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19th October 2017, 08:40 AM #1
Who's been to the beautiful Norfolk Island??
Who's been to the beautiful Norfolk Island??
The island is an Australian territory first settled 6 weeks after Sydney.
The history of the island has been preserved and is so well presented.
We had 9 days and could have stayed more.
The island is only 5kms x 8kms but has something like 500kms of roads.
The open road speed limit is only 50kph which is fast enough for all the hills and corners, PLUS the cows have "right of way".
YES, the cows have right of way and they know the cars have to stop for them and also there are heaps of free range chocks along the road sides.
A couple of very pleasant things from Norfolk...
Everyone waves to you as you drive; you park & leave the keys in the cars ignition; houses aren't locked; folk smile & talk to you and some most beautiful scenery.
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Cheers, crowie
PS - Only controversy is that many of the permanent aren't happy about the Australian Government take over of the island in July 2016...An Island Under Siege is one prominent banner.
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19th October 2017, 11:02 AM #2Mug punter
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looks good ... is there a ferry to it or do you fly in ... we have just returned from kangaroo island but could take our own car ... we don’t travel lightly so prefer being able to do so
regards david
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19th October 2017, 11:52 AM #3GOLD MEMBER
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We went about 30 years ago and enjoyed it for the same reasons stated above.
Tom
"It's good enough" is low aim
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19th October 2017, 03:04 PM #4
We went has a family when I was about 13/14.
Great holiday very pretty place
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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19th October 2017, 03:39 PM #5
Norfolk Island is nearly 1800kms flight from Sydney out of the international terminal on Air New Zealand, taking a bit over 2 hours..
Because of the "bio-security" of the island the Australian Federal Police run the comings and going of the island but Australian citizens can travel on a photo licence..
They have a 2km runway which was built by the NZ Air Force during World War 2 with some 2500 airmen stationed there..
There are also two piers; the main one at Kingston which allows the freighters that come every 45 days to be unloaded by "lighters behind a powerful motor launch".
Basically all done but ships crane, a whaling boat big enough to take a car plus another crane on the pier plus a whole stack of man power.
We actually got to see a freighter being unloaded...but I'll show that later...
The first afternoon we drove in the car which came with the holiday to Cascade Bay where the other pier is, the old whaling station is nearly gone after closing in 1962..
The old boiler is all that's left of the whaling station, though the museums all have some reference to whaling in there displays..
This pier is often the place were the local fishermen feed the sharks, we bought a book on Sharks by local Bob Hemus who just happened to sit beside me on the flight over there..
Another interesting fact about Bob is that he lives in a Bottle House, made from beer bottles donated by the locals in the early 1960's to his father-in-law who built the house while Bob & his wife Heather restored the bottle house in the 1970's.
The whole coast line of the island is pretty well all sheer cliffs with electric fences to keep the cows away from the edges..
The waters around the island are crystal clear and clean..
To the credit of the 1800-2000 locals and the tourists we would have seen less than a shopping plastic bag of liter on our whole stay..
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Cheers, Peter
[bother on of the photos is sideways]
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19th October 2017, 05:01 PM #6GOLD MEMBER
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Peter, you asked for photos. I am afraid that mine would be the old fashioned, non-digital type if I could lay my hands on them.
Yours have brought back happy memories though.Tom
"It's good enough" is low aim
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19th October 2017, 05:43 PM #7
just a small correction...
The runway on Norfolk Island was actually built by the NSW Department of Main Roads -- either at the same time as the runway on Noumea, or straight after.
I forget how many other runways were built by the DMR, but as well as a big chunk of the Stuart Highway between Alice Springs and Darwin, the DMR worked on runways in the NT and built roads in Qld. (Vic Roads and Qld Roads also worked in the NT during the war.)regards from Alberta, Canada
ian
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19th October 2017, 06:55 PM #8
Thank you Ian, The locals told us the NZ Air Force did it..
Maybe it's the local hostility, passive protesting, to the NSW Government take over of the island....
There is even a Norfolk Island flag at half mast in the centre of the "Burnt Pines",
with a whole heap of "green hand" signs around the flag pole which is close to the offices of the Democratic Republic of Norfolk Island offices...
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19th October 2017, 07:53 PM #9
Empty beer bottles on Norfolk Island, 1 December 1942, presumably emptied by DMR employees
source: https://archivesoutside.records.nsw..../world-war-ii/
regards from Alberta, Canada
ian
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19th October 2017, 08:01 PM #10GOLD MEMBER
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19th October 2017, 08:35 PM #11
Kingston area is beautiful
Kingston area is beautiful.
We had a half day tour included in with unit and the Monday was picture perfect...
The islands name sake Norfolk Pine, magnificent trees...
A couple of panorama photos then zoomed in....
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20th October 2017, 05:14 PM #12
Part of the tour was a drive to the top of Mt Pitt
Part of the tour was a drive to the top of Mt Pitt, 320mtrs above sea level with a 360 deg view of the island...
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21st October 2017, 08:53 AM #13GOLD MEMBER
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Beautiful photos and it really looks a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing Peter
Regards
Keith
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21st October 2017, 09:23 AM #14
Sounds like paradise. The scenery looks very muck like Port Arthur with all that history maintained.
I remember watching a program on TV about the Aust government taking control of the island and there were many that weren't happy. I can understand the locals being concerned that they were being forced into something and not having a say in it as it would effect their idyllic lifestyle. The government said that "they needed" to have the modern conveniences that the mainland had - do they really?
Thanks for the photos Crowie, always good to see different places.Dallas
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23rd October 2017, 08:41 AM #15
The tour continue to St Barnabas Chapel for morning tea...
The tour continue to St Barnabas Chapel, for morning tea...beautiful old stone church with lovely timber work & stained glass inside, even a top tree outside for the kids to play on.
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DSC02474a.jpgDSC02464a.jpgDSC02461a.jpgDSC02473a.jpgDSC02458a.jpg The mission church, St Barnabas Chapel, was built as a memorial to Bishop Patterson who was killed by natives in the Solomon Islands in 1871.
This church still stands today. Definitely a must see whilst on Norfolk Island.
The foundation stone was laid in November 1875 but the building was not completed until June 1880.
The chapel is simply beautiful. The four windows in the apse depict the four evangelists, the seats are carved and inlaid with Christian symbols in mother-o'-pearl, polished black and white marble paves the broad aisle leading to the sanctuary, which naturally is the most beautiful portion of the chapel, with its coloured marble floor, and glittering mosaic reredos screened with richly-carved wood.
In the centre is a massive silver cross that has been made out of Bishop Patteson's own table-silver, and this is flanked by silver candlesticks and vases of flowers.