Norfolk Island
By Richard Moore
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Inside the 360 panoramic
painting, Fletchers Mutiny
Cyclorama, Norfolk Island.
Artists:
Tracey Yager and Sue Draper
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It is hard to imagine but just over 150
years ago one of the most beautiful places on Earth - Norfolk Island -
was a hell hole.
For within its picture-postcard setting
Britain established one of most brutal penal colonies in its history, a
place where death was often welcomed by the convicts.
One of its governors, Major Joseph Anderson
seemed to have a liking for harsh discipline and would flog prisoners
if they got out of order. He had men given 1500 lashes of the
cat-o-nine-tails before breakfast and would flog men for the following:
- Insolence to a soldier: 200
lashes
- Asking for chewing tobacco: 50
lashes
- Singing a song: 100 lashes
- People who smiled while on the chain
gang: 100 lashes
In The Fatal Shore, author Robert Hughes
details how prisoners would blind themselves so they would be left
alone from the torments.
Norfolk Island was so bad - and expensive to
run - that it was closed in 1854 and stood empty for just over a year
when the descendants of the Bounty Mutineers were offered it. Almost
all of the people made the journey - some later returned to Pitcairn
Island - but the descendants of those who stayed are still living there.
Today Norfolk Island is a tourist haven and
making sure visitors are well looked after is important there because
it is the island's main source of income. Norfolk's currency is the
Aussie dollar, which makes things a whole lot easier, and you can pick
up some excellent duty-free shopping there.
The island sits between Australia and New
Zealand - just under three hours flying time from Sydney and a little
over two from Brisbane - and there are two airlines that provide a
service, Norfolk Jet and Air New Zealand.
It is an external territory of Australia,
but has its own laws, government and budget. Australians need either a
passport or identity document to get into Norfolk and travellers should
note that while associated with Canberra our Medicare system does not
work there and so it pays to have travel and health insurance before
going.
Norfolk doesn't have public transport so you
do need to hire a vehicle and there are a number of companies with
fleets waiting. There are 80 kilometres of roads, most of which are
paved. Accommodation ranges from lodges and cottages to motels and
hotels. Check with your travel agent about which ones would be the best
to book into.
The main town on the island is Kingston and
it is situated on the southern coast.
Tourist guides recommend taking time out to
watch the cargo vessels being unloaded on to the island at Kingston.
They say it is a "popular pastime and don't be surprised to see a
swimming pool or mini-coach being floated ashore!"
There are some 1800 people living on the
island - about one third of them 'Bounty' descendants, who have their
own local language based on a mix of 18th Century English and Tahitian.
Tourists will find a host of interesting and
relaxing things to do during their stay on Norfolk including
bushwalking, playing golf, riding, scuba diving or fishing. Almost one
third of Norfolk is national park and contains an untouched and
world-recognised area of rainforest. You can walk or cycle around
tracks through the park, or relax by having a picnic at one of the
spectacular beaches. For the historically minded you can see
Kingston's colonial buildings, the remains of the infamous prison and
at the Maritime Museum see items from both the HMS Bounty and also HMS
Sirius, the first fleet vessel that was sunk off Norfolk Island.
In a more Hollywood historical vein there
are sound and light shows re-enacting the mutiny on the Bounty -
complete with descendants in the performing roles - and prison life for
miscreants where you can be a convict for a night and enjoy (or not)
dressing up in prison garb and then having a celebratory meal.
One special offering for tourists is
Wonderland by Night where you sit in a beautiful stand of Norfolk pines
and listen to readings from a local poet.
Two tasty treats for gourmands could be the
local Norfolk dishes Hihi Pie, made from periwinkles, or Mudda - banana
dumplings. Furthermore, avid Gardeners, too, will delight in
the knowledge that more than 40 types of plants on the island can only
be found on Norfolk and no where else in the world.
Norfolk Island is a touch of paradise on our
doorstep and should be one hang of a lot safer than visiting areas such
as Bali or Indonesia.
Related Articles:
 Glenbrook Vintage
Railway (New Zealand)
Far North
Queensland: Munbah (Australia)
Links:
Norfolk Island.com.au
Official Norfolk Island Government Website
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