Lord Howe & Norfolk Islands

Australia and New Zealand

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Lord Howe & Norfolk Islands

Lord Howe Island

Lord Howe Island in the South Pacific Ocean is 700km north west of Sydney, a small beautiful World Heritage listed island 11 km long and 2 km wide.
The crew of HMS Supply discovered it more than 200 years ago. It is one of the worlds most beautiful islands with a rare collection of plants, birds, and marine life. Today the paradise remains with two thirds of the island covered by natural forests.

Lush rainforests are stark contrasts to the two massive peaks, once volcanoes and often shrouded in cloud.
Lord Howe is at the world's most southern Coral Reef with over 500 species of fish and more than 90 species of coral and boasts superb beaches for swimming, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving and kayaking.
Everything is there to enjoy an extended stay. The world's best fishing, there is golf, lawn bowls, bush walking or if you so desire, just lying around in the temperate sunshine.
Some seventeen properties offer accommodation. Most are family operated and vary enough to suit most tastes and budgets.
Only 400 visitors are permitted on the island at any one time which helps protect the environment and limit overcrowding.

Norfolk Island

Norfolk Island offers you a beautiful subtropical climate with ocean breezes. With over one third of the island devoted to national parks and reserves, it is home to 178 species of native plants, 40 of which are unique to the island.
Norfolk is rich in history and culture from Captain Cook's discovery in 1774 to to-days modern times. Historic attractions include museums, the penal settlement and the culture arising from the Bounty mutineers.

Norfolk Island is one of the earliest European settlements in the southwest Pacific and is the most famous place for punishment of early British convicts.
To-day many of the convict built buildings are in good repair and used by government as well as for re-enactments of the harsh conditions the convicts endured.

Traveller's Notes

We flew to Norfolk from Sydney with a group of friends staying 10 days on the Island. Although the island is relatively small, most visitors, who are not on an organized tour, hire a car. Hire cars are very cheap. As we were on an organized tour, the buses took us to most of the venues and sites. We had a marvelous stay and some of the highlights of the tour are:

A night tour around the old barracks where they re-enact the soldiers night patrols --- a re-enactment of the Mutiny on the Bounty

an evening dinner with entertainment where everyone dressed as convicts --- cooked breakfasts on the cliffs overlooking the sea and barbeques at sunset

A progressive dinner which took place in residents homes

Swam at the beach and played a few rounds of golf

And the ladies really enjoyed the tax free shopping. To climax our stay, on our last night was a church service, attended by about 1000 and all sang the best-known hymns with gusto. A great trip with our 'Probus' Club. What is a Probus Club? Retired professional and/ business people.

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