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Norfolk Island Getaway

June - July 2022
Tuesday 28th June - drive to Melbourne - stay that night.
Wednesday 29th June - meet up with Denise and Michael and fly to Brisbane - stay that night.
Thursday 30th June - fly to Norfolk Island for 6 days. Read more
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  • Janette and JohnNorfolk Island Getaway
    Day 1

    On our way.

    June 28, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Left at 1.30ish. Said goodbye to the cows and headed off. We've rolled out lots of hay so they'll be OK for a few days. A couple of neighbours will keep an eye on them while we're away. Kevin next door will give them a roll of hay Monday and Wednesday.
    We had the car booked in at Andrews Parking and had said we'd be there about 4pm.
    Got there at 4.15ish - the traffic down in Donnybrook / Tullamarine is unbelievable!
    After checking in to the hotel, we walked across to the airport to suss out where to go tomorrow morning. We printed our boarding passes at home and with them we can print our luggage tags by scanning the passes. These get attached to our cases and we send them off 'down the conveyer belt' - hopefully to be seen again…
    Back across to the hotel and an early dinner in their restaurant.
    Tomorrow - second leg - fly to Brisbane.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnNorfolk Island Getaway
    Day 3

    Melbourne, Brisbane, Norfolk Island.

    June 30, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Wednesday was really just travelling to Brisbane. We met Denise and Michael at Tullamarine Airport at about 9.00am. We were to fly out at 11.30 but the plane was late arriving. We left at 12.15. On arrival at Brisbane airport, we walked the 450 metres to our digs at the Ibis Hotel.
    Thursday - we flew to Norfolk Island. The flight left at 7.30am. This meant rising at 4.00am. and catching the shuttle-bus to the airport at 5.00am.
    Even though Norfolk Island is Australian territory, travel is through the international terminal and passports are required.
    We were met at the airport and shuttle bussed to Governors' Lodge Resort. It comprises 55, one bedroom cottages with kitchen / lounge and bathroom. The name derives from the roads in the resort being named after previous governors. Our address is 7 Darling Crescent - DC7.
    After a toastie and a cuppa, we organised wifi coverage. Denise and Michael went for a walk and Janette and I took the car into Burnt Pine. First stop, the Norfolk Island Telecom shop to buy a sim card followed by a wander around the shops.
    D & M walked some more. J & J explored some of the island by car although we have an orientation tour in the shuttle bus tomorrow morning at 8.30am.
    There are cattle and chooks everywhere along the roadsides - animals have right of way!
    Met in the evening for a lovely dinner at Bailey's, a restaurant in the resort.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnNorfolk Island Getaway
    Day 4

    Norfolk History - orientation tour.

    July 1, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After a hearty breakfast, we boarded the mini bus at 8.30 for an orientation tour of the island with driver Max.
    As he drove, he gave a potted history of Norfolk Island settlement.
    First, north to Cascade Bay. There is a pier here: it is one of the two piers where supply ships can be unloaded to resupply the island. The other pier is on the south coast at Slaughter Bay, Kingston (slaughter meant swamp).
    There is nowhere for ships to dock here. On approach to N I, the weather conditions dictate which pier is to be used. The supply ship waits offshore and everything is unloaded into barges to be ferried to the pier and unloaded again. It takes two to three days to unload.
    We then headed for Kingston.
    Kingston was the original settlement site on the island and still has some amazing old buildings including the Governor's House where the current administrator resides.
    We continued on the tour with commentary and had a lovely cream tea at Orn Daa Cliff - a farm house on the western side of the island with lovely views and and set up to cater for functions - eg. Sunset fish dinners and with local girls performing Tahitian dances.
    Just nearby was the lovely St Barnabus Anglican church with its interesting construction. The pews face inwards to the aisle rather than across the church. For this reason, it is a popular place for couples to marry.
    There is a memorial garden next to the church. It contains gravestones moved from a Melanesian mission. Next to that again is a huge, old Sri Lankan fig tree.
    We took note of places and things we would like to do…    Read more

  • Janette and JohnNorfolk Island Getaway
    2
    Day 4

    From tourist to convict.

