Norfolk Island Postcard

 Featured Image: Vista to Bird Rock from Captain Cook Monument

  Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 27 July 2025

My postcard series is idiosyncratic. The postcards are short descriptions of travel and places, but there is no theme or rhyme or reason. They are short snippets about things that you might not have heard about or experienced otherwise.

The series so far are: 1 Boudhanath Stupa, Nepal, 2 Dubai, UAE, 3 Vienna, Austria, 4 Rock of Cashel, Ireland, 5 Lake Tabourie, Australia, 6 Tongariro Crossing Walk, New Zealand, 7 Tupare Garden, New Zealand, 8 McLaren Vale, Australia, 9 Norfolk Island, Australia.

Norfolk Island, a First Visit

We made our first visit to this beautiful Australian island from 12-19 March, 2025. For some reason perhaps its reputation as penal colony, I had an irrational prejudice that it might be grim. I couldn’t have been more wrong!

Introduction

Private Property, Cliff View, Denise Iphone

Norfolk Island is a small volcanic island roughly in line with and mid-way between New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is 8 km long, 5 km wide and 35 square km in area. The terrain is generally rugged with small farms and fertile soils. The northwest portion of the island is mainly national park with good walking trails and contains the two highest elevations, Mount Bates 319 m (1047 ft) and Mount Pitt 318 m (1043 ft).

Norfolk Island Map

Norfolk Island is 1412 km directly east of Evans Head, New South Wales (NSW), slightly closer to Brisbane than Sydney. There are six flights per week from Sydney and Brisbane mostly on different days. There used to be one direct flight from Auckland, but these ceased in April 2025. Cargo boats to the island arrive about every three months and small cruise ships occasionally.

The Norfolk Pine is endemic to the island as are many plant and animal species.

The Branches of Young Norfolk Pines Point Upwards, Denise Iphone

The shoreline is mostly steep slopes and cliffs with the exception of the area around Kingston in the south. The village is called Burnt Pine and is mainly along Taylor’s and New Cascade Roads.

Farming produces Kentia palm seed (export), cereals, fruits, and vegetables. Livestock grazing (mainly cattle) and fishing are also important locally for meat. Seed of the Norfolk pine is also exported.

Foodstuffs are imported from Australia and New Zealand, mainly for the tourist trade; fuels and consumer goods are also imported.  Norfolk Island prohibits the import of fruit and vegetables.

The airport (crucial infrastructure) is on a raised area of flat land in the southwest. The land was given up by the residents for the war effort in 1942, and the airstrip constructed by Australian, New Zealand and US servicemen.

Norfolk Island Airport, Denise Iphone

The population at the 2021 census was 2188 inhabitants.

Most places are a 5-minute drive from one another or a maximum of 10 minutes. Tourism is the main industry on the island.

The climate is mild. The warmer season is from October to April. Temperatures were very pleasant in March when we visited. Winter is June to August. The windiest month is July. Cyclones are rare but occasionally pass by mainly in summer and autumn.

Australia has four island external territories, Cocos/Keeling and Christmas Islands in the Indian Ocean and Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands off the East coast.

Norfolk Island History

Although uninhabited when Europeans first arrived, Norfolk Island was settled by East Polynesians around 13th to 14th C CE. Traces left give no idea of what became of this group.

Norfolk Island’s Northern Islets, Tony Iphone

1788-1815

On 6 March 1788, a group of soldiers, freemen and convicts were sent to Norfolk Island by Governor Phillip to set up a farming community to provide provisions for the new Sydney colony. The farming community was severely stretched by the wreck of the Sirius in March 1990 on the outer reef near Kingston before landing with supplies.

The colony size doubled and there was insufficient food. The arrival of the Providence Petrel saved the colony, but drove the bird to extinction on Norfolk Island (now confined primarily to Lord Howe Island).

The map of settler plots by 1796 shows that farming was well-established though some of the land may have been more conceptual than under cultivation.

