I am so fearfully grateful to be able to travel.  I feel privileged for this good fortune, especially in a world which is hurting so badly.  I know there are many things in this world I cannot change, but at least what I can do, is to not take anything for granted.    

I think it makes you a better and happier person when you are appreciative of what it is you have. At times I feel, in healthy amounts, guilty and undeserving of my own happiness, but perhaps that is because I am still just a work in progress…..

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Norfolk Island is a stunningly beautiful external Australian territory set in the bluest of pristine ocean waters and is protected by its own rock wall fortress.  The island is a haven for migrating birds and a resting place for long buried bones and secrets.  With it’s near perfect climate, rich and dark-brooding history, hiking trails, glorious beaches, serene slow pace and friendly locals, Norfolk is a salve to the soul.

Norfolk is also this Gidget’s dream.  Set against the backdrop of the island’s immense beauty, it is one of the most remote and unspoiled surfing destinations of the world.  A challenging break has been created by the impressive offshore reef where joy, beautiful barrels and imposing raw waves are continually served up.  And intriguingly, this amazing surf island is also home to one of the largest populations of tiger sharks in the world!

Our stay for the eight-day adventure was an Airbnb at the very point of Anson Bay.  The location was faultless with its quiet seclusion, short 10-minute drive to the centre of the Norfolk township and its unspoilt beauty.  Every afternoon we caught the sunset over the immense Pacific Ocean, watching the shapeshifting beauty of the clouds saturated in various hues of pink.  The sunsets gave way to the clearest of night skies, the islands remoteness unaffected by the modern worlds’ light pollution.  Later each night, the massive thunderstorms rolled in bringing hammering rains upon the tin roof.

Our lovely Airbnb, King Tide House……

Every morning, I woke early to the sounds of the ocean and to the calls of the resident family of Masked Boobys, their simple nest, a dimple on the flat grass of the headland.  Norfolk is a paradise for bird watchers as its isolation means many birds are not found anywhere else.  The terrain and the forests of the island are ideal for seabirds and forest dwellers which include the graceful terns, shearwaters, kingfishers, parrots, whistlers and robins.

No traffic lights, two roundabouts and speed limits of 40 and 50k makes for enjoyable driving.  The only thing to worry about is the feral poultry population, which far outnumber the human populace and multiplying since the first settlement, and your requirement that you must give way to the free roaming, sweet-faced gentle cow herds.   

Burnt Pine, designated by cattle grids is the islands hamlet which you pass through to get from one side of the island to the other.  The township has everything you need, and a blog post highlighting Burnt Pine will follow.  The small airport is also located close to town and Qantas has six return flights per week with three departing Sydney and three from Brisbane.

Norfolk has a fascinating, deeply complex and multi-layered history from the World Heritage listed convict sites to the 14^th century Polynesian seafarers, mutineers, penal settlements, James Cook and the Pitcairn’s.  Long hidden buttons, wells, broken ceramic pieces, bones, glass and other artifacts are still being uncovered today from their catacombs of sand and rubble.  The cemetery and Murderers Mound, an unconsecrated mass grave, are some of the oldest burial grounds in Australia and the cemetery is still in use today where the bodies of descendants of the Bounty mutineers, executed convicts, penal colony members and whalers have been laid to rest.  

Of course, as with any trip, I took far too many photos.  I would drive 100 metres and stop, drive another 100 metres and stop again.  It was difficult not to take a photo with everything so damn stunning from a simple door to a decaying longboat to a cow and her calf to the ocean.

Part two following soon…..x

Footnote: Gidget – ‘girl midget’ or small female board rider.