Thorsborne Trail

jonathan ide · 5.0 ★ · A$4.99

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Description

This is the only app for hikers either walking or thinking of walking the iconic Thorsborne Trail on World Heritage listed Hinchinbrook Island in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the perfect electronic guide and provides a rich set of features. The Island has very limited cellular access so the app aims to provide the hiker all of its comprehensive information without the need for a mobile connection.

The app provides the hiker with both an on and off-line accessible topological Island map. This map can be zoomed and panned to show different perspectives of the trail and a satellite view is available when on-line. The map provides key trail-specific GPS generated features. These include the actual trail itself and useful metrics such as the distance walked so far, distance to the nearest water source and camp site. The app also provides a selectable set of icons that mark key locations on the trail for all season water sources, hiking season water sources, tidal creeks and locations for limited cellular access and also campsites. The hikers exact positional latitude and longitude is also provided by the map should that information be needed. The information provided by the app is a distillation of local knowledge some of which cannot be found anywhere else.

The app also provides the user with comprehensive trail notes in both directions of the walk. The hiker can switch between the map metric view and the route notes with a simple tab touch and both directions of the walk are covered by the guide in a simple clear format designed for reading.

The app emphasises safety on the trail - Hinchinbrook is a wild and unspoilt island with a few hazards which are identified by the app and should an emergency arise it will provide assistance in providing you not only your exact position but also locations on the trail where a call can be made. The app also provides off line BOM Lucinda tidal charts for the year. Knowing the tidal range for the days of your hike and where the tidal crossings are, including safe water levels which vary by creek, will ensure that you can plan a safe and unhindered walk. The app provides all this information to hikers.

For those wanting to see what a North to South Hike may look like from the comfort of your home there is a "Walk Simulation" feature in the settings menu - this shows an accelerated version of what the app will look like on the trail itself and will be a feature that is developed further in future releases to provide more information to the hiker for trip planning.

The app is perfect for those just thinking of doing the walk - the menu provides all the information you need to book the trail and the transfers required to get there along with a host of other useful information. There is even a gallery of our favourite spots on the Island and I'm sure when you see them you will understand why this walk deserves its own app - quite simply its one of the best in the world. Happy Hiking!

Developer

jonathan ide

Developer ID: 1081704381

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What's New

Version 1.54 · 25 Apr 2026

- Added labels for Fan Palm and Cypress Pine creeks - Misc. changes including information about Telstra Satellite messaging

Ratings & Reviews

App Store

5.0

9 ratings

N/A downloads

Google Play

5.0

12 ratings

1,000+ downloads

5★

100%

4★

3★

2★

1★

Recent Reviews

Carly Kies

Google Play

great, informative app for anyone hiking the trail.

10 Apr 2026

NinaTSV

App Store

Really well made and useful

I walked the Trail in September 2024. I used this app a lot to check tide times and water points. I use an iPhone on Optus. Even without signal, the app worked really well to track my progress on the map. One nice feature is the audible alert when you are approaching an area where mobile signal is likely, in case you want to send home a proof of life :). Other good safety features are identifying croc spots and extraction points where you could meet a boat in an emergency, and also that you can easily send a text with your coordinates via the app. I was lucky enough to meet the app developer during my trip. I believe he walks the trail regularly, so the app is based on first hand knowledge and is kept up to date.

24 Oct 2024

Simon (sjp770)

Google Play

This is, as others have said, a must have for Thorsborne. I had no issues with battery over three nights with a 10,000mah battery pack. If you were unsure where the trail went the app has an offline map and notes. Want to see where you are compared to camp? Easy. Need to keep in touch, mobile reception markers were mostly accurate - I had no signal at Mulligan's camp. Tide info was useful as well

29 July 2023

mynameisjenni

App Store

Invaluable app

As an experienced hiker I found this app truly invaluable. The app tracked our walk, told us where all the water sources are and informed us of what the days trail would be like. A must have if you plan on hiking Hinchinbrook Island!

7 Apr 2022

David Crofts

Google Play

Must-have for the Thorsborne Trail! Whilst the track is mostly well marked, there are sections coming off the beach where it is hard to find the trail head. This app saved us a lot of time in these areas. The app also has better information than QPWS on where to find water. As we walked in the dry season, this made it a lot easier to predict where we would be able to reliably top up our water bottles. The app worked flawlessly during the trip and didn't chew through my battery.

17 Nov 2021

freiaarrow

App Store

A great app - must have for the Trail!

This app is super helpful and really easy to use. So good having a GPS pinpoint on your location during the walk, great to know where you are and where you are going. Heaps of helpful information (all accessible with no reception), in particular knowing exactly where all the fresh water is. Cheers John!!

8 Aug 2021

ShazzaW0606

App Store

A valuable resource

This app was so good to have as a source of information about the trail, water collection points etc. As a solo traveller the app became my second set of eyes in the tricky places where some markers were hard to find. Just a quick look at the app and it’s trail notes and, bingo, back on track.

27 Aug 2020

A Google user

Google Play

Brilliant app, makes navigation and tides on the hike effortless. Absolutely recommend it

5 Oct 2019

Oliver7235

App Store

Great!

Absolute must have for the trail. Everything you need is offline so don’t need mobile service. Offline maps and tidal charts. Tracks your progress along the way and sends alerts as you approach mobile coverage and creek crossings. Feels very reassuring having marked Waterpoints and watching your progress along the trail. Well worth it

2 Oct 2019

A Google user

Google Play

This app was a great help when we hiked the Thorsborne from Apr 10th to 13th. Knowing our position on the trail on each day was reassuring. Possible improvements might include distances of current position to next camp site, location of creek crossings, notifications when you are in areas with mobile coverage, photos of important locations would also help for things like water sources close to camp

14 Apr 2019