Once notorious for being the most brutal, corrupt prison in the world, Norfolk Island was regarded by many of its Victorian era prisoners as an unpleasant alternative to death. Isolated from civilisation by 1000km of Pacific Ocean, and without even a harbour, it was, and still is, remote in every sense of the word.
For such a small place (it's only 34.6km²) there's a hell of a lot of history. The island was first settled in around 1400AD by a group of Polynesians who stuck around for a few generations and then left behind only a few rats and stone tools. Captain James Cook was the next person to see, and name Norfolk Island. He thought the pine trees would be great for ship masts and the native flax plant would be handy for making sails and recommended the British settle it before the French did.
In 1788 New South Wales's Governor Phillip sent a group of convicts over to the island to start a penal settlement. It flourished and had grown to over 1000 in population by 1805, but it's popularity was also its downfall and the cost of shipping in supplies was outweighing its worth as a prison and a farm. Everyone was ordered out, the place was razed to the ground, and by 1814 it was deserted again.
In 1824 the New South Wales Prison system was starting to get over-crowded and the decision was made to send 'twice-convicted' criminals back to a scaled-down Norfolk Island prison as an alternative to execution. In an age where trying to reform prisoners of their wicked ways through education and second-chances was seen as being too soft, Norfolk quickly became a hell on earth. The prisoners sent there were the roughest, baddest murderers, thieves and rapists in the British Empire and it would be reasonable to assume the men sent a third of the way across the Pacific Ocean to guard them were not being rewarded for being outstanding soldiers. Prisoners were tortured, flogged, under-nourished, over-worked and no one outside the island had much of an idea what was going on. Gradually word of the atrocities began to spread and the place was closed down again in 1855.
The very next year the British Government decided to allow the descendants from the mutiny on the Bounty to settle on the Island as the colony they'd started on nearby (relatively speaking) Pitcairn Island was too big for the available resources. The descendants of this group of settlers have been the longest-serving custodians of the island and still make up the bulk of Norfolk's population.
Tourism is now the stalwart of the Norfolk Island economy and as you'd expect, the main attraction are the ruins and aura of the world's harshest prison. The people are friendly, and proud, but guarded about their history as descendants of mutineers.
Before you even think about travelling to Norfolk, make sure you have the right documents with you. Although it's an Australian territory, it's not like visiting Canberra. Before customs staff will let you out of the airport you will need to have:
The only way in to Norfolk Island is by air. Air New Zealand operates a two-hour flight from Auckland on Wednesdays and Sundays. QANTAS flies from Sydney and Brisbane on Saturday and Wednesday. The flight takes about 2.5 hours.
It's only a small place so if you like to walk you'll be perfectly happy. You can also hire a car, but you'll see everything pretty quickly (it's only 8km long).
While the Michelin Guide is yet to cover Norfolk Island, the food is pretty much what you'd expect; great seafood, fresh steak, and about as much variety as you'd expect to find in a large resort. Most restaurants close for at least one night each week so book ahead to make sure you don't miss out. If you have special dietary requirements this might not be your idea of culinary paradise.
Accommodation is almost all in lodges and apartments. The Norfolk Island Tourism website has a good range of bookable accommodation.
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