Norfolk Island is a beautiful and intriguing place. If you’ve heard of it, I’ll bet you’re thinking it’s a place for retirees. It’s true, a lot of its visitors are older and on organised tours. But it’s also a very accessible, easy and safe place to visit independently and with children. If you’re planning to go, you may find it difficult to find up-to-date information on independently travelling there like I did. This little guide is to impart some of my knowledge pieced together from visiting Norfolk Island in January 2025.
Since this is usually a history blog and Norfolk Island’s history is the reason I dragged my family there in the first place, I am intellectually incapable of not putting history into this post. I promise I won’t go on about it too much!
You can skip to the Tips here:
A very, VERY brief history of Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is situated in the South Pacific Ocean around 2,000 km from the east coast of Australia. Evidence of human habitation there dates to around 1,000 years ago when the Polynesians visited and left banana trees behind. It was officially ‘discovered’ (uninhabited – or so he said) by Captain James Cook and claimed as a British territory in 1774 on the same voyage where he ‘claimed’ Australia. Cook admired the large pine trees and thought they would be useful for making ship masts. Like many other things, he was completely wrong. Nevertheless, he chopped a pile of them down, marked its position and named the fertile rock Norfolk Island.
In 1788, three months after the First Fleet arrived in Sydney, a contingent of soldiers and convicts arrived to set up a settlement on Norfolk Island. The pine trees turned out to be too knotty for ship’s masts but did come in handy for making housing. Not surprisingly, it was a very hard and difficult life for these early settlers but they cleared huge swathes of land and planted crops, with moderate success. At its peak, over 1,000 people lived on the island. Very little survives of this first settlement except the remnants of the HMS Sirius, one of the First Fleet ships wrecked off the coast. This settlement lasted until around 1814 when the expense and remoteness caused the British to order its abandonment.
‘Decaying morals’ also played a part because what else is there to do for fun in such a situation?
Norfolk Island remained vacant for 11 years until another penal settlement arrived from Sydney with Captain Turton. This settlement was for the ‘worst of the worst’ criminals who Turton tasked with quarrying large swathes of rock and building permanent buildings. These buildings survive today in remarkably robust condition protected as part of UNESCO’s Australian Convict Sites.
By the 1850s, religious objections to the diabolical treatment of the convicts on Norfolk Island shamed the British into closing the site down. Around the same time, word came through that 196 people living on the even more remote Pitcairn Island needed a new home.
Most of the Pitcairn Islanders descended from eight crew men onboard the British Naval ship Bounty. Led by Fletcher Christian, they had mutinied in 1790 taking the ship with them and abandoning their Captain, William Bligh and his followers to their fate in the middle of the Pacific. Returning to Tahiti to pick up 12 of their women ‘friends’ and five Polynesian men, the mutineers stumbled on Pitcairn and decided to make their home there. All but one of the men lasted a few short years before they killed each other or themselves, leaving the 12 women to raise all their little kids by themselves and grow sufficient food to feed them all on a remote rock in the middle of nowhere.
The sole surviving mutineer, John Adams, decided to embrace Christianity and when the British eventually discovered the islanders – thriving, because those women were absolutely extraordinary – their piousness helped gain them sympathy and support from missionaries.
A few more men arrived over the years to contribute to the gene pool but eventually, the tiny island could no longer support its population. In 1856, the British offered them the newly vacated Norfolk Island as a new home. At first, the Pitcairners thought they would be getting the whole island but no, each family were only given 50 acres. The British also sold a large swathe of the island off to new settlers, a chunk was set aside for the Melanesian Mission and another portion for public space. Since two of the families, the Quintals and Christians, were almost 50 people strong, the division of their portion of land as descendants married became tricky.
But these were capable and resourceful people with a strong sense of community. Most made Norfolk Island their home and many of their descendants remain there today. But some did return to Pitcairn Island and set up the beginnings of the present day settlement there.
The Pitcairners learnt to grow new produce, educated themselves about money and economics and traded with their new neighbours. It was in no way an easy existence. Nevertheless, improvements in the speed of oceangoing travel meant that by the 1920s lemon trees planted during the convict era to help combat scurvy proved a briefly lucrative export crop to Sydney. The Norfolkers also got into whaling, bean seeds, passionfruit, fish, and other exports to try to stimulate the island’s economy. Its distance always proved a major barrier.
Then in the 1960s, they hit on the idea of importing and growing kentia palms from Lord Howe Island. These they still sell today to European film production companies too cheap to film in the South Pacific. The next was duty free shopping to Australian and NZ tourists.
The first tourists arrived after WWII (when the island gained its first airstrip) and Norfolk Island’s complicated official status with Australia and New Zealand meant that soon after, it became a duty free haven. International travel was very expensive and Norfolk’s two hour flying time from Sydney made it a cheap alternative for duty free goods. Island entrepreneurs set up shops and sold jewellery, watches, clothing and other imported goods, investing their profits back into the community. Of course, it was not long before outsiders began doing the same thing but took all their profits with them, much to the chagrin of the islanders.
