• EXCURSIONS & TOURS • ACCOMMODATION • CAR/CAMPER HIRE • TRAINS • CRUISES • SPECIAL INTEREST •

More than two and a half million years ago the island that is now known as Norfolk was formed from the lava ejected by an undersea volcano. Physically the island is the highest point in a huge chain of mountains running 1100 miles from New Zealand to New Caledonia: the Norfolk Ridge. Eastward this vast submerged range is separated from the Australian continent by a plain 10,000 feet below sea level and a trench plunging more than 33,000 feet into the earth's crust. The island's highest point, Mount Bates, stands at 1,085 feet above sea level, but in actual fact is the tip of a mountain much larger than Mount Everest, the bulk of Mount Bates being submerged under the blue waters of the South Pacific.
Erosion of the island's coast by the surrounding sea has reduced the island to about one-third its original size, and has formed the high cliffs that now make up much of its rugged coastline.

Norfolk Island is about 1,700 kilometers east-north-east of Sydney, a flying time of two-and-a-half hours.
Norfolk Island is eleven and a half hours ahead of GMT and does not adopt a "summertime". "Norfolk time", however, is an expression meaning give or take a few hours.
Norfolk's climate is subtropical. Summer temperatures (December-March) average about 25C and winter temperatures (June-September) average about 18C. Yearly rainfall is approximately 1200 mm, most of which falls in the winter.

Many of the 1,900 residents are descendants of Fletcher Christian and the Bounty Mutineers, a unique mix of English, American whalers and Tahitian. The total population reaches up to 3500 in peak tourist season. At any one time the tourist population combined with temporary residents can easily exceed the local population.
Although English is the official language, though Pitcairners boasts its own unique language, (a mixture of platt Deutsch, Old English and Tahitian), and a haunting history as one of the world's harshest convict colonies.

Australia's Norfolk Island Act prohibits the Norfolk Island Government from issuing its own currency. Australian notes and coins are the legal tender of the island; however New Zealand currency is accepted at a number of places. The two banks on the island (Westpac and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia) can convert currency for you. Major credit cards are also widely accepted.

The shopping on Norfolk Island is particularly good due to the absence of Australian Government taxes and duties, Norfolk Island is a tax free haven of Australia.
A wide range of wines, beers, spirits and liqueurs are available from the island's Liquor Bond which is situated near the Post Office on Taylors Road in Burnt Pine's town centre. On many items, discounts of 30% are offered to visitors, so be sure to take your passport and air ticket.
There are more than 70 specialty shops on Norfolk selling goods that are completely tax free. Many of the stores are specialists stocking a diverse range of quality merchandise such as shoes, clothes, apparel, sporting goods and toys.

The island covers 3,455 hectares (8,533 acres), a third of which is national parks and reserves. Birds are prolific, and the lagoon and ocean reefs have more than 100 varieties of coral. The mild subtropical climate makes the island ideal for such outdoor activities as fishing, bushwalking, scuba diving, snorkelling, surfing/windsurfing and golfing. Take a boat trip around the island or a 4WD tour. Duty-free shopping is a highlight and bargains can be found among luxury items. Norfolk Island also hosts a number of festivals celebrating its history and its future.

Should these island delights be appealing, please continue to discover what is offered!

Getting to Norfolk Island

Norfolk Island is situated approximately 1000 kilometers east of the Australian coast, 1670kms ENE of Sydney, 1065kms NNW of Auckland and 772kms SE of Noumea.

If you're coming from Australia, you will fly direct to the island in under 2 - hours from Sydney or Brisbane.
The trip from Melbourne or Adelaide requires a change of planes in Sydney, so it normally takes about 4 hours. From Perth, it's somewhat longer and some travellers like to take a stopover in Sydney.

Remember that Norfolk is not a Territory of Australia, but simply a territory under its control, so flights leave from the International Terminal.

The Air New Zealand journey takes just 1 - hours from Auckland or 2 - hours from Christchurch.

Norfolk Jet Express flies from Sydney and Brisbane to Norfolk four times a week. Standard fares are approximately A$760.00 p.p. return, but Norfolk Jet Express runs regular specials.
Air New Zealand flies to Norfolk from Auckland twice weekly, for approximately A$675.00 p.p. return.
Please inquire further for air fares.

Passports are required to enter Norfolk Island, but no special visa; every visitor is deemed to hold a thirty-day visitor's visa. Applications for extensions up to a total stay of 120 days can be lodged with Norfolk Island's Immigration Department.

Accommodation
Accommodation on the island is varied from resort-style hotels to self-contained apartments.
Choose between fully serviced hotel style accommodation or fully equipped apartments.

HIGHLANDS LODGE & COTTAGES

Those whom have experienced a Singapore Sling in the Raffles of old or read the tales of Mr Kipling will know and understand what Highlands is all about. It is life in the grand style. It is luxury, charm and elegance. It is a delicate blend of comfort, convenience and beauty that is much sought after but seldom found.
Set amidst 50 acres of natural sub-tropical forest, Highlands offers some of the most stunning views on Norfolk Island. The private, award winning gardens are lush havens of peace.

