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A 13-day adventure by Darren and Janet Read more

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  • Darren and JanetNorfolk Island 2022

    On the way... almost!

    August 7, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We stayed at the airport hotel last night, in preparation for a 6am flight to Sydney, then 10.30am connection to Norfolk Island.

    Boarding in Adelaide was old school, via the tarmac - haven't done that for a few years!

    The flight to Sydney was smooth and we transferred to the international terminal for the connecting flight. While waiting, they announced that our flight was cancelled due to crew shortages, so we had to reverse the process through passport control, collect our luggage and get assigned a hotel for the night.

    We caught a shuttle to one of the airport hotels a few kilometres away, then had the afternoon to fill. Luckily there were 10 caches within walking distance, so we headed towards Sydney Park.

    Sydney Park is a 100 acre inner city park, formerly a clay pit, brickworks and waste dump, now reclaimed as a wetland and recreation area, and is very popular with dog walkers! When we were about halfway around 2 new lab caches appeared on our map, so we had some backtracking and 10 more caches to find... and our afternoon was complete 😁

    Dinner was in the hotel restaurant (thanks Qantas), and some Commonwealth Games viewing before another early start tomorrow.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetNorfolk Island 2022

    Welcome to Norfolk, Yu laik sum plun*

    August 8, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Back to the airport this morning, arriving the recommended 3 hours before our flight 😲... which was well founded, as we spent an hour in the security line!

    We arrived on Norfolk Island at 2.30pm (time zone is one hour ahead of Sydney), checked into our accommodation, picked up our rental car, then grabbed a late lunch at the bakery.

    First impressions are green and hilly, with a relaxed tropical feel - on our first drive into the village the local policeman waved to us 3 times 😁

    We went for a quick drive to Cemetery Bay for a walk around the historic cemetery, before heading back to the RSL for dinner (one of the few places on the island with public wi-fi - we attempted to buy a SIM card earlier, but the post office was closed and the supermarket had run out for the day).

    Monday at the RSL was also bingo night, so we naturally partook. Of the 3 games we played, we each won one full house prize!

    We switched on the TV before bedtime, and thought we'd gained an hour - the broadcast is a direct feed from Australia, so the guide and shows are all one hour later than the advertised time.

    *Have some bananas    Read more

  • Darren and JanetNorfolk Island 2022
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    Cascade and Cockpit

    August 9, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    After breakfast at the hotel, we headed into the village to Norfolk Telecom to buy a local SIM card (NI isn't part of the Australian phone network).

    We then hosted a geocaching event at a local cafe, with 3 attendees (one was the only geocacher on the island, a 7th generation Islander and a direct descendant of Fletcher Christian).

    After morning tea we travelled north to Palm Glen walk in Norfolk Island National Park, which had panoramic views of the southern parts of Norfolk Island and out to Phillip Island (uninhabited island off the south coast).

    Lunch was a picnic near Cockpit Waterfall, before heading to Cascade Bay, home to one of 2 piers on the island.

    Shipping supplies to NI is a constant issue - the island has no safe harbour, so supplies can't be imported by container, but must be transferred to smaller vessels before coming ashore. A ship is due in the next few days, so currently many items are in short supply - for example there is no beer available at the Bond Store (the only liquor outlet on the island), and the only soft drinks on the supermarket shelves are ginger beer and tonic water!

    Dinner was locally caught Trumpeter fish at a restaurant across the road from our accommodation.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetNorfolk Island 2022
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    Kingston Town

    August 10, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We spent most of today around Kingston, the capital/administrative centre of Norfolk Island, and the second-oldest settlement in Australia, founded a little over a month after Sydney.

    The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a variety of buildings and ruins, including a jail, Government House, churches, stores and a convict powered crankmill.

    The area is also home to the second pier on the island... but the weather today was definitely not suitable for the supply ship, with rain and strong wind most if the day.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetNorfolk Island 2022

    Walking the National Park

    August 11, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Our plan today was to find most of the caches in Norfolk Island National Park, which covers 14% of the island.

    We started the day with a drive to the lookout at Mt Pitt, the second highest point on the island (1m lower than Mt Bates).

