Lord Howe Island Travel Guide

 
by sbonner
 
  •   Lord Howe Island
    by sbonner
  • Approaching Lord Howe Island over the lagoon
      Approaching Lord Howe Island over the...
    by tiabunna
  • Sunset at Lord Howe Island
      Sunset at Lord Howe Island
    by tiabunna
  • Looking north across the lagoon, LHI.
      Looking north across the lagoon, LHI.
    by tiabunna
  •   "The Lower Road" and my guide
    by tiabunna
 

Explore Lord Howe Island

Things to Do  

See the rain forests and Kentia Palms

See the rain forests and Kentia Palms, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  These graceful, slow-growing and tough palms are native to the island. Almost certainly you already have seen them without knowing of their origin, for they are very popular as indoor plants in hotels eg “The Palm Court” and offices. Here they grow thickly in the forests, as... 

Watch the sun set over the lagoon

Watch the sun set over the lagoon, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  The accompanying photo doesn’t do the scene justice, I’m afraid. But it is very pleasant indeed to watch the sun set over the lagoon, while the palms sway gently above. It would probably be better in warm weather, with a cold glass of some interesting beverage close at... 

Watch the fish feeding

Watch the fish feeding, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  At Ned’s Beach, on the east coast, schools of kingfish come around every day to be hand fed. This was a long-established activity back in 1974 – and you too can participate in this curious event. Unfortunately I didn’t see it, so I was unable to obtain any photos. 

Bushwalking and climbing

Bushwalking and climbing, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  Although fishing was off my work agenda, walking was included. I was looking for a site to place instrumentation to measure the composition of the cleanest air that could be found. That meant we had to find a site with minimal local influences. I was interested in the saddle... 

Fishing and snorkelling

Fishing and snorkelling, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  I was on a work related trip, which made no provision for these activities. Much as the fishing apparently is excellent, particularly from a boat, I suspect I’d have had to do quite some explaining in my office about the ‘big one’ that I either caught (or, more likely, that... 

Swimming and beaches

Swimming and beaches, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  This may be a sub-tropical paradise, with warm ocean water from the current flowing down the eastern Australian coast, but I was not about to try a dip in the middle of winter! Should you go at a more sensible time of year, it looks marvellous with many lovely sandy beaches... 

Hotels  

Capella Lodge

 1 Review and 62 Opinions

Restaurants  

No recommendations

No recommendations, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  Many of the lodges and guest houses have licensed restaurants. There is no doubt they would welcome your patronage, but it’s too long since I visited to make any useful comment. The Bowling Club also apparently provides a restaurant service. 

Nightlife  

Mainly the Bowling Club

Mainly the Bowling Club, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  If you go to Lord Howe Island looking for vibrant nightlife, you’ve failed to understand what it is about! But if you just want to have a few quiet drinks at a comfortable bar, the Bowling Club is the place to go. I’m unsure how the system operates now, but in 1974 it was a... 

Transportation  

Getting there

Getting there, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  Qantaslink now operates a regular air service by Dash-8 twin-turboprop aircraft from Sydney and Brisbane, the trip takes about two hours. If you are travelling to Lord Howe, you will sometimes find the airfare bundled in a discount accommodation/travel package: this will... 

Hey, there's no rush!

Hey, there's no rush!, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  Lord Howe has only one road, which runs for about 8km of its length before fading away near Mt Lidgbird to the south. There is an absolute 25km/hr speed limit and only a handful of vehicles. As a tourist, you have a choice of walking or hiring a bicycle, which is the normal... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

General safety

General safety, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  Lord Howe would have to be one of the safest places in the world. Apart from whatever risk is inherent to the activities you undertake, such as climbing or snorkelling, that is about it. 

Bookings and air travel

Bookings and air travel, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  Because accommodation is limited on Lord Howe, be sure to check it is available before making any airline booking. I can think of nothing more depressing than to find that either the aircraft seats are all taken and you have a room, or that you have an air ticket but nowhere... 

What to Pack  

Shopping is limited

Shopping is limited, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:   When going to Lord Howe Island, which has a small population, it would be a good idea to assume that you would be unable to obtain any specialised needs, be they medicinal, photographic or whatever. Double check your packing before leaving! 

Off The Beaten Path  

The Catalina crash site

The Catalina crash site, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  In September 1948, a Catalina flying boat operated by the Royal Australian Air Force attempted to make an emergency landing at night in the Lord Howe Island lagoon. Sadly, it clipped the trees at the top of the ridge and crashed near Old Settlement Beach on the northern end... 

Ball’s Pyramid

Ball’s Pyramid, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:  This vertical-sided sawtooth shaped rock rises 522 metres sheer from the ocean. It is about 25km from Lord Howe Island and clearly visible on a good day. It was not climbed until 1965, partly because of the difficulty of landing from a small boat, partly because climbing was... 

Favorites  

Leaving the island

Leaving the island, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:   We had to wait five days before the other flying boat Islander, a converted ex-RNZAF Sunderland, could be refitted to collect us (it had been stripped for refitting with extra tanks for the overseas post-sale trip). To our surprise, we even had a flypast by Air Force... 

Shipwrecked!

Shipwrecked!, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:   We were scheduled to stay on Lord Howe for two nights, leaving on the morning after that. The tides and need for clearance above reefs meant that possible flight times changed daily. On the second night of our stay the uncommon westerly winds had risen to gale strength. I... 

Disembarking

Disembarking, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:   Not surprisingly, with a flying boat there are no covered gangways for boarding and disembarking. We had to climb from the flying boat into a small open motorboat to go ashore. As we did, I took this photo of the purser standing in the front mooring hatch – apart from his... 

'Beachcomber' VH-BRC

'Beachcomber' VH-BRC, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:   Built during WWII as a Sunderland patrol aircraft, in 1947 the factory took it back and rebuilt it for passenger use: in 1974 she was the world’s last airworthy genuine Short Sandringham flying boat.. She proudly carried the name Beachcomber , was registered VH-BRC and... 

Arriving at the island

Arriving at the island, Lord Howe Island

 tiabunna Says:   This photo, taken as we arrived, shows the south central part of the island, the cliffs of Mt Lidgbird disappearing into the clouds, and part of the reef and lagoon on the western side of the island. The prevailing winds here, particularly in the summer, are from the south... 

The Place

Plan a Lord Howe Island vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Lord Howe Island locals

Experience Lord Howe Island
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The People

 
Our Members Say
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 Lord Howe would have to be one of the safest places in the world. Apart from whatever risk is inherent to the activities you undertake, such as climbing or... 

 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  we are planning visit island in August 2010, and looking for travel tips. Thanks, Sylwester 

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A: There are many pages & tips about Lord Howe Island here on VT. Go to search box (top right of page) enter LORD HOWE ISLAND AS keywords- and click go. Pages will appear-... 

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Top 2 Lord Howe Island Writers

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Shh, it’s a subtropical paradise!

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 Lord Howe Island has the world’s most southerly coral reefs, pristine forests, lovely beaches, striking landscapes – and, incredibily, it’s only two hours flying from Sydney or Brisbane. Not much... 

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