, an easy sealed drive inland from Ingham and doable in a day from the same gateway towns. It costs almost nothing and needs no boat, but nothing about it is remote. Choose Wallaman Falls for a single great waterfall and a gorge walk in a day; choose Hinchinbrook Island for a multi-day walk on an island with no roads, reached only by boat.
- Difficulty
- 3 of 5 — Challenging
- Access
- Sealed road inland from Ingham; no boat crossing and no permit required for the day walks
- Best for
- Waterfall day trips · camping · self-drivers
Hinchinbrook Island vs Paluma Range National Park
Paluma Range National Park is the rainforest and swimming-hole country behind Townsville — Jourama Falls, the Crystal Creek pools and cool upland rainforest around Paluma Village, all straight off the Bruce Highway. It shares the Wet Tropics greenery but not the remoteness or the walking commitment. Choose Paluma Range for swimming holes and rainforest day trips from Townsville; choose Hinchinbrook Island for a permit-governed wilderness walk on an uninhabited island.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Turn-offs from the Bruce Highway north of Townsville; conventional vehicles when the roads are open
- Best for
- Swimming · camping · day trips from Townsville
Hinchinbrook Island vs Wooroonooran National Park
Wooroonooran National Park is the Wet Tropics rainforest and waterfall country inland of Cairns, between the tablelands and the coast, and the natural stop if your trip continues north. It shares Hinchinbrook's World Heritage rainforest but reaches it by road instead of boat. Choose Wooroonooran for rainforest walks and waterfalls without any logistics; choose Hinchinbrook Island for the island crossing and a coastal walk with no exit points.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Between Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands; road access when the parks and tracks are open
- Best for
- Rainforest walks · waterfall touring · travellers heading north
Before you go
- Book your camping permit before you arrive through the Queensland National Parks Booking Service (13 QGOV, 13 74 68) — the Thorsborne Trail permit is booked under 'Great walks' and covers any of the seven trail camping areas, while boat-based camping permits do not let you walk the trail; display your camping tag with the booking number at your site, book at least 6 weeks ahead for holidays, and remember the booking window runs 12 months forward from today
- Book both boat legs in advance with a listed operator — Queensland Parks names Absolute North Charters and Hinchinbrook Island Cruises — and understand that commercial vessels may only drop off and collect at the trailheads at Ramsay Bay and George Point, that services vary with weather, tides and season, and that an unscheduled seat is not something to count on
- Carry a minimum of 4 L of water per person per day — no drinking water is supplied anywhere on the island and creek sources dry up before the wet season — plus one to two days of extra emergency food, since nothing is sold on the island and fuel and supplies are only at Cardwell and Lucinda
- No campfires anywhere in the park: carry a fuel stove with spare fuel, and pack out everything you bring in
- Mobile coverage is unreliable on the island, so carry a satellite phone or PLB, know marine radio VHF channel 16, and dial Triple Zero (000) if you have network access — otherwise signal from the nearest bay or coastal point
- Check the QPWS park alerts, Bureau of Meteorology forecasts, current bushfire warnings and fire bans before you leave the mainland: access to the island may be impossible during severe weather, sections can close for planned burns, and the Thorsborne Trail closes every year from 1 January to the end of February
- Treat every beach, tidal river and creek as crocodile country — stay well back from crocodile-slide marks and report sightings through the QWildlife app — and swim in a full-body lycra suit, since marine stingers may be present at any time and are more frequent in warmer months
- Know the park rules: fishing, crabbing and bait collecting are prohibited in Channel 9 at Missionary Bay and in all freshwater streams, lagoons and creeks, the Muhr Amalee site on the west side of Missionary Bay is a restricted access area, Agnes Beach camping opens only from April to September to protect nesting beach stone-curlews, and access to the fragile mountain ecosystems requires permission
When to go
seasons & the hard months
Come between April and September. That is the window Queensland Parks gives for the best weather and conditions, and the park's own discovery guide picks the same months for hiking. The trail is at its most comfortable, the creek crossings are at their lowest, and the beach camps are open, including Agnes Beach, which only opens in this window to protect nesting beach stone-curlews. Spring adds wildflower colour across the island's 700-odd plant species. The trade-off is that this is peak season for permits, so book early.
January and February are out: the Thorsborne Trail closes every year from 1 January to the end of February for extreme heat, heavy rain and dangerous creek crossings. Queensland Parks strongly discourages walking from October to March, when water sources dry up before the wet and creeks rise quickly once it arrives, and the boat-based camping areas and day-use areas stay open all year regardless. Wherever you land in the year, expect hot, humid days and potentially very cool nights, and carry clothing for both extremes.
Questions
6 answers
It is 32 km one way, from Ramsay Bay in the north to George Point in the south, and Queensland Parks suggests four days, with three to five days the usual range and a minimum of four days (three nights) its recommendation. It is not a graded or hardened track and is rough and difficult in places, so the shorter end of that range is a hard walk, not a fast one.
By boat only. The island lies 8 km off Cardwell and stretches south to Lucinda near Ingham; you can take a private vessel launched from Cardwell or Lucinda (Dungeness) or a commercial operator to either end of the trail. Commercial vessels may only drop off and collect walkers at the trailheads, services vary with weather, tides and season, and the crossing takes about 45 minutes to an hour.
$7.50 per person per night or $30.00 per family per night, with $4.10 per person for students and accompanying adults on approved educational excursions (a family is one or two adults plus children under 18, up to 8 people; children under 5 camp free). Book and pay before you arrive through the Queensland National Parks Booking Service or on 13 QGOV (13 74 68), and display your camping tag at your site. The Thorsborne Trail permit is booked under 'Great walks' and covers any of the seven trail camps; boat-based camping permits do not permit walking the trail. No entry or vehicle access fee is published for the island.
No to all three. No drinking water is supplied, so carry a minimum of 4 L per person per day and expect creek sources to dry up before the wet season. Mobile coverage is unreliable, so carry a satellite phone or PLB and know VHF channel 16. There is no shop, no fuel and no accommodation on the island; fuel and supplies are only at Cardwell and Lucinda.
You can swim, but with care. Estuarine crocodiles may be present anywhere, including on tidal rivers and beaches, so stay well back from crocodile-slide marks and report sightings through the QWildlife app. Marine stingers may be present at any time and occur more frequently in warmer months, and Queensland Parks recommends a full-body lycra suit for swimming.
Every year from 1 January to the end of February, for extreme heat, heavy rain and dangerous creek crossings. Queensland Parks strongly discourages walking from October to March, and the trail can also close during severe weather or for planned burns. The boat-based camping areas and day-use areas remain open all year. Check the QPWS park alerts before each trip.
Nearby & next
Official information
Always check current alerts before you travel.