1796 Map of Settler Plots on Norfolk Island, Tony Iphone

Removal of the colony was mooted from 1794 as no longer necessary and too expensive to maintain. The first people left in 1805 and, despite resistance from farmers, the island was abandoned in February 1815. The buildings were burned and the stock slaughtered to discourage other nations else from settling.

1824-1855

Norfolk Island was re-established as a remote punishment post to send the worst convicts from Australia. Various commanders managed the island for the next 32 years, some were humane and some were particularly brutal. The humane ones were generally thought of as weak at the time and the brutal ones admired. There were several unsuccessful mutinies and uprisings during the period.

Rough Justice

1856-present

In 1856 after appealing to Queen Victoria 194 Pitcairn Islanders were granted residence on Norfolk Island. These were the descendants of the British mutineers on the Bounty and their Tahitian companions. Some returned to Pitcairn Island later and there is some traffic back and forth.

Our orientation guide told us that about one third of the population consider themselves as of Pitcairn heritage and said that they represent the power group on the island.

Peggie Fletcher Christian’s Wife, Old Cemetery

Peggy McCoy Christian first married Daniel McCoy, then Fletcher Christian II her first cousin. All were descendents of the original mutineers.

The Pitcairn language is a mix of 18th C English and Tahitian and is a linguistic cant (private or secret jargon). The language has been revived in recent years from cultural pride. And, perhaps because of dissatisfaction with Australian governance. It is becoming incorporated as part of the tourist oeuvre.

Norfolk Island Tourist Packages

Kingston UNESCO World Heritage Area Residential Buildings from Viewpoint

Norfolk Island absolutely depends on tourism for survival. It seems a large portion of the population depend on tourism to a greater or lesser degree for a cash income.

Denise saw an advertisement in the local paper for a package to Norfolk Island, which stirred our interest. We ignored it and found it just as easy later to search on the web. It was my first trip out of Canberra since my back injury and we thought a good test of recovery.

Phillip Island Right and Nepean Island Centre from the shore at Point Hunter, Kingston, Denise Iphone

The standard package for Norfolk island out of Australia is for 8 days or seven nights. We flew from Canberra via Sydney return arriving on a Wednesday and leaving the following Wednesday.

The package includes flights, accommodation, transfer to accommodation, car rental and a half-day orientation tour (usually the morning after arrival).

You can also pick up a free USB self-guided tour. We found this useful for the information and listened to it while driving, but did not follow the locations exactly.

Our package cost $5110 for two of us out of Canberra. When you deduct the price of the flights, we found this very reasonable. Accommodation causes some variability in package prices. Some people complain about the prices for food on the island, but perhaps forget how isolated the place is.

The Lone Pine ~650 years old, Emily Bay, Denise Iphone

Fruit and vegetables, meat and fish obtained locally are quite reasonable in price. The prices of restaurants and cafes are equivalent to mainland prices.

The Foodland supermarket was mostly empty shelves. They hadn’t had a cargo ship for three months. It arrived a few days before we left, but couldn’t begin unloading because it was too rough on the first two days. With the need for intermediary boat transport to shore, the relatively small cargo ships take about a week to unload.

We brought our own muesli for breakfast and happily paid $10 for a litre of fresh milk. Long life milk and yoghurt were cheaper. Otherwise we ate out, though we took a packed lunch for our walking day and had a barbecue one night.

With the rental car one wouldn’t have to take tours and one could economise by choosing to self-cater. On the other hand one could take the tours and not need a car. Bikes are also available. We selected activities we wanted to do and were quite happy to spread a bit of money around.

Paddock with Cow in Norfolk Drought

One sees beef cattle wandering up and down the roads (long paddocks). To our eyes the island was green but the locals told us it had been in drought for a long time and the normal wandering on the road verges for grass had intensified. There was some dairying once but the requirement for pasteurisation killed it.

