 | Norfolk Island Things To Do | Tips 21 - 30 of 48 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Miscellaneous Things To Do Tips | All Tips (48)
Just past the cemetery, you will come to Bloody Bridge. Be sure to get out of your car and contemplate the legend: This bridge was built by convict labour in the time of Major Anderson; a merciless, one-eyed Scot they called `Potato Joe', for his act of substituting potatoes for bread in the convict's rations. The bridge today looks quite attractive in its verdant setting - the engineers who designed it had an eye for timeless grace, a refinement doubtless lost on the poor devils who built it. Their every step was impeded by the burden of irons, mostly weighing seven kilograms and some as much as ten kilgrams. Dysentery constantly gnawed at their vitals. Half-crazed by their suffering, they were goaded ceaselessly by their overseers in the hope of inducing a glance of protest. This offense, called `dumb insolence', earned immediate retribution - the cat o' nine tails. Suddenly, one of them exploded and drove a pick through the brain of his tormentor. Knowing that every one of them would be punished horribly if the bleeding corpse were to be discovered, the gang walled the evidence up in the bridge. When the relieving overseer turned up at midday, he asked where his predecessor was. "Oh!", was the reply, "he went for a swim down there in the bay. We think he must have drowned". Unfortunately for them, through the still-wet mortar between the bluestones, something began to ooze ....... it was the blood of the entombed overseer! Leave a Comment Address: Quality Row
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Anson Bay was touted as a nice place to visit and so it turned out to be. Located at the north western tip of the island it has a steep headland on one and large rounded rocks on the other of a small sandy beach. Though our tipster said it was a steep walk down I found it very easy and arrived at the beach still wondering when it got steep. On the contrary, the zig-zag track was a pleasure to negotiate and makes for a pleasant hour walking down, spending some time and walking back. Should you plan to surf here bear in mind that the rips can be dangerous due to the shape of the bay. Not too far from the bottom you will see the remnants of a WW II gun emplacement (pic 4) and, on the way down, if you look behind you, the dramatic reminders of a tumultuous volcanic past are readily evident (pic 3). Leave a Comment
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This was a point we discovered when we were on the way to somewhere else. Because private property encircles the area there are no picnic spots or such as you might find on similar points like Puppy's. It suffers at times from the wind as you can clearly see in the opening picture with bent trees and the twisted woman. Leave a Comment
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There's more than one church on the island but this is the one the tourists aim for and, with good reason. There's a history attached. The different timbers, the way the tiles used to be shined mirror smooth (until Occupational Health and Safety got involved), the wonderful stained glass (pics 1&5) and organ, both refurbished free of charge by the original companies that built them. The convict hewn sandstone that surrounds it all and its location beside a sloping lawn that leads to a small dam (pic 4) all add to a worthwhile tourist attraction. The famous rose window is by William Morris and some other windows are by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, with the altar carved by Solomon Islanders. It was for a long time the home of the Anglican Melanesian Mission. Leave a Comment
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Phillip Island is a small island about 6kms from Norfolk Island, and is about 2 by 2kms in size. Its highest point is 280 mts. Early commanders of the penal colony introduced goats, pigs and rabbits to the island. The animals where released to provide food and sport for the colony. It is believed that at some time there were some 4000 animals on the island. The island was severly degraded by the grazing of these animals. Some 90% of the island was stripped bare by the time the authorities decided to eradicate these animals. In the early 1900s the pigs and goats had been eradicated but it was not until 1988 that the rabbits were finally removed. The island is still recovering from the onslaught of these animals. In 1996 Phillip Island was added to the Norfolk Island National Park. With no natural predators on this island,this island is now a favorite breeding place for a number of species of seabirds. Leave a Comment
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As the convicts and any one else at the time of settlement arrived by ship, this would be the convicts first view of the Island. Leave a Comment
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on August 30, 2007
on September 25, 2004