The silence is deafening only broken by chirping birdlife or the sound of tennis balls lobbing back and forth on the all weather tennis court....it's one of the best on the island, superbly maintained for champions and amateurs alike.
You can choose to stay in the main house or the separate cottage and you can have bed and breakfast only or be pampered with a full meal service. Naturally, all rooms have en-suites, room service and all the comforts one would expect from such a fine establishment.
There is warmth, a sense of that personal touch in all the rooms.
You will notice it in the furnishings, the greenery, the flowers, in the lounge and dining rooms, you are surrounded by rich natural timbers and welcomed by the hospitality of all the Martin family whose pride and devotion have made Highlands what it is. It is hard to justice to Highlands in just a few words, it must be experienced to be fully appreciated.

Facilities:-	Swimming pool, licensd restaurant and lounge, tennis court, barbecue, guest laundry, telephone/fax.
Lodge room facilities:	Fan, colour TV, balcony, lounge, radio, electric blankets, tea/coffee making facilities, fridge.
Banana House facilities:	Fan, colour TV, phone, balcony, lounge, radio, electric blankets, kitchen facilities.

RATES: Valid 1/4/2001 - 31/3/2002 Per Room in AUD.
	Sole Occupancy	Twin/Double	Extra Person
Garden Rooms	138.00	153.00	44.00
Superior Rooms	194.00	209.00	44.00
One Bedroom Cottage	122.00	122.00	28.00
Two Bedroom Cottage	145.00	145.00	28.00

Breakfast included in room rates but not cottage rates.
Children under 15 years cost A$13.00 per day when sharing with an adult.

CASTAWAY HOTEL AND APARTMENTS
Located minutes from the town centre, this hotel offers both fully serviced standard or superior hotel rooms and self contained apartments. Set in subtropical gardens, this hotel offers you a cocktail bar, gymnasium, guest laundry and a Licensed restaurant which is famous for its' Pitcairn dinner. Facilities in the rooms include TV, minibar, tea & coffee facilities, fans, telephone, electric blankets and patios/balconies.

Enjoy the lounge with its open log fire and experience true Norfolk Island hospitality from the owners who are direct descendants of Fletcher Christian.

RATES: Valid 1/4/2001 - 31/3/2002 Per Room in AUD.
	Sole Occupancy	Twin/Double	Extra Person
Garden Rooms	106.00	106.00	28.00
Superior Rooms	122.00	122.00	28.00
One Bedroom Cottage	122.00	122.00	28.00
Two Bedroom Cottage	145.00	145.00	22.00

Children under 15 years are free of charge when sharing with adults.

Car Hire & Places to Visit
A small taxi service is available on the island, however, you can not simply flag one down - you will have to book a cab in advance if you want to go anywhere. There is no public transport on the island but small rental cars are plentiful - rumour has it that there are more rental cars than residents.

Hiring a car is the best way to get around the island, which is very hilly. There are about 190kms of roads, almost all of which are sealed, and the speed limit is 50 km/h. All livestock has the right of way on roads. Look out for cows, they have free run of the island (except in the town centre) and they have right of way - it is an offence to hit a cow and you will be fined if you do.
Seat belts are not compulsory, and driving is on the left hand side of the road. If you're not used to it, take care when crossing the road - you should always use a "zebra crossing" to cross safely.
To hire a car you must be at least 21 years of age, and hold a valid driver's licence in your country of residence.
Outside Burnt Pine most drivers wave or lift a finger in greeting to passing cars. Joining in is part of the Norfolk Island holiday experience.

RATES: Daily rates in AUD.
Small Car	A$23.00 per day.
Medium Car	A$28.00 per day.

Cars are available for pickup at the airport upon arrival.

PLACES TO VISIT
Norfolk Island has a colourful history tainted with an unimagineable legacy of cruelty and bloodshed.
Kingston
The Historic Kingston (Norfolk's Capital) Precinct at the southern extremity of Norfolk is the most significant historic site on the island. Kingston is where the first convict settlement landed and the construction of buildings and roads began. It is built on the only flat, sea-level land available on Norfolk.
Be prepared to spend at least half a day in the vicinity. (You'll need more if you're planning to take in the four engrossing museums as well on the same day).
Soon you will imagine you hear the voices of the convict miners as they labour to build these beautifully-proportioned buildings from limestone they have quarried from Point Hunter or Nepean Island. But Norfolk weaves such a serene spell that you will find yourself soaking up its grim past without a jolting sense of shock, not quite believing that such a Paradise could ever have been such a Hell.
As you stroll around Kingston, you will be part of a 19th century village, scarcely changed from the days when the forced blacksmiths, masons, bakers, shingle-splitters, cloth and cord makers, tailors and bullockies plied their trades.

