Relaxing on Norfolk....

So what did we get up too for 11 days on a tiny island. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing Norfolk from coast to coast, so to speak. We spent a half day exploring the beautiful Botanic Gardens.  Apart from the abundance of Norfolk Island Pine Trees we were enchanted by the large Tree ferns.  There are two types here and one of these is reputed to be the largest tree fern in the world. We certainly did see some some very large ones and found this rather interesting chap watching over all he surveyed.

Puppy's Point, Jacobs Rock and Anson Bay were all beautiful coastal parks with spectacular views of the coastline.  Crystal Pool looked like it could be a lovely place but on the day we saw it the wind was howling and the sea was like a washing machine.  We did not get too close to the edge.  Likewise at Headstone Memorial.  We saw men working on the cliffs here but did not venture too close to them.

Ball Bay was another little bay completely covered with round rocks of all sizes.  We saw this little bay twice, once in a raging storm and the second time on a nice quiet day.  The locals hunt here for Hii Hii (Periwinkles) among the rocks.  We watched two fellows doing this on one of our visits.  It is here that the two fuel tanks are and how the fuel is transferred from the ships and how the petrol tankers get up and down the very steep hills is quite beyond imagination.  I am only glad we did not meet them here on either of our visits.

Cascade Bay is the other area, like Kingston where boats are launched from a crane on the pier.  We watched a fishing boat being launched at Kingston one day and it is a fascinating process.

With no deep water ports around the island all goods delivered by sea are taken from the freighters and loaded onto the lighters which are then brought into the piers by small power launches.  The goods are then hauled up by the cranes onto the waiting transport.  We were sorry to miss this event but were a week or two early with the next delivery being expected in the first two weeks of June.  It certainly would be worth watching.  Sometimes the boats have to wait a day or two until the weather is right to unload them.  With a crane in two bays they have a second option if one side is too rough.

Everything on the island is delivered in this way including all the cars and trucks, buses, tractors and we even saw a limousine! To get these onshore two of the lighters are strapped together with a plank of wood between them and the vehicles are straddled across them both.  It sure would be worth seeing.

We followed one sign to Cockpit Waterfall.  We found the little cascades but the track to the falls themselves had been closed due to erosion and so we just had to make do with seeing photos of these lovely falls.  The cows seemed quite happy on the tracks but humans were not allowed to wander anymore.

We took lots of walks throughout the Mt Pitt/ Mt Bates area.  The tracks through here are lovely and the views from the top just magnificent.  We visited Palm Glen each night hoping to see the Green Parrots and were rewarded one night with two of them coming in to land on the distant trees.  We did get this picture but they were a long way off.  Another day we saw four of them fly over but they did not stop.  They are lovely birds and I hope they do not disappear forever.

We spent an afternoon wandering through the 100 acre reserve and while here saw lots of the lovely white terns and the beautiful Black Noddys.  We saw a few pairs of the Noddy's nesting in the pines and they were quite easy to see.  Following the signs to Rocky Point we were surprised to find ourselves on the edge of the cliff overlooking a very wild and windy ocean.  The boardwalk allowed you to get quite close to the edge and still stay safe but a bit too windy for photos.  Walking back into the forest again we had to be careful of all the mutton bird holes in the ground.  The birds had all gone by now but it must an amazing sight when they are nesting.

Along the road between the 100 acre reserve and Norfolk Blue farm there are a number of the most magnificent Moreton Bay Fig trees.  These trees are believed to have been planted by the Melanesian Mission in the 1860’s.

Another favorite place was Captain Cooks Lookout and memorial.  This is on the north side of the island and is reported to be the place Captain James Cook first came ashore when he discovered Norfolk Island.  It is a beautifully kept picnic area and boardwalk which allows you to see the very rocks he came ashore on.  

The stone memorial stands a bit further along the garden and a little further along on the point is a wonderful two level lookout giving you the opportunity to watch the sea birds on The Northern Islets.  These are Moo-oo, Green Pool, Cathedral Rock, Elephant Rock and Bird Rock.  We spent ages here watching the masked Booby's on the islands.  The Red tailed Tropic Birds were here as well as a couple of Kestrels which kept us amused for quiet some time.