    Mt Pitt was once a thriving nesting site for the Providence Petrel.  The entire population (some 170,000 birds) was exterminated during the First Penal Settlement when the colony fell on hard times, necessitating the slaughter of the birds for food.  The petrels never re-established themselves on Norfolk Island, but a small population now nests on Phillip Island.

    Our walk began with an easy 20 minutes to Mt Bates, then 1.7km mostly downhill to Bird Rock Lookout.

    The return journey was, unsurprisingly, mostly uphill... and took considerably longer (especially when we detoured 700m to grab another cache!)

    We got back to the car in time for lunch, then a meandering drive across the north coast to Captain Cook Lookout (where he landed when claiming the island in 1774).

    Our final stop was the picturesque Anson Bay, where the track to the beach is an 800m zig zagging pathway.

    Dinner tonight was at the bowling club, a popular gathering point for locals and tourists alike.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetNorfolk Island 2022
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    Fish, chips, cows and chickens

    August 12, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We started the day with a relaxed breakfast, a spot of shopping, and morning coffee. While chatting with locals we learnt that a local cook meets the fishing boats at Cascade Pier on Fridays and cooks fish and chips fresh on the pier.

    So we headed north for a fresh Trumpeter lunch, before heading to Ball Bay, then Two Chimneys Reserve for a bush walk and cache hunt at each.

    We were planning to have Chinese Takeaway for dinner, as it's in easy walking distance from our accommodation, but we learnt the hard way that you need to ring and order well in advance - when we arrived the wait time was 90 minutes, so a change of plans required!    Read more

  • Darren and JanetNorfolk Island 2022
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    Hundred Acres, no Tiggers

    August 13, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    First stop after breakfast was the weekly produce market, on the lawns in the main street. There were 3 stalls this week - as we're leaving tomorrow we only bought 2 oranges to have for afternoon tea.

    Our drive today was south west, to Headstone Reserve and Hundred Acres Reserve.

    Headstone Reserve is named for the headstone there for two soldiers who went fishing and were washed off the rocks and drowned in 1850.

    A walking track through Hundred Acres Reserve leads to Rocky Point, home to an observation post during World War II, and now a popular bird watching location. We saw terns, kingfisher and silver eyes, but none of the famed mutton birds, red tailed tropic birds, or masked booby.

    It is also home to some massive Moreton Bay fig trees, believed to be 200 years old.

    We came back to town for lunch at a local cafe, and filled the car up with petrol - we drove 152km in the week, well inside our 35km per day inclusion! (for the record, petrol is $2.83/litre)

    Time for a quick dip in the outdoor spa, before heading out to dinner.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetNorfolk Island 2022
    1

    Norfuk Ailen - Yorlye kum baek sun*

    August 14, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Our last day on the island, and first stop after breakfast was the Sunday Market. There were about a dozen stalls of local crafts and produce under the verandah of the bond store.

    As our flight was mid afternoon, we drove back to the historic foreshore at Kingston for another walk around. We watched a boat being bought ashore via the pulley crane on the pier, which is raised by connecting their ute to a cable and reversing it along the pier.

    We returned to our hotel for coffee and cake, and to await our transport to the airport (about 2km, so easily walked if desired).

    Our flight to Sydney was on-time and smooth, and because flights to NI are from the international terminal, we had to clear immigration and customs before catching the airport train into the city.

    Dinner was Indonesian takeaway in our apartment.

    * "You all come back soon", traditional farewell from the island    Read more

  • Darren and JanetNorfolk Island 2022

    Circular Route To Circular Quay

    August 15, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We walked the streets of Sydney today, grabbing caches along the way.

    First stop Queen Victoria Building, home to the Great Australian Clock. At the time of installation, it was the world's largest hanging animated turret clock, weighing in at 4 tonnes (if you know of any bigger hanging animated turret clocks out there, let me know!)

    We continued via Hyde Park to Macquarie Place Park, and an artwork titled "The Distance of Your Heart". The art work takes the form of sixty seven bronze birds perched on balustrades, monuments, bus stops, and buildings on Bridge Street and in the park. They are gentle reminders to slow down and look around at the city.

    We continued to Circular Quay, complete with cruise boat in dock - an iconic view.

    Daily cache count = 27    Read more

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