Tully Hospital – Emergency Department
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2
17 Bryant Street, Tully QLD 4854
Thorsborne Trail · Checked October 2026
Thorsborne Trail emergency & health guide: hospitals, rescue, 000 and PLBs
How to call for help on an island with unreliable phone signal, the nearest hospital for each of the 4 stages, and the park rules: permits and the annual closure, crocodiles and tides, fuel stoves and food storage.
In an emergency call 000 from any phone, or 112 from a mobile, if you have signal; stay on the trail while you call. Mobile coverage on Hinchinbrook Island is unreliable, so carry a personal locator beacon (PLB) or EPIRB and activate it in a life-threatening emergency, or call on marine radio VHF channel 16 (Cardwell VMR423 in the north, Ingham Coast Guard VMR407 in the south). Say which stage you are on, the nearest campsite and, if you can, your GPS coordinates; the Emergency+ app shows them.
Emergency numbers
| Number | What it is |
|---|---|
| 000 | Triple Zero: police, ambulance and fire, free from any phone, 24/7. Call it in any emergency or if a hiker is overdue. |
| 112 | Works from mobile phones only and reaches the same service as 000; it needs signal from any network and does not use satellites. |
| 106 | Text emergency calls from a TTY for people who are deaf or have a speech impairment. Australia has no SMS emergency service. |
| 131 444 | Policelink: Queensland Police non-emergency line, 24/7 |
| 13 43 25 84 | 13 HEALTH: medical advice from a nurse when it is not an emergency, 24/7 |
Mobile coverage on Hinchinbrook Island is unreliable, so carry a personal locator beacon (PLB) or EPIRB and use it only in a life-threatening emergency. A handheld marine radio on VHF channel 16 reaches Cardwell (VMR423) in the north and the Ingham Coast Guard (VMR407) in the south, with Townsville (VMR408) as backup. Install the Emergency+ app, leave your plans and return time with someone on the mainland, and check the QPWS park alerts and the Bureau of Meteorology forecast before you start.
Rules to know
- Season: independent hikers can walk the trail from 1 March to 31 December. It is closed every year from 1 January to 28 February, and can close at short notice for cyclones, severe weather or planned burns.
- Every hiker needs a Thorsborne Trail pass for 2 to 5 nights, booked online for the whole trail. In a current trial only 12 independent hikers start each day, groups are limited to 6, and the minimum trip is 3 nights. Camping fees are $7.75 per person per night from 1 July 2026.
- Permits for the 2027 season go on sale on 15 December 2026 at 10 am Queensland time, and May to September sells out fast. From 2027 you must cancel more than 14 days before your start date for a refund, and your permit dates must match your hike.
- Boats may drop hikers only at Ramsay Bay and pick them up only at George Point, except in emergencies. Book your transfer as soon as your permit is confirmed; times depend on the tide.
- No open fires or cooking fires anywhere on the trail: cook on a gas or liquid-fuel stove. Generators are not allowed, and drones are banned in all camping areas.
- Mulligan Falls: camping is limited to one night, and the falls and surrounding rock are a restricted access area where deaths and serious injuries have happened.
- Crocodiles and marine stingers: be Crocwise, do not swim in tidal water, and cross Mulligan Creek near low tide (tides range up to 4 m). Check the Lucinda tide table before the last day.
- Water: carry containers for at least 4 litres per person a day and treat all creek water. Creeks dry up late in the dry season, and there is no fresh water at George Point.
- Native rats and melomys chew through packs and tents: take all food out of your pack at night, keep it covered and off the ground, and use the pack racks and poles, not trees. Carry out all rubbish.
- Domestic animals are not allowed in the national park or on its beaches, and climbing Mount Bowen or the other peaks needs written mountain access approval from QPWS.
Nearest hospital for each stage
| # | Stage | Hospital (24/7 emergency) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramsay Bay → Little Ramsay Bay | Tully Hospital – Emergency Department |
| 2 | Little Ramsay Bay → Zoe Bay | Tully Hospital – Emergency Department |
| 3 | Zoe Bay → Mulligan Falls | Ingham Hospital (Ingham Health Service) – Emergency Department |
| 4 | Mulligan Falls → George Point | Ingham Hospital (Ingham Health Service) – Emergency Department |
Hospitals
Townsville University Hospital – Emergency Department
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2, 3, 4
100 Angus Smith Drive, Douglas QLD 4814
Ingham Hospital (Ingham Health Service) – Emergency Department
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 3, 4
2-16 McIlwraith Street, Ingham QLD 4850
Pharmacies, cash and supplies
- Pharmacies:
- ATMs:
- Shops:
- Boat landings:
There is no pharmacy or shop on the island or in Lucinda, and Australia has no duty-pharmacy rota. Buy your medicines, insect repellent, blister kit and water treatment in Cardwell (pharmacy on Victoria Street), Ingham or Townsville before you go. There is no power on the island: carry a power bank.
Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.
Have the nearest help on your map, offline
Outest shows these hospitals, pharmacies, ATMs and stops on the Thorsborne Trail map, offline, together with the route, water and places to sleep.