Norfolk Island
It’s Australia, but different. It’s like home, but not quite. Welcome to this beautiful, far-flung outpost of the nation, where history and fine food collide
As we round the bend in our hire car we have to brake to avoid a large moving object — it’s a shock introduction to the Norfolk Island road rule that gives cows right of way.
Road rules are not the only peculiarity on the South Pacific island just a two-and-a-halfhour direct flight from Sydney.
It boasts its own language, a mix of Tahitian and 18th-century English, is home to the majestic and unique Norfolk pine and, until this year, the islanders paid no income tax.
It’s a community where no one locks their front door, keys are left in the ignition and the passing of any Islander is honoured with flags at half mast, shops closed and locals lining the street.
And if you make it to 100 the island community will plant 100 trees or shrubs of your choice in your honour. So far, there have been just four — all women, but one man has just made it to 99.
First settled by the British just six weeks after the First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove, Norfolk Island has long been famous for its convict ruins and its association with the Bounty mutineers whose descendants settled on the island in 1856 and finally made a success of the place the British had twice abandoned.
History is everywhere, from the convict buildings and local language, to the relics of the Bounty and the First Fleet in the first-class museums and cyclorama.
With just four days to explore, I wanted to relax and enjoy Norfolk food. The island has a winery, a weekend farmers’ market, two cheesemakers, a piggery, local cattle, its own honey, and loads of home-grown fruit and vegetables.
The stand-out experience of the weekend was Sunday afternoon high tea at the clifftop gardens at Forresters.
There was champagne on arrival as we enjoyed ocean views from marquees in the garden and listened to the grand piano magically play itself courtesy of a Disklavier.
Ariane Forrester, who once accompanied her father-in-law to an afternoon tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, prides herself on outdoing the high tea at Claridges in London, and she delivers, with sweet and savoury delicacies including Tahitian fish and a chocolate passionfruit tart served on tiered plates, plus a choice of T2 teas followed by a tasting of local liqueurs.
The three cottages that provide luxury accommodation on site have been used by Gina Rinehart, Gerry Harvey and John Singleton, among others.
While the paddock-to-plate philosophy is new on the mainland it’s been a way of life on Norfolk Island for more than 200 years.
Stranded in the South Pacific Ocean, 1000km from Australia and New Zealand, with no harbour and only two treacherous landing spots, if you want to survive here you have to grow your own food.
Eating is seasonal and super fresh, with most produce eaten the day it’s harvested, and it’s on sale at the Farmers Market near the tourist centre on Saturdays. A food festival is held on the island every November.
Red cherry guavas and bananas were in season in early March and we indulged in a tart but delicious guava cheesecake from The Bakery, and a guava and banana smoothie, guava ice cream and guava jelly from Island Nectar. Winemaker Rod Buffett of Two Chimneys Wines learned winemaking through a Churchill Fellowship.
His semillon sauvignon blanc and Classic Notes Red contain premium grapes he sources from around Australia.
But for the full experience you must book ahead to enjoy Noeline’s eye-catching Vineyard Platter that includes homemade and home-grown fruit and vegetables, hummus with sweet chilli, shiitake mushroom paste, cheese, chicken roll, beetroot paste and edible flowers in the scenic tropical garden.
At Hilli Goat Farm you can watch milking time for goats Pillows, Kendra and Teddy Toggles, and see how their milk is turned into cheese and skin creams.
There are 25 places to eat out on Norfolk Island. Top tastes of the weekend included grilled banana and maple syrup French toast at the Olive cafe, Spanish beans with egg and chorizo at the Golden Orb cafe, and Tahitian fish salad with lime and coconut milk at Dino’s, a fine diner in a beautiful 1800s home built from convict stone and Norfolk pine.
Hilli is the other premier restaurant on the island; try the slow-roasted pork belly with home-grown vegetables, and port and plum jus.
At the recently opened Jolly Roger Bar and Restaurant owner Matty Zarb had a packed room rocking along to his stories and songs as his pet rosella Buffett nodded in time on his shoulder.
There are 1200 beds on the island. Ours were at Poinciania Cottages, literally on the doorstep of the airport. We could have walked across the runway and into our room.
The self- contained cottages have a kitchen, TV, and large deck overlooking a green hillside and, of course, rows of Norfolk pines.
It comes with a hire car, which is necessary because there is no public transport.
Norfolk Island’s balmy temperature means it never reaches 30 in summer, and sits at 1718C in winter.
The advantage of its compact 35 sq km area is that everything is within a 10-minute drive. After four days on Norfolk I was, as the locals say, “hilli” — feeling drowsy and lazy. If that’s the kind of weekend escape you are looking for, it’s on offer here. The writer was a guest of Norfolk Island Tourism and Air New Zealand