 | Norfolk Island Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 48 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Miscellaneous Things To Do Tips | All Tips (48) If you want to get up close and personal with how appalling life could be just 200 years ago, then you need look no further than the cemetery, particularly the western end. It's a tragic reminder of just how bad life on a seemingly idyllic island can become. "Accidental discharge of a gun while shooting in the woods", "Accidentally shot by a brother soldier......in pursuit of mutineers"; "accidentally drownd (sic) while on duty"; "Drowned ...... by the upsetting of a boat"; "barbarously murdered by a body of prisoners"; "executed on the 23rd of Septer (sic)" are just some of the inscriptions. So many not reaching 30 years of life it makes you quickly realise how fortunate it is that you are here hundreds of years later and not during the convict times on Norfolk Island. The inscriptions can be clearly read in pics 1-5 Leave a Comment
|
It said private property. It said open to the public - "walkers welcome with care". It spoke to me of somewhere that the normal tourist wouldn't bother going to. I heard correctly. This is a place to get-away-from-it-all on an island that itself is away from it all. The serenity of just being there is somewhat encompassing. From the initial stroll through the wood intermittently sprinkled with cattle you come to an open paddock on the cliff tops with views across the ocean. Though the view may not be the most dramatic on the whole island, the sound of the surf splashing on the rocks and the wind drifting through trees on a cloud flecked sunny day is very serene experience. There's a lovely bench seat (pic 5) that is a reminder of the ties that Norfolk has to Tahiti and Pitcairn. Unfortunately it's written in the local lingo so I didn't understand a word but it's a very relaxing place. This is one of the 10 things I recommend you do while on the island. Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |
"The ship's unloading. You must go down and have a look." There is an air of excitement when the supply ship bringing everything from trucks to trinkets arrives on the horizon. It's all hands to the pumps, so to speak, or, more accurately, to the crane on the wharf. Picture one shows a close up of the crane at work removing the cargo from one of the lighters. In case you weren't aware, a lighter is an unpowered craft used for shifting loads from one place to another. Each one of these has to have a launch towing it. The tall crane is brought in to be used when the ship is unloading. At other times there is a stationary crane using manual methods that is put into service. It's the one with the angled arm dangling over the water. When we went on our fishing trip it pulled our boat with all of us aboard out of the water (pic 4). As for the ship (pic 2), 700 tonnes of cargo were moved in a day and a half. Personally speaking, I didn't find it all that exciting, perhaps because I used to be a fitter and turner and cranes were a part of my daily life, but everyone else seemed to find it great viewing. The boats may be unloading at Cascade Bay (shown here), or round at Kingston; it's all dependent upon the direction of the wind and swell. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
At the risk of repeating myself, I can't emphasise enough that when you take the boat trip it opens up a whole new Norfolk, one that I never realised existed. In addition to the aforementioned Cathedral Rock you will be bug eyed at every turn, it's such a wonderland of volcanic remnants. The first pic is of a rock that has a couple of pools on it but we couldn't land the day I was there so I was unable to climb it an get shots but, even from the water it's impressive. Pictures 2 & 4 re-enforce just how dramatic the landforms are while 3 shows you one of the many sea caves that reflect the power of the ocean. The last shot shows our boat going through the first gap to take us in to this wonderland. Leave a Comment
|
If there is a rival for Cathedral Rock then it must surely be The Arch. This name is not shown on maps, it's just a local handle given to this section that you can drive your boat through on calmer days. Getting up close and personal with the jagged rock formations is certainly an experience I'll never forget. Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |  | Watermill Valley - Arthur's Vale | Tip Rating:    |  |  | |  |
In a valley running down to Kingston is the remnant of earlier buildings, in particular that of a mill that used to grind grain. There are two old houses, one on either side of the valley (pics one and two) that remain in some sort of repair though one is decisively on private property. The mill itself sits adjacent to the dam whose water drove the mill, though the amount contained today is much less than the original. In fact, this valley has the earliest remains of agriculture in all Australasia. Wheat, corn, barley, cabbages, oranges, lemons, coffee, tobacco, melons and bananas were all in evidence here. The second watermill was built in 1828 and is the one you see the remains of today (pic 3), yet by 1833 the dam was declared irreparable due to leaking and just 11 years later the crankmill and windmill at Kingston rendered the mill superflous. In the mid-1900's the dam was breached and its interior used as a market garden before partial restoration to the delightful park you can use today. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
It's morbidly fascinating to wander through a cemetery and be reminded of just how many ways there are to die. The surreal light that permeated the clouds added to the atmosphere as I read how one unfortunate had perished at the hands of a Greek miscreant, another drowning while fishing for the commandant and the last picture shows a gravestone that, to me, is indiscipherable, except that it appears his name may have been John Owles and he passed away in 1806. Leave a Comment
|
More Sponsored Links for Norfolk Island Iceland Travel
Travel to Iceland Cheap Tickets & Travel Packages Island Hotel
Enjoy breathtaking harbor view. 20-minute ride to Wan Chai. Exploring Iceland
Here are some choices of lodgings, sights to see & activities to do |
|
on August 28, 2007
