The Thorsborne Trail traverses the eastern coastal areas of Hinchinbrook Island, a national park situated in the Great Barrier Reef marine park. It is part of the wet tropics so it can be everything between paradise and hell dependent on the current weather conditions. The trail can be hiked all year but it is best to do it in the dry season between April and November. Hinchinbrook Island is a spectacular island with a steep 1000m high mountain range, lush rain-forests, eucalyptus forests and superb beaches. There are virtually no settlements on the island so it is only about you and nature here. Generally the trail is very easy without major altitude gains and a well marked trail. However, I did it in January (the wet season) when the swampy areas had some pretty high water ... and it was sort of funny to wade into a swamp for about 300m before meeting a signpost that warns about dangerous salt water crocodiles (or "salties") in the area. Nice, you in knee deep water and a lake in between you and the next dry trail portion. Well, so it is an Aussie style adventure after all and you're supposed to play Crocodile Dundee here but obviously I made it across the lake in one piece to tell the tale. Apart from the occasional croc paradise is also spoiled by lots of mossies so make sure to take some serious (DEET) insect repellent to survive the day. The trail can be hiked either north- or southbound - most seem to prefer the first variant. You can access the Island by two ferry lines - one from Cardwell to the northern trail-head and another (smaller) ferry servicing the southern end and the town of Lucinda. There's a shuttle service available to close the loop between Lucinda and Cardwell if you came by car. All services need to be booked in advance. Same goes for the trail permit which can be a problem in the dry season (only) - there are only 40 people allowed on the trail at a time in order to preserve the wilderness character.