And of course we never got tired of visiting Kingston and seeing how it changed its character each day as the weather and the tides changed.  Some days beautifully calm and others wild and rough it never ceased to enthrall all who visited.  Away from the water you have the wonderful old buildings left there from the British when they handed the island over to the people from Pitcairn.  Some of these buildings are still complete but others are only shells or foundations showing you what used to be. Three of these buildings have museums in them, one dedicated to the Sirius which was wrecked off the coast here in the 1800's.

On the other side of Slaughter Bay is the beautiful Emily Bay.  It is here that most people come to swim in the most delightful little beach you could ever imagine.  Surrounded by ocean this calm little cove is the only protected corner on the island. Looking at it from Point Hunter the water is the loveliest shades of blue, turquoise and greens depending on the time and tides. At the right time of year you can find turtles here too though we did not see any at all this trip.  With the water temp around 21 we did see people swimming a few times whilst there.  A bit chilly for me in the wind!

We visited St Barnabas Chapel on another day and this time were the only people here giving us the opportunity to take a good look at the amazing workmanship in this beautiful old chapel.  Outside in the Melanesian Mission Memorial Garden you can see more of the gravestones of the very early settlers of Norfolk Island.  

We walked through the historic Norfolk Island Cemetery one afternoon and like all small country cemeteries this one tells many stories.  At one end you have the early settlers graveyard where a lot of the headstones are almost worn away from years of rain and wind. As always seeing graves of children is very sad and a number were of the young men who went to war from Norfolk Island.   An interesting fact is that there is no undertaker on the island.  Anyone who dies is buried in the graveyard for free, the graves dug by the men of the island and the flowers provided by donations and made into wreaths by the ladies.  Your family must provide the headstone though.  

And so on that rather grave note I'll leave it there and see you all tomorrow.......

Birds of Norfolk.......

Before leaving home Bill had done some research and found a half day bird tour on Norfolk Island.  He had booked this and so early on Wednesday morning we were waiting at the Tourist Information Centre to meet our guide, Margaret Christian.  Before leaving home that morning we knew it was going to be a good day when this lovely little Song Thrush visited us in the garden.

Once we were collected we took a look at the huge grey cloud over Mt Pitt and decided that we would start the day at Kingston instead.  Margaret has lived and worked on the island for many years, a number of these as a park ranger, so as you can imagine she was very knowledgeable about all the birds and plants we were seeing.  

Stopping first at the wetlands, we found the feral chooks that Norfolk is famous for.  These birds seem to have been pensioned off to freedom or escaped and just live their lives quite happily free ranging across the island.  I'm not sure if they lay eggs and if so who would collect them but they certainly seem a healthy lot.  Lots of geese roam freely with them and they too look very well fed and healthy.  They celebrate Thanksgiving Day here so I'm not sure how many of them end up in the oven each November in lieu of turkeys.

We also found three varieties of ducks, white faced herons, cormorants and some Californian Quail.  These are a very regal looking bird and if you are patient they will come out and feed on the lawns while you watch.  Rock Pigeons descended from a pair arriving on the the ship Sirius, which wrecked just off the coast are fairly common too.  Emerald doves can be found here as well though they are a little more shy than the pigeons.

We drove across to Point Hunter where we could see the islands off the coast.  With binoculars we could see the Booby's nesting on Phillip and Nepean Islands.  Here we were parked beside the Lone Pine, the only tree on the point here.  

This grand old Norfolk Island Pine tree was mentioned in Cooks journals, when he first arrived, as being a mature tree then.  Margaret told us that it has recently been core tested and is believed to be over 600 years old.  How it has withstood the weather all these years in such an open position is a question no one seems to have an answer to.

Leaving the coast we drove inland to the forested areas where we saw the beautiful Sacred Kingfishers, the White Terns that seem to fly endlessly through the pine trees, lots of Sparrows and some European Goldfinches.  Little White Eyes, Blackbirds and friendly little grey Fantails abounded as we drove around.

Returning to the coast at The Rifle Club we had great views over Anson Bay and could see the White Terns and Black Noddy's cruising the airwaves.  

We stopped at Margaret's place for morning tea and as well as a yummy coconut cake and coffee we were able to see a Masked Booby sitting quietly on its nest just a few feet in front of us.  They are gorgeous birds and while most of them are gone for the winter a few still remain with their chicks.  While here Bill got some amazing photos of the Red Tailed Tropic birds, another masked booby coming to land on the edge of the cliff and some of the other sea birds that were flying around here too.

