Norfolk Island enchantments
Tiny, remote and intriguing, Norfolk Island is a world of its own that offers visitors real downtime and a portal into the past, writes Michelle Hespe.
1 NORFOLK’S OWN LANGUAGE
After the famous 1789 mutiny on HMS Bounty, Fletcher Christian and his men settled on Pitcairn Island with Tahitian women they’d met on a fivemonth mission in Tahiti collecting breadfruit. The English men and the Tahitian women took elements from each language to communicate. By 1856, the 194 Pitcairn Islanders, having outgrown their island, were permitted by the British government to move to Norfolk Island. They brought their language – a mixture of Polynesian and 18th-century English, now simply called ‘Norfolk’, with them.
2 DOWNTIME
The island is only 34.6 km square, so you can walk or ride a bike to most places. Nightlife takes the form of theatre and comedy performances and dinner under the stars. There’s live music and entertainment at the Jolly Roger bar and restaurant, but you’ll likely be tucked up in bed by 11pm, as there are no nightclubs or rowdy pubs.
3 LOCAL ORGANIC PRODUCE
The produce on Norfolk Island is mostly homegrown, organic and
delicious, so it’s hard to choose what to snack on while at the markets and in the local cafés. On the Hilli Goat Farm Tour, guests can learn how goat’s cheese is made and then indulge in a mouth-watering spread of produce straight from the farm. In town, enjoy lunch in the garden courtyard at the Hilli Restaurant and Café, and for dinner, indulge at Dino’s at Bombora’s, a magical restaurant in an old settler’s cottage.
4 RICH, INTRIGUING HISTORY
Visit the graveyards where the Bounty crew and their descendants are buried; take a ghost tour at night; explore the ruins of one of the most remote penal colonies in the world; and visit Pitcairn Settler’s Village to experience the history of the 1856 settlers to the present day. Don’t miss Fletcher’s Mutiny Cyclorama – an awe-inspiring 360° panoramic painting that captures some of Norfolk’s history.
5 COLLEEN MCCULLOUGH’S HOME
On this fascinating tour, explore the ostentatious home of famous Australian author Colleen McCullough, gaining some insight into this remarkable woman’s life and mind, and viewing her incredible art collection. Colleen wrote 25 novels, including the best-selling The Thorn Birds, which sold more than 30 million copies.