    July 1, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After being delivered back to our digs, we headed into town (Burnt Pine). The cattle here just free range around the roads. They are all owned and have ear-tags. The owners know where their cattle are likely to be as they are 'territorial'. Like our cattle, they are 'hefted' to their territory and know where they belong.
    Many driveways have cattle grids to stop the cattle 'visiting'. The same applies to the town: there are cattle grids and pedestrian gates on every approach to town.
    We booked the Convict Dinner for tonight and the Progressive Dinner for Monday night. The Convict Dinner is held in the hotel across the road from us and requires us to dress in the convict outfits supplied to us when we booked. The Progressive Dinner will be entree, dinner and dessert with three different local families.
    After a light lunch at the little cafe near the airport we went for a drive around the island. Max, our driver from this morning, had pointed out a few things, one of which was the turnoff to the lookout on Mt Pitt, so that was the first stop.
    As he promised, there are excellent views of the island.
    Down in Kingston we visited the Pier Store Museum which had a really informative time line of Norfolk Island’s history and also many artefacts found by members of the first fleet. These were an indication of Polynesian presence prior to Cook’s discovery.
    A little further along the coast is the cemetery. The far end has the oldest graves and as you approach that section, the old, original gateposts to the cemetery are still there. There are names that feature frequently - Quintal, Adams, Christian, Evans, Buffett… Many people drowned and there are many, many children and infants buried there.
    Back to the hotel to don our convict outfits and venture across the road for a lovely old fashioned meal and an evening of hilarity and fun. We had to be there by 6.00pm under threat of a flogging if we were late.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnNorfolk Island Getaway
    Day 4

    Mary and Sarah Lucas.

    July 1, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    The main reason Denise and Michael wanted to visit Norfolk Island was to locate the burial place of Mary and Sarah Lucas.
    They were the twin daughters of Michael's three times great grandparents, Nathaniel Lucas and Olivia Gascoinge.
    They are buried at Emily Bay, Kingston.
    Michael located the plaque marking the grave site. To our surprise, there were still quite fresh flowers at each side of the plaque.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnNorfolk Island Getaway
    1
    Day 5

    Wahoo Saturday.

    July 2, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Woke to the sound of birds again.
    After breakfast we drove into town to get back the deposits on our convict outfits from last night. A roadside sign yesterday said there would be a farmers market this morning. When we got there we couldn't see any sign of a market. Perhaps there hadn't been much enthusiasm by participants.
    Had another exploratory drive. On our orientation tour we had passed four massive morton bay figs outside 'The Homestead Restaurant' . We drove there with a view to booking into the restaurant. Unfortunately it was closed due to staff having covid, but we had a good look at the trees. They really are massive.
    We headed back to town to the bookshop as Denise is looking for a particular book. The shop owner said she will make enquiries re it's availability.
    Had a coffee near the shoe and book shops. Burnt Pine is a bit like Melbourne was once: most places close at midday on Saturdays.
    There is a bar in town which has a lawn area out the front. A sign says live music 3 - 6 every Sunday. We had been advised to book a table if we were going and wanted a seat. We went and booked and asked about the possibility of dinner as well. It seems they may do a laksa but they may not. This is typical of the laidback attitude we're seeing here.
    The Bounty Bar and Grill is highly recommended so we went to book for dinner tonight. It was fully booked but she said if we were happy to arrive at 5.30, she would fit us in - very early but we booked.
    Lunched at the Olive Shop then back 'home'. I wrote some of the blog. Janette caught up on the washing. Denise and Michael took the car and went 'bush' for a walk.
    5.30 and we duly arrived at the Bounty. We were greeted with much enthusiasm as there was a very special, special on the menu tonight. A Wahoo had been caught! Only six or seven a year are caught and when one is caught, the whole island knows about it. This restaurant bought it. We all said that we would have that.

    Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh makes it a prized and valued game fish.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnNorfolk Island Getaway
    Day 6

    Market, memorial and music.

    July 3, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    First up today, the Sunday morning market in town. Because it looked like it would rain, the stalls were back under the building verandahs. The goods were mostly souvenir items. We bought a 2023 calendar and a N I recipe book. Denise purchased some locally made "knitting Nancy's" for the grandchildren.
    Michael had checked the map and pointed out there were some roads we still hadn't explored.
    We headed for Puppy's Point on the west coast. This spot has several nice picnic spots and is a highly recommended sunset viewing spot. We might not get to verify that as the main ingredient for that - the Sun -is missing at the moment due to the overcast conditions. Nevertheless, it's worth a visit anytime for the views.
    Next destination was the north coast and Captain Cook's Memorial. More amazing views - even higher cliffs and even more exposed and windy.
    Back to town and a visit to Cyclorama.

