Norfolk Island 2022 | FindPenguins

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Inizio del viaggio
7 agosto 2022
Norfolk Island 2022 Darren and Janet
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Giorno 1
domenica 7 agosto 2022
⛅ 15 °C
Altitudine: 8 m
Australia Mascot Park -33.926034, 151.18779533°55’34” S 151°11’16” E
On the way... almost!
7 agosto 2022, 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.Leggi altro
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sam and brucesounds like a successful caching day despite the delay. hope you made it to NI eventually
08/08/22Risposta
3 mi piace
Norfolk Island 2022 Darren and Janet
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Giorno 2
lunedì 8 agosto 2022
☀️ 18 °C
Altitudine: 71 m
Isola Norfolk Cascade Creek -29.021636, 167.96905729°1’18” S 167°58’9” E
Welcome to Norfolk, Yu laik sum plun*
8 agosto 2022, Isola Norfolk ⋅ ☀️ 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 bananasLeggi altro
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3 mi piace
Norfolk Island 2022 Darren and Janet
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Giorno 3
martedì 9 agosto 2022
⛅ 16 °C
Altitudine: 54 m
Isola Norfolk Cascade Creek -29.021838, 167.96990729°1’19” S 167°58’12” E
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Cascade and Cockpit
9 agosto 2022, Isola Norfolk ⋅ ⛅ 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.Leggi altro
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sam and brucelooks like a Janet pitstop!
09/08/22Risposta
Darren and Janetcome to think if it, there was a waterfall nearby...
09/08/22Risposta
John Kalaitzis Very nice. What is the name of those Pines again?
09/08/22Risposta
3 mi piace
Norfolk Island 2022 Darren and Janet
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Giorno 4
mercoledì 10 agosto 2022
⛅ 16 °C
Altitudine: Livello del mare
Isola Norfolk Emily Bay -29.06106, 167.96246629°3’40” S 167°57’45” E
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Kingston Town
10 agosto 2022, Isola Norfolk ⋅ ⛅ 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.Leggi altro
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John Kalaitzis Great photo!
10/08/22Risposta
John Kalaitzis So how did they get in to the door prior to the steps?
10/08/22Risposta
Darren and Janetwe can only assume the lower floor was the main entrance and there's a secret door behind the steps?!?
10/08/22Risposta
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Norfolk Island 2022 Darren and Janet
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Giorno 5
giovedì 11 agosto 2022
☀️ 16 °C
Altitudine: 94 m
Isola Norfolk Anson Bay -29.007796, 167.92372929°0’28” S 167°55’25” E
Walking the National Park
11 agosto 2022, Isola Norfolk ⋅ ☀️ 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.Leggi altro
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sam and brucewondering if you know if the island was inhabited when Cook arrived
11/08/22Risposta
Darren and JanetNo, uninhabited when he landed. Archaeological digs suggest Polynesian occupation between 1150 and 1450. Cook's journals mentioned an abundance of giant pines and flax, which he thought suitable for ship masts and sailcloth. These led to the first convict settlement in 1788.
11/08/22Risposta
sam and bruceoh very interesting, thanks!
12/08/22Risposta
2 mi piace
Norfolk Island 2022 Darren and Janet
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Giorno 6
venerdì 12 agosto 2022
⛅ 17 °C
Altitudine: 94 m
Isola Norfolk Point Blackbourne -29.045716, 167.99106829°2’45” S 167°59’28” E
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Fish, chips, cows and chickens
12 agosto 2022, Isola Norfolk ⋅ ⛅ 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!Leggi altro
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sam and bruce amazing, i guess the farmer just comes to find their cows if they want them
12/08/22Risposta
Darren and Janetyeah, not sure how they find them, we were wondering the same ourselves! We'll investigate 😁
12/08/22Risposta
sam and bruce wont get much fresher than that. hope it was tasty
12/08/22Risposta
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Norfolk Island 2022 Darren and Janet
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Giorno 7
sabato 13 agosto 2022
☁️ 17 °C
Altitudine: 46 m
Isola Norfolk Rocky Point -29.050707, 167.92182729°3’3” S 167°55’19” E
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Hundred Acres, no Tiggers
13 agosto 2022, Isola Norfolk ⋅ ☁️ 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.Leggi altro
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sam and bruce omg, they are absolutely amazing. when i was a very small child, i declared these trees had big muscles!
14/08/22Risposta
sam and bruce gee a whole 3 stalls, hope you didnt loose each other in the crowds
14/08/22Risposta
Darren and Janetluckily Oliver wearing hi-vis... and I managed to get the whole market in one photo!
14/08/22Risposta
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Giorno 8
domenica 14 agosto 2022
⛅ 18 °C
Altitudine: 95 m
Isola Norfolk Norfolk Island Airport -29.033925, 167.93807529°2’2” S 167°56’17” E
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Norfuk Ailen - Yorlye kum baek sun*
14 agosto 2022, Isola Norfolk ⋅ ⛅ 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 islandLeggi altro
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sam and brucethanks for an incredible virtual tour of NI, sad you are leaving!
14/08/22Risposta
sam and bruce very interesting, never seen that before
14/08/22Risposta
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Norfolk Island 2022 Darren and Janet
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Giorno 9
lunedì 15 agosto 2022
☁️ 17 °C
Altitudine: 21 m
Australia Jessie Street Gardens -33.862104, 151.20994833°51’44” S 151°12’36” E
Circular Route To Circular Quay
15 agosto 2022, 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 = 27Leggi altro
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sam and brucethats one very large hanging clock. what else have you been up to?
19/08/22Risposta
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Fine del viaggio
19 agosto 2022