The Prisoners' Barracks
The housing and treatment of prisoners in the Prisoners' Barracks and New Gaol during the Second Settlement was largely responsible for Norfolk Island's sinister reputation as a harsh penal colony.
The barracks were completed in 1835 and contained a central three storey building accommodating 973 prisoners who slept in rows of hammocks, separate wooden cubicles for individual prisoners, chapels, overseers' rooms, watchhouses, guard posts, offices, stores, workshops and a courtroom; all surrounded by a 16 foot high stone wall.
After the end of the Second Settlement the Prisoners' Barracks were largely abandoned and fell into ruin.

St Barnabas Chapel
St Barnabas Chapel was the mother church of the Church of England's missionary work in Melanesia between 1880 and 1920. During that time thousands of students from the Pacific islands came to the Mission College to live and study, living apart from the rest of the island's population, and being mostly self-sufficient.
The chapel is built of stone from the ruins of the New Gaol. In 1920 the Mission was moved to the Solomon Islands.

The Crankmill
The Crankmill was built as a granary in 1827, and was converted in 1835 to serve as barracks for married soldiers and their families. In 1837 a cranking mechanism, hoppers and grindstones were installed for grinding maize. The equipment was worked by 100 convicts in chains as a form of punishment. In 1844 it was written;
"The labour appears to be dreadfully severe; the yells and screams of the unfortunate criminals as they heave at the cumbersome engine almost induces a belief that the spectator is listening to the cries of lost souls".
The equipment was to be replaced by a human-powered treadmill, but in 1856 the building was gutted by fire, and the treadmill idea was abandoned.

Quality Row
Quality Row is the main street of Kingston. It runs from the Commissariat Store to the cemetery and contains eight Georgian houses, the ruins of three others, three high-walled fortress-like structures containing the Commissariat Store, New Military Barracks and Old Military Barracks and the Officers' Bath.
The road and the buildings along it were built during the Second Settlement....

New Military Barracks
The New Military Barracks provide an excellent and rare example of a pre-1850 fortified military compound. It was completed in 1837 in response to a need for greater protection of the soldiers from possible convict uprisings. It complex housed 164 soldiers and four sergeants, and contained a soldiers' barracks, officers' quarters, an ammunition magazine, a military hospital - used initially as a ballroom - and various outbuildings.
The New Military Barracks are used today as Norfolk Island's administrative centre. The cannons flanking the central stairs are those from the ship "Sirius", which was sunk on the reef during the early days of the First Settlement.

The New Gaol
The New Gaol (Jail) was commenced in 1836 but was not completed until 1847. It was built with the aim of reform by isolation, and contained a central pentagonal building of 84 cells, two lockup rooms, then turnkey's rooms and ten yards. Each cell had stone walls and floors and a timber ceiling' was 6ft long, 5ft wide, almost 11ft high, and was occupied by up to 3 prisoners. The complex also contained another 40-cell block, two service buildings, 12 solitary confinement "apartments" about which the Royal Engineer wrote "....the convicts regard the ..new cells with dread...they are the most perfect specimens of prison construction I have seen...", and two "dumb cells" which prevented the transmission of light and sound - sending their occupants insane.

Bloody Bridge
Bloody Bridge was built during the Second Settlement by convict labour, in order to ensure a route over the stream even when it was in flood.
The reason for its name is unclear, but it is thought to be based on a story about the death of a convict work-gang overseer.
During the building of the bridge a work gang murdered their overseer and walled him up in the bridge. The next day the replacement overseer saw blood oozing from the mortar.....

Around the Coast
Norfolk Island's rugged coastline plunging into the blue South Pacific Ocean make for some beautiful sights.
Almost every day from October to May offers pleasant beach weather, but the very best months for the beach are from December to April. With the exception of Emily and Slaughter Bay, Norfolk Island's 32kms of coastline consists of a few secluded sandy beaches tucked away at the base of high cliffs.
Though you will not feel you are becoming sunburned, you should protect against it - the total lack of pollution gives the sun an extra kick.

Emily Bay
Emily is the safest swimming spot on the island, in fact its probably one of the safest swimming spots in the world. The sparkling crystal clear waters of Emily are protected from the breakers and the southern ocean by a reef just off the Lone Pine headland. The beach is popular among families with young ones and if your looking for the ideal daily swim spot or somewhere calm for a snorkelling adventure then Emily is your best bet. There is a pontoon in the bay that makes for a nice breather while getting that daily swim in.

Slaughter Bay
On a calm day, Slaughter Bay is a great spot for snorkelling and if the swell is right the waves pick up nicely for a surf on the reef. The marine life on the reef is abundant with colourful tropical fish quite common among the coral.

Anson Bay
Anson Bay is Norfolk's most spectacular beach. Being nestled in to the bottom of one of Norfolk's many steep cliff faces makes Anson less accessible and more secluded than the other beaches on the island. The walk down can be a bit hairy but if having a beach to yourself to explore is what you're looking for, then it will be worth your while traversing the track to the bottom. Anson gets some good waves through for surfing and care should be taken when swimming as the shore drops off quite rapidly and you could find yourself in deep water before you know it.