We stayed at a place called Coast, recommended by a Norfolk Islander we know in Canberra, which is inland near the airport but overlooks Kingston. Our friends stayed at a place in town (Burnt Pine) called The Polynesian Apartments. Both places were small and we thought excellent. But most accommodation on Norfolk Island is. Large resorts like Aloha and Governor’s Lodge are not for me. But they looked impressive and well set-up.

Cliff Vista Near Captain Cook Monument

Our Trip

Before arriving on Norfolk Island we booked the Fish Fry Experience for Thursday night, the Homestead Restaurant for Saturday night and contacted Margaret Christian for a bird tour at her convenience.

We arrived on Wednesday in the afternoon. All tourists were sent to a particular shuttle bus, our stop at Coast was the last on ours. We were shown to our room and given a brief but pleasant orientation tour. Our hire car was in the carpark.

The Crystal Pool

The Crystal Pool is steep of access and dangerous except at particular tides. Don’t use except with the direct advice and assistance of locals. The pool is towards the top directly adjacent to the open sea.

Coast was a lovely place to stay, it is situated in the hills overlooking Kingston. One could walk out into the paddocks for about 5 minutes and actually see Kingston from some picnic tables. One could walk from here down to Kingston in about half an hour. Or one could drive the back road in 5 minutes.

We drove into town (Burnt Pine) joined our friends and briefly oriented ourselves around Burnt Pine. We went to the Foodland grocery store and bought a few things for breakfasts including the expensive milk.

Norfolk Seascape, Tony Iphone

We had dinner at the Salty Beer Garden (recommended to us), which was a pleasant and friendly pub/bar style meal. We didn’t have much of an idea where anything was.

The following morning at 8.30 am we turned up for our orientation tour. The tour covered most of the island and its attractions with three stops. Our guide was a crusty older man who’d lived on the island for 25 years. He demanded that we not interrupt, as everything would be covered eventually. It was a novel but useful approach. He was a mine of information and the three-and-a-half hours went quickly.

Sue and Penny went swimming every day at the beach at Emily Bay (Kingston) a lovely spot. Denise and I went three times. From Emily Bay and around to the Kingston pier one is protected from the open sea by the reef. Once you’ve seen the sharks at the pier at Cascade Bay this seems comforting.

We were quite lazy and had coffee every morning around 11 am, ate lunch at a cafe and ate dinner out every night, except for the barbecue, when we bought steaks and ate at Coast.

For the rest of the time, we explored the island.

Highlights of Norfolk Island

The Fish Fry experience

Young Women Doing Tahitian Dancing at the Fish Fry, Tony Iphone

One goes to Orn Da Cliff at the end of Mission Road for the sunset. Then there is entertainment, music and Tahitian dancing by local teenage girls. It is very touristy, but entertaining and professional. When we saw the numbers we wondered how they’d deliver the food to everyone, but it was superbly organised. The local fried fish was splendid and the accompanying food also. Locals seem to attend occasionally too.

Homestead Restaurant

Morton Bay Fig around 200 years old beside Homestead Restaurant and opposite 100 Acre Reserve

Homestead Restaurant is an old house out in the country opposite the Hundred Acres Reserve and beside the old Morton Bay fig grove. The ambience is lovely and the food an excellent fine dining experience. The other restaurants and cafes we went to were also good. We somehow missed the timing for the Reef Takeaway which was also highly recommended.

Progressive Dinner

We thought about other tours but only attended the Progressive dinner. This comprised a three course meal at each of three local homes. Each home hosts a largish number of visitors but is well organised and relaxed. At each place the hosts talked about their experience on Norfolk Island and related personal stories. The food was good but the insight into the island life even more so.

There were other interesting tours that tempted us but we didn’t have time.

Kingston Museums

The Australian Government runs the Kingston Cultural Precinct and the four museums are of high quality and essential viewing. The old graveyard is also important. As well as the convict era grave and early Pitcairn grave photos shown as examples above, Colleen McCullough is also buried here.

