Norfolk Island

To celebrate Hubz turning 70 we booked a trip to Norfolk Island for 9 days....

It is a couple of hours flight from Brisbane ....

It is a small island with an interesting history from being a severe penal colony, to a settlement for the Pitcairn people and now a budding tourism spot.  (I add that we were part of the younger crowd there!)

We chose to do our own thing as opposed to formal tours..... watched the sun set from a cliff edge....

view from the top of a hill gives a 360 degree outlook....

Hubz took his golf clubs so there was several walks... its a beautiful course with sea views and wind hazards!

The Norfolk Pine grows there.....

This tree is apparently over 800 years old.... growing on it's own near the sea ...

we had lots of lovely forest walks...

For a small island there are 5 churches (population 2000) and we visited one lovely old one with a pretty stained glass window...

A cargo shop had arrived while we were there and we watched some of the off loading..... they had not had a delivery for a long time and the shelves were very empty.  This was because the flat bottomed cargo ship had to go quite far to avoid the cyclone that was about...

There is a street remaining from the very brutal penal settlement, known as hell on earth (1788 - 1855) - building given out to Pitcairn families by lottery when they moved over.  The Pitcairn families are descendants of the mutineers from The Mutiny on the Bounty.  The Mutineers having gone to hide in Taihiti realised they would be discovered by the English moved with their new Tiahitian families to Pitcairn island, which became to small for them, so in 1856 Queen Victoria gave them Norfolk Island and all the old buildings to live in. 

... of course we found a brewery....

... back to another view of the golf course....

some days the sea was very choppy, other days quite calm.... 

I loved the needlepoint cushions in the church... though many of them in poor condition now....

There are no predators there and the young birds are quite happy waiting on the ground for mum and dad to bring them snacks...

Back to the golf course.. in the background is another small island where at one time rabbits and goats were left for the 'gentlemen' to go hunting...  They had basically decimated the island and after 8 years of removing them all the place is greening up again...

Another of the young birds.... we did look up their names but I forget... seabirds!

A view of the Kingston settlement and island in the background...

Apparently the worlds tallest fern trees.... they are magnificent...

Our cottage hostess left a bottle for us to celebrate with...

Lovely visit, lots of history, walks, food etc.  Prices are double the mainland due to the freight, well worth the visit which has been on our wish list for ages....

Happy Birthday Hubz....