Today, tourism is the mainstay of Norfolk Island’s economy and it still has a very complicated relationship with Australia. It can not survive without Australian support. At the present time, the NSW Government runs the national park, heritage site, marine park and the public spaces, the Qld Government provides health and education services and the Norfolk Island regional council looks after everything else.
Some islanders, often the ones who can trace their heritage back to Pitcairn Island, feel Australia is not allowing them any say about their home. Others are magnanimous about the need for Australian support and still others feel the Australians are unfairly blamed for all the island’s struggles. Every islander has a different opinion on what should be done about this and is not afraid to tell you all about it - so it makes for fascinating conversations.
Norfolk Islanders are entrepreneurial, innovative and progressive, especially about sustainability and dealing with their waste. They have to be, it costs a fortune to export rubbish and import fuel. They have a highly sophisticated recycling program called Norfolk Wave where they process far more recycling than we do here in Melbourne, everyone has solar panels to keep their electricity costs down and the island has two Tesla batteries to help at night. Businesses are locally owned and supported, often by 6 - 8 generation Pitcairn Island descendants. They consider their heritage a major asset and business selling point.
Now, I’m not going to give you any advice on what to see or do. It’s a small place and you can figure that out yourself. Instead, here are some things I learned that will help you on your way.
Tip 1: Bring as much packaged food as you can fit in your luggage
Every processed food item on Norfolk Island is 2x to 2.5x more expensive than it is on mainland Australia. You can not bring in fresh fruit, vegetables, meat or honey but you can bring as much processed food as you can fit in your luggage and still make the weight requirements. To cut down on food purchase costs, some of the items we shoved in our luggage for our nine-day stay were:
Boxes of cereal for the kids
A carton of soy milk (for dietary purposes)
Coffee and tea
A bag of rice
A box of spaghetti
Peanut butter and marmite
A small bottle of olive oil
Small bottles of salt, pepper, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomato sauce and mustard
A few packets of Maggi meal mixes, tomato paste, onion and garlic powder
A box of Salada crackers
Flat wraps
A few cans of tomatoes and tuna
We still had to buy milk (long-life because it costs too much in electricity to pasteurise fresh milk on the island) but fresh bread and meat is easily available. Bread is around $7 a loaf and meat is similar to Australian prices.
If you are vegan, vegetarian and/or gluten-free I suggest leaving stuff out of your luggage and replacing it with packaged food because this is a meat lover’s paradise.
Also bring any medications you might need and the extra stuff like band-aids and Panadol that you might not.
I also overheard someone in the airport saying there’s STDs around in the backpacker/hospitality community. This is probably because of the expense of purchasing condoms. If you use them or think you might, bring a supply with you.
Tip 2: Plan your flight to arrive for the Fresh Food Market on Saturday morning
Flights to Norfolk come from Sydney and Brisbane. We arrived on the Friday afternoon flight from Sydney. I’m very glad we did because the best chance for fresh fruit and vegetables was the Saturday market near the Burnt Pine tourist information centre. The island’s farmers bring in their leftover produce grown during the week. You need to be there at 7.30 am because it’s all over by 9 am. We bought whatever we knew we would eat and it lasted us nicely for most of our nine-day stay. It was all organic and entirely seasonal, meaning we did not get much fruit except a bag of guavas and some bananas but we did get tomatoes, capsicum, avocadoes, lettuce and corn.
The supermarket also sells local fruit and vegetables but most of the time, the boxes were empty. If you miss the Saturday market, try the supermarket early every day because even when produce randomly turns up, it disappears quickly.
Tip 3: Opening hours are a guide only
As with the fresh produce, the best time to shop for food is first thing in the morning. There’s a butcher and baker in Norfolk Mall that open at 7 am and 8 am respectively. The supermarket in the Norfolk Mall is open every day but all the other shops in Burnt Pine have different opening hours from each other. Sometimes they are open when they say they are, sometimes not. They won’t give you an explanation of why they’re closed, they just are. Maybe they have another gig somewhere else, maybe they’re sick, maybe they can’t be bothered today – you just roll with it.
In general, shops close on Wednesday afternoon for ladies’ bowling afternoon and Saturday afternoon for the men’s bowling afternoon. Most shops and museum tours are also closed Sunday. Plan accordingly.
Tip 4: Bring a supply of cash
All stores will take credit cards but you’re going to need cash. There’s a CBA ATM but bring some with you. The Saturday market and the Sunday Craft Market are both cash only. There are roadside stalls that sell jams and pickled produce you can take home with you and they are cash only too. If there’s power trouble or the shop’s EFTPOS machine is broken, it will be cash only too.
This is a remote island. If no-one on the island knows how to fix something it doesn’t get fixed until someone turns up who can fix it. That’s why the desalination plant isn’t working during a drought.
Tip 5: You need to carry water with you
Norfolk Island has no scheme water and relies entirely on rainwater for its water supply. It has solar-powered BBQs and toilets at scenic lookouts but does not provide a supply of drinking water or public drinking fountains. It doesn’t have shops all over the island to buy water so you need to bring a water bottle and fill it before you go out.