Bounty Folk Museum

The Bounty Folk Museum is both quirky and eccentric but essential. It suffers from all the wonders and defects of such local museums. It is bursting at the seams with stuff. But, unlike the Kingston Museums we actually gained more insights into the island’s history in the Bounty Museum and it should not be missed.

Cascade and Kingston Piers

Taking a Fishing Boat Out of the Water at Cascade Pier

The Cascade and Kingston Piers are on opposite sides of the island and can be used alternatively depending on the prevailing weather. The Cascade Pier is more set up for arriving ships. The transfer barges are stored here and the crane for raising and lowering boats is larger. Fishing boats are raised and lowered at both.

At Cascade unwanted fish parts are thrown overboard by the fishing boats. Sharks gather for the food. We saw up to twelve sharks when we watched this happening. It made us wary probably unnecessarily of swimming in the open sea at Norfolk Island.

Watching the fishing boats being raised and lowered out of the water is entertaining. The locals are extremely self-sufficient and do this themselves with limited help from friends and local bystanders.

The Botanical Gardens and National Park

The Botanical Gardens headquarters, boardwalk and valley trail is relatively small but an essential introduction to the flora and birdlife.

Fern Heads in the National Park, Denise Iphone

From here the road goes up to Mount Pitt with plenty of walking trails. In the national park one notices hundreds of rodent traps and bait stations placed at regular intervals throughout. In more recent years these are also located up trees to account for the arboreal habits of some of the rodents (particularly Rattus rattus and Rattus exulans). These are absolutely necessary for the survival of endemic species. We saw similar intensive approaches in New Zealand. One wonders why governments in mainland Australia seem so lackadaisical in their approach to our declining fauna and flora.

Hundred Acres Reserve

The Hundred Acres Reserve forest, previously the hundred acres farm is one of the pleasantest places for a picnic and a short walk to the sea. It is an excellent place for birds and shorebirds. Most spots around the coast are good for seabirds.

Hundred Acres Reserve, Sea View, Denise Iphone

Birds and Birding

We were excited by all birds initially. The most ubiquitous birds seen everywhere were: the White Tern and also the Black (or White-capped) Noddy; California Quail and Sacred Kingfishers.

We also saw an unusual bird found on the grass beside the airport and open fields. These were Pacific Golden-plover, a shore bird. Margaret Fletcher told us that this was the beginning of a gathering. They become more and more numerous until one day they disappear, migrating back to Siberia. They breed in the tundra of Siberia and Western Alaska in May, June, July and return to the south in August, September.

Red-tailed Tropicbird

We were also particularly taken by the Red-tailed Tropicbird and the breeding masked booby, Margaret helped us to view the booby hatchlings from quite close

We managed to see most of the small birds of the island around the botanic gardens and even a Norfolk Robin at the top of Mount Pitt before we joined Margaret Christian on her tour. The previous day she’d had 200 clients from a smallish German cruise ship.

We saw more robins and other small birds on Margaret’s tour as well as the famous Norfolk Island Parakeet, which I spotted (most unusual) on our walk, the lower trail between the two peaks. They are hard to spot in the rainforest and Margaret said it was the first she’d seen since January, so we were very lucky.

Other Activities

There are plenty of other things to do. A boat trip around the island (Phillip Island is out of bounds), fishing and birding from the boats, snorkeling and scuba diving are popular. There are many more tours and places to see. We did one longish walk from Captain Cook’s Monument to Bird Rock with a loop back, but there are many other walks we didn’t do.

Pearl Shell Design, St Barnabas Chapel, Denise Iphone

St Barnabas Chapel (1880-1920) or the Melanesian Church Chapel is interesting but an oddity. The shopping is also good according to my travel companions.

We didn’t do everything we would have liked to have done. But, I’ve been told that a perfect holiday is not being able to do everything. One needs to leave some things undone to encourage a revisit.

