Our team of locals have put together these facts about Norfolk Island, including history, culture and just plain strange!

Norfolk Island is an incredibly unique and fascinating place.

One of the first things we do when we have new customers on one of our tours, is ask them what they know about the island.

Many know about its beauty - that’s a hard one to miss!

And most people know rough details about the history of the Island - that it has many stories to tell about Australia’s convict settlements.

They know it is an external territory of Australia - and that tourism is the main source of income on the Island.

But often - that’s where their knowledge ends! And really, there is just so much more to discover.

So we decided to put together this blog, to share all the weird and wonderful things about this place we call home.

Cultural Facts about Norfolk Island

Norfolk Island has its own language!

Simply known as ‘Norf’k’ this language is a blend of 18th century English and Tahitian. Originally introduced by Pitkern-speaking settlers from Pitcairn Island. Along with English, it is the co-official language of Norfolk Island.

Do you know any words in Norf’k?

Norfolk Island is also one of the few locations outside American to celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving, and have this as a public holiday.

This is a legacy from the American whaling ships who would make frequent stops to the island during the late 1800’s.

The flag of Norfolk Island was approved by the Norfolk Island Council on 6th June 1979. It became the official flag on the commencement date of the Norfolk Island Flag and Public Seal Act 1979 on 17th January 1980.

The flag depicts the Norfolk Island Pine in a central white stripe between two green stripes.

Historical facts about Norfolk Island

The Capital of Norfolk Island is Kingston and is the second oldest town in Australia, settled in 1788.

Norfolk Island is named after The Duchess of Norfolk, wife of Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk. The Duchess had already passed away but as Captain James Cook had set out from England in 1772 he had not heard of her death in 1773.

The Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Area (KAVHA) is one of 11 historic sites that from the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in July 2010.

Norfolk Island Golf Club is actually one of the only golf courses in the world located within a World Heritage Site!

There were Four Settlements on Norfolk Island:

Polynesian Settlement before 1788

First (Colonial) Settlement 1788-1814

Second (Penal) Settlement 1825-1855

Third (Pitcairn) Settlement 1856 to Present day (Descendants from the famous Mutiny on the Bounty)

The official anthem on Norfolk Island is ‘God save the Queen’.

On 19th March 1790 HMS Sirius, flagship of the First Fleet, was wrecked off the reed at Slaughter Bay on Norfolk Island. Because of her role as the flagship, it is now arguably Australia’s most important shipwreck site.

Approximately 6000 artefacts were recovered during official expeditions between 1982 and 2002. This collection, on permanent display in the HMS Sirius Museum, represents the most significant display of First Fleet cultural heritage material held anywhere in Australia and its Territories.

Approximately 20% of the population on Norfolk Island identify as having Pitcairn ancestry!

Sporting Achievements

Norfolk Island has competed in eight of the eighteen Commonwealth Games from 1986 onwards.
Norfolk has won two bronze medals, both in lawn bowls.

Carmen Anderson won a bronze in the women’s singles at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, while Ryan Dixon, Hadyn Evans and Phillip Jones won bronze in the men’s triples at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

Also - Malcolm Champion of New Zealand, was born on Norfolk Island in 1882. He won a gold medal for Australasia in the 1912 Summer Olympics, swimming in the 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay. Malcolm’s Mother was Sarah Clara Quintal, and descendant of Bounty Mutineer Matthew Quintal.

Day to day life on Norfolk Island

There are no railways, waterways, ports or harbours on the island.

Loading jetties are located at Kingston and Cascade, but ships cannot get close to either of them. When a supply ship arrives, it is emptied by whaleboats towed by launches, five tonnes at a time. A mobile crane picks up the freight using nets and straps and lifts the freight onto the pier.

Which jetty is used depends on the prevailing weather of the day; the jetty on the leeward side of the island is often used. If the wind changes significantly during unloading/loading, the ship will move around to the other side.

Visitors often gather to watch the activity when a supply ship arrives.

Norfolk Island has a marine subtropical climate which is best characterised as mild.

The absolute maximum recorded temperature was 28.4°C, which the absolute minimum is 6.2°C. The temperature almost never falls below 10°C or rises above 28°C.

Although commonly thought that Mount Pitt is the highest point on the Island, it is actually Mount Bates, which stands 1m taller than Mount Pitt, and is 319m above sea level.