destination – Norfolk Island

NORFOLK ISLAND'S
a true natural gem

Norfolk Island is a true island gem reports Jenny Burns

It had been seven years since my last visit to Norfolk Island and I was a little worried.

>> Destination Norfolk Island, Weekends For Two

Would it still be the island paradise I fell in love with on past visits or would Norfolk have succumbed to the ever present march of progress?

Within minutes of leaving the airport terminal I knew little had changed. The roads and scenery still looked the same and it wasn’t long until we came across a herd of cows wandering along the road side without a care in the world. It was pleasing to see cattle and horses still had right of way on Norfolk’s roads.

That’s not to say I didn’t notice some changes- but they were all for the best. There were a few more grids to control the movement of livestock! There were also more restaurants (there are now said to be over 35) and the several we visited served up some fantastic dishes featuring locally grown produce. New accommodation has also come on line but it’s very low key. Fortunately Norfolk hasn’t fallen for any massive developments and remains a true natural island gem.

Nowhere is this more obvious than at Kingston. Despite this being the island’s main attraction it’s as picturesque as ever, thanks to its old sandstone buildings and ruins, quaint houses, rich green fields, fat cows, Norfolk’s famous pine trees and the blue waters of the Pacific which dominate the vista.

Spend some time exploring here and you’ll understand why this area has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It’s part of the Australian Government’s nomination of 11 convict sites known as Australian Convict Sites. Norfolk is nominated due to its outstanding significance to the nation as a convict settlement spanning the era of transportation to eastern Australia between 1788 and 1855. The submission also highlights its pre and post convict history.

While Norfolk is best known for its penal and Pitcairn history, archeological evidence suggests that over 1000 years ago Norfolk was settled by Polynesian people, sailing the Pacific, and living on the island prior to it being discovered by Captain Cook.

The first officially documented settlement occurred on March 6 1788 when Phillip Gidley King arrived and began the first European settlement. There were seven free men, nine male and six female convicts with six month’s provisions. The group set about clearing the land, building houses, sowing crops and husbanding livestock. When King finally departed Norfolk Island in 1796 he reported a population of 887, of whom many were free and land holders.

This settlement closed in 1814. In 1825 Captain Richard Turton established what was to be Britain’s harshest Penal Settlement. Floggings, hangings and torture were part of every day life. In 1855 this settlement was disbanded and many of the convicts were shipped off to Tasmania.

It’s the remnants of this second settlement at Kingston which are Norfolkv’s major tourist attraction. A huge amount of effort and capital has gone into restoring many of the older buildings. However the ruins seem more moving, especially when you hear what the convicts went through. It’s easy to see why many locals are convinced the buildings in Kingston are haunted. There’s even said to be a ghost at the 1828 built Government House.

Government House is one of many of the historical buildings used by Government officials. Many are located in Quality Row, a single line of Georgian houses built between 1832 and 1847,originally used as residences by military and civil officers and clergymen. The Norfolk Island Assembly chamber building is the Old Military Barracks constructed between 1829 and 1834. The new military barracks built in 1837 now provides offices for the Norfolk Island Administration and the Office of the Administrator.

The most moving location on the island would have to be the cemetery. It was set aside for burials after the 1825 occupation. As in many nineteenth century graveyards, the headstones give detailed evidence of the convict revolts and the lifestyles and causes of death of the Island’s early inhabitants. It’s easy to spend hours here reading some of the truly tragic stories the headstones tell. At the same time the cemetery must rate as one of the world’s most picturesque and calming resting places thanks to its ocean backdrop.

While old buildings are all that remain of Norfolk’s convict history, the current Norfolk Island phone book is the perfect reminder of the island’s more recent history.

In 1856 descendents of Fletcher Christian and other mutineers on the ship the Bounty moved from Pitcairn Island to Norfolk after their request to the British Government for more land.

Pitcairn descendents are still in force on the island as the number of Adams, Buffetts, Christians, McCoys and Quintals listed in the phone book reveals.

The Pitcairners and other locals are very proud of their heritage and independence. They point out that while Norfolk is administered by Australia, it elects its own Parliament and has its own stamps. The number of people who can live on the island is strictly controlled (the current population is around 2000 to ensure it doesn’t become overcrowded). As locals explain the island, which is eight by five kilometers, only covers 3455 hectares. A third of those hectares are subtropical rainforest preserved within national parks and reserves.

Needless to say bushwalking, mountain biking and birdwatching are popular pastimes with visitors and locals alike. Tracks wind through lush palm forests, stands of Norfolk Island pine and along the coastal fringe. You can even walk beneath the tallest tree ferns on earth. Great views are also on offer from Mt Pitt and Mt Bates, the two highest points on the island.

The island is also a mecca for horse-riders while it’s said golf doesn’t get more picturesque than playing on the island’s nine-hole Kingston golf course complete with a heritage Georgian clubhouse.

Garden lovers are also in their element on Norfolk thanks to its climate and location. Several very impressive gardens are open to the public.

Equally as popular with locals as well as visitors are the waters off Norfolk Island. Exploring unspoilt coral reefs and colorful marine life, surfing and fishing are amongst the pastimes on offer. You can join a guided scuba diving trip to world class dive sites or sea kayak around rugged headlands into hidden coves. Given the lack of development on the island there are also many pristine beaches which are ideal places to reflect on the beauty and history that make Norfolk Island such a fascinating destination.