Norfolk Island travel guide and things to do: Nine highlights

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This was published 2 years ago

Norfolk Island travel guide and things to do: Nine highlights

By Anthony Dennis
Take the opportunity to enjoy some of the best views of the island during your visit.

Take the opportunity to enjoy some of the best views of the island during your visit.Credit: Alamy

THE ONE ARTWORK

Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia, is home to descendants of Fletcher Christian's 1789 Mutiny on the Bounty. Discover their story at the Fletcher's Mutiny Cyclorama, a 360 degree painting, as it brings to life this extraordinary affair and how, with the acquiescence of Queen Victoria, early mutineer descendants eventually found their way to Norfolk Island after abandoning their original Pitcairn Island home. See norfolkcyclorama.com

THE ONE VIEW

Popular Mount Pitt, at 320 metres, provides sublime panoramic views of the island and the Pacific Ocean. Special too, are the vistas and setting afforded from the Captain Cook Memorial clifftop lookout inside Norfolk Island National Park. From here, where Cook and his officers landed in 1774, a series of karsts, a Great Ocean Road in miniature, emerge from the crashing sea as migratory birds swirl above. See parksaustralia.gov.au

THE ONE HISTORICAL SITE

Norfolk Island's extensive and dramatic British seaside penal ruins form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Australian Convict Sites listing. Rivalling Port Arthur, Tasmania, for breadth and being relatively intact, the Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area includes the beautifully-preserved Government House. The 1829 Georgian mansion opens to the public and visitors on select days. See norfolkisland.com.au

THE ONE STAY

Norfolk Island, unlike Lord Howe Island to which it's often compared, lacks the distinctive luxury lodge-style accommodation found on the latter isle. Some glamour wouldn't go astray on Norfolk but you won't be slumming it either at secluded King Tide House, a luxury home perched between a forest of pines and a cliff-face overlooking a bluer-than-blue Pacific. A guided island tour and a vehicle is generously included in the tariff. See kingtidehouse.com

THE ONE HOME

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Credit: Robin Nisbet Photography

Even if you think Colleen McCullough's books are for the (thorn) birds, do visit the late author's island home. She spent nearly four decades on the island with her property, Out Yenna, nowadays open to the public. The property itself is not special but its contents, preserved as she left them on her death in 2015, include an eccentric collection of priceless artworks, artefacts and furnishings, a testament to an extraordinarily rich life. See bauntitours.com

THE ONE CAFE

Everyone flocks to the friendly and buzzing Olive Cafe in the main settlement of Burnt Pine. It's the prime spot for breakfast, lunch and, of course, good coffee (Campos). Dine indoors or at one of the al fresco tables on the front lawn. A good, if quieter, cuppa can also be found at the newer and alternative Prinke Eco Store, directly opposite the tourist information centre. See norfolkisland.com.au

THE ONE TOUR

Unless you're super-fit, a conventional bicycle ride around hilly Norfolk Island would be strenuous. The problem is solved by Norfolk Island Fitness and Health and its hill-busting electric bikes. Owner Kelvin hosts highly-enjoyable guided tours departing at 9 am and 1 pm daily from the gym in the middle of Burnt Pine, to some of the most scenic parts of the island. See norfolkisland.com.au

THE ONE CHEESEMAKER

Take a tour of the local artisan goats cheese farm Hilli Goat (hilli is an island word meaning lazy or lethargic) where you'll not only meet the animals themselves but also learn about the milking and making processes, then tuck into lunch on the verandah of the owner's own seaside homestead. The meal features produce directly from the farm, including, of course, the house cheese, and the freshest daily fish catch. See norfolkisland.com.au

THE ONE BAR

True to its name, the Sunset Bar, is the spot from which to watch the Pacific sun dip below the Norfolk Pines. Outdoors and fully-licensed, with platters to tuck into, the stylish bar is set in the large front yard of a local couple's home. There's also a display of memorabilia, bequeathed to the owner by another former long-term celebrity resident of Norfolk Island, singing legend Helen Reddy. See norfolkisland.com.au

ONE MORE THING

Flights to Norfolk Island, now operated by Qantas, on selected weekdays depart from the Sydney and Brisbane international airports. Passports are preferred and be sure to complete Norfolk Island's COVID-19 essentials before you arrive. See qantas.com

The writer visited as a guest of Norfolk Island Tourism.

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