Tip 6: Your Australian phone won’t work and the WIFI is limited
The WIFI at our accommodation was more for checking email than streaming shows on Netflix. It wasn’t available in the room so we had to go to the office to use it. If you want to enjoy your shows while you’re there, download them all before you get on the plane. If you think you’ll need to make phone calls while you’re there, you can buy a local SIM for $30 with a data plan that will use the local network.
There’s a Kids Entertainment Area across the road from the tourist information office. It has virtual reality, YouTube and a trampoline but baffling opening hours. If you’ve got school aged kids, it’s a good option for getting a break from them. That’s if you can catch it open!
Tip 7: You can hire a car on the island
Norfolk Island’s tourism is geared towards older people who don’t tend to walk around much. It’s also home to older people who are not, let me say, at the peak of their fitness. There are cars everywhere – sometimes it was hard to cross the street – and everyone drives everywhere. It’s a hilly place.
Everything we read said you had to hire a car to get around the island. We decided to wait and see when we go there.
This bemused the cows and the local people found it quite scandalous.
For the first few days we walked down to the beach, around the town and around the National Park. It was quite pleasant as we chatted more to the kids and each other than we would’ve otherwise. The kids whinged about walking back up the hill from the main beach at Emily Bay but that’s because they’re unfit. Several people felt more sorry for them than we did and offered us (them) lifts up the hill.
We also used the taxi service for two trips. This was expensive ($10 per person) but the taxi driver gave us lots of tips and information (e.g. that’s how we found out about the kid’s area) so it was worth it.
For the second half of our stay, we hired a car organised two days before. This meant we could go out to areas that would take a long time to walk to and back. It cost about $55 a day through our accommodation and we had to fill up only once at $2.80 per litre.
In short, if you’ve only got a few days, hire a car and you’ll be able to see the whole island. If you have over a week, give it a few days if you like walking places and want to enjoy the scenery, then hire a car locally.
Sometimes a car comes with a package holiday so you do what you want with that information.
Tip 8: There’s lovely hiking and snorkelling opportunities
Norfolk Island is nicely set up for hiking. The National Park is spectacularly scenic, well sign posted, with information boards on the local flora, fauna and historical sites. We asked the taxi driver (there’s only one) to drop us at Captain Cook Monument on the north side of the island. We walked through the park and down to Burnt Pine in a few hours. This was a delightful way to spend the day and we made it back in time for an ice cream at the ice cream parlour.
It’s warmer in the National Park than at the beach because its more sheltered from the near constant breeze so see Tip 5 on the importance of carrying water.
The snorkelling is a solid 8 out of ten. The only two sites are from Emily Bay to Slaughter Bay and at Bumbora in Cresswell Bay. It’s quite sheltered, the coral is healthy, the fish varied and we even saw a turtle. The breeze picked up but it was quite manageable as it pushed you on shore.
We brought our own snorkelling gear. There was none available to borrow at our accommodation but there might be at others.
Swimming wise: There is no surf life-saving on the island so you’re on your own. If you’re not a confident swimmer, Emily Bay is calm and sheltered. It has a pontoon in the middle that the kids loved jumping and diving off. You can try and swim at Anson Bay but it’s got quite a surf so you’ll need to be confident.
I found the water temperature very pleasant. The skinny members of my family got a little cold but the two of us with body fat were fine.
Tip 9: The tours are informative and interesting but you don't have to go on all of them
Tours are the bread and butter of Norfolk Island’s tourism industry. It makes sense because most of the tourism is geared towards cashed-up retirees who aren’t that mobile.
We went on an Island Orientation Tour (because we didn’t have the car) the day after we arrived, a Farm and Industry tour because I was interested in how people actually survive on the island; and a Tagalong Tour that came for free with our $35 museum ticket.
You can easily go on two tours a day if that’s your cup of tea. Old people are nice and everything but it’s not for us.
One of the great things about each tour was that every guide was a long-term resident and possessed a wealth of knowledge about their subject acquired from living there for decades, rather than just learnt information. The guy who did the Orientation Tour was an eighth generation Quintal; the woman on the Food and Industry tour a sixth generation McCoy (both Pitcairn Island descendants) the Tagalong Tour was a newbie, having only moved to Norfolk Island with his parents in the 1960s.
Tip 10: The history of the island’s women needs more attention
This is less a tip than an observation: the women’s history on the island is lacking. I asked the Tagalong Tour guide the question that had bugged me for days: whether all the Pitcairn Islanders were in-bred. He said “no” because the Polynesian women had their ‘ways’ for making sure that didn’t happen. This made them even more extraordinary than I’d originally thought. Afterwards, a lady on the tour came up and thanked me for asking the question because she’d wanted to know too! But there was really nothing written about these amazing women at all.
Every islander I spoke to said how strong and involved the women had always been in the island’s affairs. They were the first women in Western culture to participate in democracy (the decision to move to Norfolk Island was taken by vote) yet their significance to the island’s history is all caught up in the mutineers’.
If you’re going for the history, ask lots of questions because the islanders love to talk about their island and are very forthright with their opinions.
I hope this guide helps and please, do yourself a favour and visit Norfolk Island. It’s a very beautiful and fascinating place!
留言