    “Fletcher’s Mutiny Cyclorama is about as close as you can get to watching Norfolk Island’s history unfold without whipping out a time machine. Creating a cyclorama to explain this part of our history was the idea of Marie Bailey, a descendant of Fletcher Christian.
    Measuring 3.6 metres in height and 50 metres in circumference, this 360° painting puts you at the centre of our story, with scenes depicting the voyage and mutiny on the Bounty and the settlement of the island.
    Standing in the middle of the panoramic masterpiece – with music, sound, props and 3D illusions enhancing the effect – it’s not hard to imagine yourself in the thick of the action. Listen carefully to the cyclorama soundtrack and you’ll hear snippets of Norf’k, a language still spoken by islanders to this day”

    https://www.norfolkcyclorama.com/

     1.00pm - it looked like the Olive Shop was the only place open in town, so we lunched there again.
    We had decided to check out 'The Local'. They have live music from 3.00pm every Sunday. The entertainers were really good. If you weren't looking, one could have been Johnny Cash. We stayed till about 4.30. It was quite windy and cool and we had arranged to meet Kyle at 5.30 for drinks. We were to meet at the Boatshed, one of the restaurants at the resort.
    We had the drink with Kyle (a colleague of Candice and a resident of N I) and then decided we would dine there together. It was a very pleasant evening and we were able to pick Kyle's brains about N I.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnNorfolk Island Getaway
    Day 7

    Kingston - the original N I settlement.

    July 4, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We had bought a museum pass which gave us access to all museums and to some guided tours. This morning's tour meant meeting at the Royal Engineers Office at 9.30am. There we met our guide, Allan, who was waiting for any interested parties to join him.
    First stop was the Commissariat Store on Quality Row. It was built to store and dispense the Penal Colony's supplies and equipment. It replaced an earlier building, closer to the water, which had been hit by a tsunami. This one is on higher ground. It only took 7 months to build. They did, after all, have hundreds of convicts to do the work.
    Inside, it contains a multitude of stories and relics relating to Kingston's settlement.
    The Rev. Brice took photographs c1867 which form a panoramic view of Kingston. It shows what Kingston looked like from the houses higher up on Quality Row. The far left of the panorama shows the very faint image of a windmill. In a mill near the pier, the cogs were turned by chain gang convicts turning a large crank handle. There was also a water mill driven by water from a manmade pond.
    Further along Quality Row, we visited a house set up as it probably once was when the Colonisers first lived in them. There were first, second and third class residences which were allocated dependent on the person's class or rank. The one we saw was a second class house.
    Vegetables and pigs were probably grown in the surrounding area. There are some old stone huts in a couple of paddocks. We speculate the these might well have been shepherds' huts.
    Suddenly it was close to lunch time. Janette had ordered a book yesterday, so we went to pick that up. This was also an opportunity to look at the shoe shops again!    Read more

  • Janette and JohnNorfolk Island Getaway
    Day 7

    Queen Victoria's Garden.

    July 4, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Our address here is Queen Elizabeth Avenue. Just across and down a bit from our digs is the Queen Victoria Garden in the grounds of Cyclorama. Probably because Queen Victoria gave N I to the Pitcairners, the locals are very royalist. There are Union Jacks and posters wishing QEII a happy jubilee on the garden fence and in some shop windows.
    After lunch, Denise and Michael went for a walk: they're fitter than we are.
    Janette and I went for a stroll in the Queen Victoria Garden.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnNorfolk Island Getaway
    Day 7

    Progressive dinner.

    July 4, 2022 on Norfolk Island ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Tonight we dined at three local houses on a progressive dinner.
    We were picked up at reception and climbed into a mini bus. Two mini buses collected 44 of us in total from several locations. Our driver was John Christian.
    First stop, Duncan and Terri's. A choice of sherry or juice accompanied by finger food on their verandah. Then, after going inside, Duncan told us their story. They've been on N I for forty years.
    Main course was at Sam and Tracy's. All 44 of us were accommodated at dining tables in their living room. A delicious roast was served to the tables. Sam then told us his story: his mother was a 'Christian'.
    For desert, we headed to Alison Christian's. What a comedian!    Read more

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