St Barnabas Chapel, Denise Iphone

Problems on Norfolk

Isolation, Income and Resource Control

Norfolk Island is very isolated. It is hard as a tourist on a brief visit to appreciate this. Some visitors who stay for a long period like the isolation, others leave. The Norfolk islanders are very self-sufficient. Growing up on Norfolk Island would be a wonderful time for most young people. The school to the end of high school is reputedly good and the freedom of the island for children is like growing up in a previous generation.

However, the cash from tourism is insufficient to support everyone and many Norfolk islanders have to leave the island for education, work and to raise a family. Many return.

Because Norfolk Island is considered part of Australia, any Australian can reside there and purchase property there. The islanders have no control. They have genuine and real concerns about an increasing number of properties, affecting farming capacity and population. The Pitcairner-based community knows and has consciously tended to the island for generations, something that the new settlers may not understand or be aware of. Since the census of 2021 the increase in population may have been up to 30% but no one really knows, which is concerning.

Governance

Norfolk Island is an Australian External Territory and run by an administrator. Since 1979, the island had limited self-government. A 2006 review continued the system. In 2010 because of financial problems and a drop in tourism, Norfolk Island appealed to the Australian Government for help. In 2015 Australia took over government to the disgruntlement of many islanders. The situation is complex but dissatisfaction continues.

Protest Sign, Denise Iphone

Education is run by the NSW government. Health is managed by the Queensland Government. There is a small hospital but major problems may mean evacuation to Brisbane

Politically, Norfolk Island is placed in the small Canberra electorate of Bean in the southern ACT (Australian Capital Territory).

Benign neglect and misunderstanding possibly best describes Australian governments’ attitudes to Norfolk Island.

Protest Signs at Kingston, Denise Iphone

A small but grating example is that during the 2025 general election the AEC (Australian Electoral Commission) online enrolment would not accept Norfolk Island telephone numbers.

Voting Federally in 2025

On our visit we took over 25 corflutes and t-shirts supporting Senator David Pocock, our independent ACT senator, to an active island David Pocock support group, and some material for Jessie Price an independent candidate for the safe Labor lower house seat of Bean.

In the election David Pocock received 75% of first preference votes from Norfolk Island, the highest booth result in the ACT (by around 25%) and Jessie Price out-polled David Smith by about 1.5:1.

The result is indicative of some disgruntlement.

David Pocock retained his seat easily doubling his vote. Jessie Price an unknown first time candidate lost by only a few hundred votes and changed a safe Labor seat (63% two party preferred) into a marginal one.

Brutal Times

Comment

Despite everything, it is important for the world that we have and support places like Norfolk Island. It’s definitely worth a week’s visit and you may surprise yourself by wanting to return frequently. They need our support to survive. A very friendly and beautiful place to visit.

Key Words: Norfolk Island, Mount Bates, Mount Pitt, Norfolk Pine, endemic, Kingston, Burnt Pine, Kentia palm, mild climate, East Polynesians, farming community, convict settlement, Pitcairn Islanders, Pitcairn language, dissatisfaction, tourist package, Foodland supermarket, rental car, beef cattle, Burnt Pine, Crystal Pool, Emily Bay, Cascade, Fish Fry, Orn Da Cliff, Homestead Restaurant, Progressive dinner, Kingston Museums, old graveyard, Bounty Folk Museum, Botanical Gardens, Hundred Acres Reserve, birds, shore birds, Margaret Fletcher, Captain Cook Monument, St Barnabas Chapel, disgruntlement, isolation, income, resource control, governance

Further Information

Booking Ahead of Arriving

Tourist Packages

Norfolk Island Travel Centre

Coast Norfolk Island

Coast Norfolk Island

Bird Tours with Margaret Christian

Bird Tours with Margaret Christian

Norfolk Island Fish Fry

Norfolk Island Fish Fry

Baunti Tours are the other main tour company.

Homestead Restaurant

Homestead Restaurant