From here we drove up to Mt Pitt where we spent the next hour or so walking through some of the tracks in search of the Norfolk Island Green Parrot and the Pacific Robin.  The parrots are becoming quite rare and though we heard two we did not see any. A female Robin graced us with her presence as we returned to the car.  The dusky pink is beautiful though not as striking as the bright red Male.

Returning to town we said goodbye to Margaret, it had been a wonderful morning and not only had we had enjoyed ourselves immensely we had seen a number of birds we had never seen before.  

We stopped at a little cafe on the main street, Tempo, fast becoming a favorite, for some lunch, before taking the map and driving out to explore a little on our own.  After a couple of hours back on our balcony it was time to hit the road again and on Margaret's advice we were going to have a look at Palm Glen and hope to find the Parrots there as it was a known spot to see them feeding in the evenings.

We arrived, sat quietly for a while before deciding to take a walk.  We followed the Palm Glen track through the forest for about an hour before coming back to the car once it started to rain.  Along the way we had seen some amazing views to the coast but not one Green Parrot had showed.  We saw Fantails, Rosella's and little silver eyes but no parrots.  Looks like we come back tomorrow.  

For now it was time to head home and get ready for dinner at the RSL.  The fish and chips were quiet yummy and the country music band wasn't too bad either.  It was the 20th Annual Country Music Festival while we were there and most places had music for the week so we were entertained as well as fed.

That's it until tomorrow........

Learning about Norfolk.....

We had a half day island tour booked as part of our package and were looking forward to learning all about this little island. But first we had the morning to ourselves so decided to start our day in the Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic area.  

This Australian Convict site has been on the World Heritage List since 2010 and is an amazing place to visit.  We lost a few hours here wandering around the many old buildings and before we knew it we had to drive the 10 mins back to town to meet our tour bus.

On the bus we were driven around and across the island learning more about its history as we went.  Our driver, Larry, was a descendant of one of the Bounty mutineers.  His forefathers were one of the original eight families who arrived here from Pitcairn Island in 1856.  These descendants of the original settlers make up a third of the population today and all are very proud of their heritage.  

They even have their own language, a mix of Old 18th century English and Tahitian.  It is called Norf'k and is taught at the local school.  While the words look a little different from English it is fairly simple to work it out, Welkam tu Norf'k Ailen - is Welcome to Norfolk Island and Si yorlyi morla - means see you tomorrow, to share just a couple of phrases.

Once on board it was time to take a proper look at the island complete with a commentary from Larry.   We started out from the centre of Burnt Pine and stopped along the way at Queen Elizabeth lookout for the best view over Phillip Island, Nepean Island, Cemetery Bay, Emily Bay, Slaughter Bay, Point Hunter, the Lone Pine and the whole of Arthurs Vale and Kingston.   A truly amazing sight!  

Coming down from the lookout we drove through Arthur's Vale and Kingston seeing some of these beautiful buildings close up. Quality Row are some of the original homes of the last British Settlement and even today still have government employees living in them.  Others are museum pieces only.

From here we drove past the Golf Course, Cemetery Bay and the historic Norfolk Island Cemetery, learning about many of the people buried there, on our way to the Bloody Bridge.  This single lane stone bridge is famously named for the time when convicts killed and hid the bodies of two of their guards in the stonework.  Most unfortunately for them the blood seeped through and they were discovered meaning the culprits were found and met their maker sooner rather than later.

Heading away from the coast we were driven up one road where the locals have had a bit of fun with the naming of their properties.  One resident called his house Blue Roofs and since then one by one others on the road have joined in with many 'Roof' names gracing the front fences.  Though I do think the empty block called ' No Bloody Roof' should take the prize.

Stopping on Mt Pitt we were all enthralled by the spectacular 360 deg view from what is the second highest point on the island. The highest point is Mt Bates, (219m above sea level) but there is no road up to it.  Instead you drive here up to Mt Pitt (218m) and walk across the summit track which takes about 40 mins to do.  Of course once there you have to walk back but it is a fairly easy walk and one that shouldn't be missed.  We did do this another day.

