Norfolk Island 2021

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After months of lockdowns and travel bans we took advantage of a lull and decided to use a credit that we had with Scenic Tours and take a trip with them to Norfolk Island. Our travel agent could not have been happier and willing to assist someone who was booking, not cancelling, and paying, not asking for a refund.

We flew to Sydney the evening before our departure due to timing issues and stayed overnight. Our first Uber ride to the airport. We had to catch the train to Rydges when we arrived at the domestic terminal and there were hardly any people around. We checked in and went down for dinner. It was like being in a ghost town. None of the usual hustle and bustle of people arriving and departing.

Complete with masks we went to the airport the following morning and after going up in the lift we finally saw a human being. We checked in and had to show our passes for NI. After a quick breakfast at one of the few venues open we went through immigration and customs.Very few people in the airport. All shops were closed except for duty free. We flew Air New Zealand and as usual travel was as before....hurry up and wait.

Very muggy in NI. It was a small terminal and we had to fill in an Australian immigration card as if we were tourists in our own country. Not really fit for purpose. We were picked up and taken to our accommodation, The South Pacific Resort in Burnt Pine. Very roomy with a balcony/verandah. We unpacked and went for a walk in to town. Lots of shops but most close by 3. NI is duty free. Food is expensive because of transport costs. Most goods come form either Australia by air of on a barge from NZ. We were to learn later that the barge is at the whim of its owners and they had not had a boat for some time.

Our hotel has a happy hour each night where we met a member of our tour group and another couple from Sydney who were staying elsewhere but had popped in for the Happy Hour. We had dinner in the hotel. A nice fish meal (Trumpeter) and a creme caramel for dessert.

The following day was a free day and so we walked into town.Unfortunately the the next day the weather was windy and squally. After breakfast we walked into town looking at the shops. We caught up with some of our fellow travellers for a cappuccino at a local cafe. By the time we returned and had lunch, the rest of our group had arrived on the flight from Brisbane. We met our tour leader, Lillian, and then met for pre-dinner drinks and then dinner.

Historical Background

Norfolk Island measures only 35 sq km and is over 1400 km from mainland Australia. Archaeological remains tell us it was first populated by Polynesians around 400AD . They later disappeared for unknown reasons. Norfolk Island came to the attention of the first fleet because of the empires need for a reliable source of flax to make sails. With forced labour at their disposal, the first settlers arrived in 1788: 15 convicts and seven free men. A second wave arrived in 1824. During this regime, conditions at Norfolk Island penal colony were so extreme that it earned the nickname :"Hell in the Pacific". The last wave of settlers arrived in 1863. They consisted of 200 men and women of Eurpaen and Tahitian origin from Pitcairn Island, and were descendants of the crew of the HMS Bounty. Their population had grown too large for Pitcairn and they bought whaling and farming skills to Norfolk and today the island's continuation is credited to their ingenuity.

Monday 8 Feb - overcast with sun

The rain started as we were collected. We were driven to Bar Harbour and looked at the different varieties of pines and history of the area including the wreck of the Sirius. In 1790 the second fleet boat Lady Julia landed here. We toured the jail where John told us about the various commandants including Alexander McConancie ( who is the namesake for the jail in Canberra because of his interest in human rights for prisoners). There are many horrific stories of the treatment of the prisoners here who were supposed to be the worst of the worst. Mostly it was because they had been convicted twice and not of particularly heinous crimes. They were also kept in leg irons and chained together but there was nowhere to escape to from the island.

Next to the jail area is the local cemetery. John pointed out some gravestones and told us the history of some of the people buried there. One of the graves belonged to Colleen McCullogh. We then visited the Sirius museum which is full of artefacts retrieved from the boat wreck. we then visited St Barnabas Chapel, a simple church that was built in 1880 with stones from the ruins of the old Gaol in Kingston. It was once the centre of Church of England's missionary work in the Pacific Islands, and still holds services. Beautiful stained glass windows.

We had lunch back at the hotel and then in the afternoon we were back on the bus for a visit of several gardens. The first was a private garden where the owner has planted many different fruit trees in an attempt to see which variety grows best in NI. He has also planted two mazes, one child and one adult. it is free entry for everyone with a gold coin donation appreciated. We then went to a private home called Yeralla. A stunning member of the "Open Garden" scheme.It is an old home that has been extensively renovated. Beautiful NI pine floors. Our last visit was the a nursery where of course there are plants for sale but they also have an extensive hydroponics ship growing lettuces , tomatoes and cucumbers for the local restaurants, supermarket and local businesses. We returned to the hotel after an afternoon tea stop at the Botanical Gardens. The Botanic Gardens was once a private property owned by dedicated horticulturalist keen to preserve the island's unique plant life. The Norfolk tree fern is reportedly the tallest in the world.



Cocktails and nibbles at 5 with music at the hotel. At 6:30 we were picked up for the progressive dinner. At each stop the owner told us about their life on the island.

Entree - sherry and hors d'oeuvres

Main - chicken dish with traditional coconut bread, glass of wine

Dessert - coconut pie and ice-cream.

Most people on the island have multiple part time jobs and contribute as well to island life in other ways such as hosting tenets such as this. The person who hosted dessert was also the manager of the supermarket and he told us of the difficulties that he has stocking his shelves and managing the expectations of tourists when the supplies don't arrive.

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Photos

Kingston
Quality Row, cemetery in the background and the golf course

Entrance to the Prisoners Barracks
Remnants of the second convict era prison

A former officers house
8 posts on the house denote officers lived there