We stopped at the historic St Barnabas Chapel where we were able to go inside and see the beautiful timber ceilings and stained glass windows.  Previously known as the Melanesian Mission Chapel this lovely church is open each day inviting visitors to drop in and learn more of the islands history across the years.  The chapel is still used today as one of the parish churches for the Church of England.

Leaving the church we were driven to a lovely old homestead in the middle of the island where we stopped for a delicious afternoon tea of scones, guava jelly and cream.  The old house is in fact owned by the tour company for just this reason now and we were able to wander the beautiful gardens and see inside the old house before getting back on the bus to return to town.

Other things we learnt on the tour were that Norfolk Island is a volcanic outcrop that formed about three million years ago, it has a sub tropical climate meaning that the weather is fairly mild all year round, never too hot or too cold.  About a third of the island is National Park or Reserve land with lots of walking trails through beautiful rain forests.  

Some other snippets of interest are there are no traffic lights on Norfolk Island.  Speed limits are 50kph, 40 on the main street and 30 in the school zone.  There are stop signs though and they do have policemen to make sure you all follow the rules.  

The phone book is about the size of a small paperback novel and the only one in the world to list people by their nicknames. You have to see this to believe it.  Too True!  Shops open until 5.30pm and close on Wednesday afternoon, Saturday afternoon and most close all day Sunday.  We made sure we had enough milk!

Another amazing fact is there is no local milk or cheese on Norfolk Island.  With all the cows we saw you expect there to be a thriving dairy industry.  This is not so, as a few years ago when the rules changed and all milk had to pasteurised it proved to be too expensive for the locals and so milk production ceased and now they are a beef industry.  All milk and cheese products are imported from NZ and Australia with UHT milk being what most people use.  One litre of fresh milk in the supermarket is $6.89 instead of $2.30 for the UHT variety.  Guess what most people buy!

Arriving back in Burnt Pine after a fabulous afternoon we said goodbye to Larry, visited the bakery and bought a family pie for dinner that night.  All this fresh air and exercise had done me in and it was home for a quiet night in and an early night.  We had to be up bright and early the next day as Bill had booked a bird tour with a local lady.

Si yorlyi morla..........

Norfolk Island - a South Pacific gem

After two weeks of celebrating my 60th it was time to get away for a couple of weeks.  Where to go was our next conundrum. No, it wasn't a spur of the moment decision, we had booked a couple of months ago and so early on Monday morning were up and on our way to the airport to begin another adventure.  We had chosen to visit Norfolk Island, a tiny dot in the South Pacific.

As there are no direct flights from Melbourne we had to fly to Sydney and go through customs before catching our Air NZ flight to the island.  Both flights were good and we arrived at 1.35pm to a mild sunny day.  We were picked up by our host, Duncan, and driven the 15 minutes across the island to our lovely accommodation, Endeavour Lodge.  

Our chalet is one of seven situated at the end of the road.  Just two houses between us and the edge of the cliff overlooking Cemetery Bay.  The view from our deck looking straight across to Nepean Island and Phillip Island is truly spectacular.  Once unpacked and settled we drove the 5 minutes back into town to pick up some supplies for the next few days.  We did our shopping and had a quick look at the little town, Burnt Pine, before taking ourselves back home for a rest before dinner. 

Norfolk Island is an External Territory of Australia with a long and rich history as a British settlement dating back to the 1700's. There is evidence however of a previous Polynesian settlement many years before estimated to be about 1150 to 1450.  But with only the relics of a small coastal village behind Emily Bay very little is known of these first Norfolkers.   

Most people know it from its third and final settlement when the survivors from the Mutiny on the Bounty were relocated to Norfolk Island from Pitcairn Island when the population of 193 became too big for that tiny island.  

Norfolk Island is 32 km square and has 170 km of road crisscrossing the island.  Every booking comes with a hire car so getting around is no problem at all.  During our 11 days here we have travelled on every road on the island most more than once. Many are just tracks and others, especially in the National Parks are first class roads. 

The first thing you notice about driving in Norfolk is the animals.  Cows, chooks and geese all roam freely day and night and all have right of way.  As the speed limit is only 50 this doesn't usually pose a problem but you must be careful as you come around some of the corners.  Lots of them are blind corners and with very tight bends on very steep roads any one of them could have a herd of cows just out of sight.  There are cattle grids anywhere the cows are not wanted like the town centre, the airport, the National Parks and each home.

In some areas when you stop you are surrounded by geese and the chooks come running expecting to be fed.  So many tourists have done this so they can get photos of them and now the birds look for bread.  The locals do not encourage this practice but we all know what some tourists are like.  No these guys did not get fed!

Our first night we had a welcome dinner at Hilli's, a delightful restaurant just down the road from where we were staying.  We were very weary and not at all sure about going but are so glad we did.  We enjoyed a lovely dinner, a glass or two of wine and finished the night with a wonderful cheese platter before taking ourselves home where our very comfortable bed was waiting.  

Tomorrow we will start to explore this interesting little place.  Until then.........

And then it was Party Time.......

Yes, it was that time again, my birthday, just like every year, one week after mothers day.  And this year was the BIG one.  It is so hard to believe that 10 years have passed since that fabulous night at Denpasar Moon where I celebrated my 50th with so many friends and my wonderful family.  But time stands still for no one and here it was again, the seventeenth of May and I was turning 60.  

When one reaches a milestone like this there is nothing else to do but celebrate and we did that in style.  We had many discussions about what I would like to do this year and decided that dinner with family and friends would be a nice thing to do before heading off for a new adventure overseas.

And so began a couple weeks of party time.  It began on the Friday before before having dinner with friends.  We had a wonderful night at a favourite restaurant in South Yarra.  Da Noi's was yummy as usual and we walked home again trying to undo some of the damage their degustation menu had caused.  

We spent Saturday afternoon at the footy watching Essendon winning in a game that had us on the edge of our seats.  It hadn't looked so good at half time but we left smiling so we were happy in the end.

On Thursday, at work, I was spoilt with a yummy White Chocolate Mud Cake as I would not be there the next day and I even got to bring some home for Bill.  Friday was the big day and I had taken the day off starting my 2 weeks leave early.  I had a lovely day relaxing and doing some shopping before returning home to get ready for the big event.  We were all meeting here for a drink before walking 'Downstairs' for dinner.

Bill arrived home early and before long we were joined by Mum, Maree, Faye, Rem, Ethan, Jarrod and Aaron.  Also joining us was one of my dearest friends Joy and her husband David.  Joy's Mother and mine had been girlhood friends and we first met when I was about 11 or 12.  I'll let you do the maths, but it has been a long time and although we have lived in different states for many of those years we have always remained friends.  It was so good to have her there to help me celebrate my big day.  We all enjoyed a drink or two and some nibbles with lots of stories and laughs before we moved that party downstairs for an absolutely lovely meal.

Returning back upstairs we were a little noisier than when we left but I'm sure the neighbors coped.  Rem took over the barista duties and we all had coffee and Birthday cake which had been made for me by a very talented young lady I used to work with.  A beautiful bouquet of vanilla cupcakes with pink buttercream icing.  'Cakes by Barbara' had done a great job and we all enjoyed them very much.

It was a fabulous night and though I really missed having David, Gareth and their families with us I enjoyed talking to them through the day.  Thank you both for my lovely presents, I will treasure them always.  And everyone else spoilt me as well and I now have some lovely new jewelery to show off as well as 2 scarfs, some lovely perfume, a hand made quilt, a gorgeous throw rug and a wonderful new picture for the wall.  I will find my own parrot one day Nolan, but in the meantime I love yours.

The next night the party theme continued with dinner at Choi's, another favourite Chinese Restaurant, in Hawthorn.  Cheryl and Shane were joining us from St Leonard's for the night and together with Astrid and Hans from Chum Creek we had another wonderful night full of good food, good wine and loads of fun and frivolity, most of which seemed to be at my expense.  The 'seniors' jokes seemed to be the topic of the night - how rude!

On Sunday morning we had brunch with Cheryl and Shane at Panettes in South Melbourne before heading into the NGV to see the wonderful Monet's Garden exhibition.  This was just beautiful and after we all had been and visited the garden last year a lovely way to relive our memories of that day.  No pictures could be taken of course but we did love this amazing piece in the foyer of the gallery.  Kohei Nawa's PixCel Red Deer in glass, acrylic and crystal beads is just stunning and captivates everyone as they enter the gallery.

Once home again we said goodbye to our guests and then it was time get the suitcases out and pack for our new adventure.  We were off to Norfolk Island the next morning.  Watch this space for the NI adventures.

And so now all that is left for me to say is a huge thank you to all my wonderful family and friends for all your cards, texts, Facebook messages, phone calls and pressies.  For those that were here in person, we had a great time, and for everyone else, I know you were here in spirit and I did think of you all.  Thank you so much for being my friends!

Until next time.........

A Football Free Anzac Day.....

Not what we had been hoping for but with Tammy and Paul staying in Perth and all the tickets snapped up before we even knew they were released this year we had to put Plan B into action.

With Anzac Day falling on a Thursday we both took the Friday off and so joined the many other True Blue Aussies turning this into an unofficial long weekend.  We hooked up the camper van and headed back to Yackandandah to have one more try at finding that elusive little Regent Honeyeater.

We got off to an early start and though the traffic was much lighter that Easter there were still lots of other people with the same idea.  We stopped at Beechworth for lunch again, this time at a quaint little teahouse called Moments and Memories.  The Chunky Potato and Bacon soup was yummy and for a 'teahouse' the coffee wasn't bad either.

We arrived a short time later at Yackandandah, found a nice little site beside the river and were soon settling in for the next few days.  A walk to the shops to pick up supplies for dinner that night before coming back to sit beside our little river and watch the world go by.   Later that night we tried out our new toy - a little television to watch our movies on so Bill can continue to use the laptop.  It worked a treat and we enjoyed our movie before braving the chilly night for that 'last bathroom run' you have to do before climbing into bed for the night.

We woke the next morning to the sounds of nature and discovered that it was 8.30am and we were warm and cozy in our little cocoon.  We discovered that it was not quite that warm outside though the sun was shining and it looked like we had a great day to look forward to.  After a leisurely breakfast we went off to explore the Historic Gorge Walk along the Yackandandah River.  This is a peaceful track that follows the river around to the crossing at Bells Flat for about 5kms.  We did not walk all the way round but returned to the town where we stopped for coffee and scones (yep Sticky Tarts again) before heading out to find Mount Big Ben.

We followed the mud map instructions on the only tourist brochure we could find and a couple hours later were at Dederang heading towards Mt Beauty.  A short while later we found the correct turnoff but were met with closed gates so our mission was aborted.  We did find out the next morning that we could have opened them and gone up but no-one could tell us what the track was like so we didn't try again. Another time maybe.  The view is meant to be spectacular but it is certainly a track they don't want you to find.

We stopped soon after at a little roadside picnic area to have lunch and found a small memorial for Black Saturday in 2009.  It was a lovely little spot with beautiful views over the ranges and I'm glad it had been spared on that dreadful day. 

Leaving there we wound our way back towards Yackandandah stopping at Allans Flats for a look at the water hole and picnic area there.  This area was once a gold mine and and now filled with water is a lovely place to visit and enjoy the views.  Back at home we finished our day beside the river until the chilly night drove us inside to another movie after dinner.

The following morning Bill braved the 3.6 degs and drove over to Bartleys Block in Chiltern on his quest for birds.  I stayed cozy and warm in my bed for another hour or so before getting up and braving the 6.9 that it was at 9.00am.  You could say that it is a bit chilly in this neck of the woods.  The days were clear and bright and sunshine abounded but oh dear those mornings are a challenge. Especially under canvas!  He drove back to town and I met him at Sticky Tarts before we drove around to the Bells Flat crossing to see the historic gorge where it had been blown out by dynamite.  Soon after we headed back towards Chiltern to spend the rest of the day in the ironbark forests.  Unfortunately that elusive little Regent Honeyeater never made an appearance so I guess we try again another year.  It was dark when we got back to camp and so dinner and a movie finished off another great day in the bush.

Monday morning was much warmer though still bright and sunny so it was not too hard to leave our bed but it is getting harder to have to pack up and leave these lovely little towns we visit.  But pack up we had too and we were soon on the road again for the long drive home.  Once again we had loved our time here and will definitely be back again one day.  Next weekend is Mothers Day and we all off to spend the day at Faye's place.

until next time.......