Norfolk Island - Part 1

 Last October I  called into Norfolk Island on a cruise ship. As it turned out we had a scant six hours on the island and a good chunk of that was spent queuing to get back on the ship so I saw very little apart from the main town of Burnt Pine.  Nevertheless what I did see was tantalising so I jumped at the opportunity when friends asked me to join them and some others for a week's stay on the island recently.

Burnt Pine

Norfolk is a small sub tropical island just 8km long and 5km wide with a population of roughly 2200.  It lies in the Pacific Ocean, 1600 kms east of Australia and 1084 kms west of New Zealand.   Captain Cook discovered and named the island after a friend in 1774 and although it was uninhabited then, evidence has been found of early Polynesian settlement.  The Polynesians had abandoned the island by the time of Cook's arrival, possibly due to the lack of water resources. The British included Norfolk Island in their colonisation of Australia and between 1788 and 1814 used it as a penal colony. Then again from 1825 to 1855 when the conditions for prisoners were extremely harsh. After the closing of the penal colony in 1855 residents of Pitcairn Island, the infamous Mutiny on the Bounty mutineers and their families, were transported to Norfolk Island due to over crowding on Pitcairn.  Most settled happily on Norfolk but a number returned to Pitcairn. A quick look through the island phone book shows that the most common surname on the island is Christian, descendants of Fletcher Christian. An amusing aside is that the phone book is the only one in the world where residents are entered under their nick names.

I browsed the telephone book and this is true

I was surprised and pleased to find there is much to explore on the island.  The UNESCO world heritage site of Kingston and Arthur's Vale is a must, rich in history and a fascinating place to spend a whole morning exploring.  It is sad and chilling to walk the ruins of the prison and know that the high walls right on the edge of the sea blocked the prisoners view but not the sound of crashing waves which would have, no doubt,  exacerbated their longing for freedom.  

Looking down over the prison ruins and some of the Georgian buildings

 Overlooking the ruins is a row of magnificent, beautifully preserved, Georgian houses,  which served as the homes and offices of the governers of the prison and island and are still used as the island's governmental offices. And there is a light and airy chapel.  Very hard to reconcile  how the prison governers could attend church while treating the prisoners with extreme cruelty, but there you are. We thoroughly enjoyed browsing the extensive photographic exhibition in the Lions Club house slightly up the hill near the pier.  The display records the history of the island and truly brings it to life.

I always enjoy wandering cemeteries and I found reading the tombstones of the Norfolk Island cemetery at Kingston fascinating.  There you will find the graves of convicts, descendants of the Bounty mutineers, seamen and soldiers and the grave of writer Colleen McCulloch of Thorn Birds fame who made Norfolk Island her home. There can't be too many cemeteries in the world located in a world heritage site.  Further along the road is the very pretty Norfolk Island golf club, a nine hole course right beside the sea and adjoining the glorious golden sand Emily Bay where we swam in the pure, if a little icy, waters.

Emily Bay

Up the hill on the way back to the township of Burnt Pine is The Bounty Museum.  It's name is slightly misleading, it is not all about the Bounty.  What looks like a small museum from the outside unfolds into room after room crammed with historical artefacts from the island.  There is everything from the balls and chains the convicts had to wear to more mundane things like telephones, cameras and 1950's kitchen equipment. So much to see that you could spend hours there and unusually for a museum you are free to pick up and or touch the exhibits.

Don't be fooled by its simple exterior.  This quirky museum is a veritable Alladin's cave of artefacts

It used to be said that the only people to visit Norfolk Island were the "newly wed and nearly dead", the inference being that it was too quiet and boring.  That was harsh and unfair.  I am not in the first category and sincerely hope I am not in the second! and I loved it.  How refreshing to visit an island where people are just naturally friendly, where cattle roam free and keep the grass verges in pristine condition, where everywhere you look there is a stunning view, where crime is minimal, so much so that houses are rarely locked and nobody locks their car.  I mean what would be the point of stealing a car?  Everyone on the island would spot it. 

Working hard at keeping the grass verge tidy

Norfolk has a rich, colourful and, at times, brutal history but today it is a charming, peaceful and friendly place to visit.

My next post will explore places to go and things to do around the island.

The Ginger Factory, Yandina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

 The Ginger Factory is a celebration of all things ginger offering factory and tasting tours, tropical bush walks, theme park style activities and, of course, a shop crammed full of products made with ginger.

I had been there once before but it had been right at the end of the day when things were closing down and we didn't have enough time to explore the park properly.  So when I was staying on the Sunshine Coast recently I thought it was time to have another look and I was very pleased I did. It has been substantially improved and extended since my first visit.

Firstly I joined the Factory and Processing tour.  A knowledgeable guide talked about the growing of ginger, its uses and how it is suited to the Queensland climate,  the importance of bees for pollination and she then took  us to view the large  processing plant.  To end the tour we were taken to a tasting room where we got to taste several ginger products.   I enjoyed the tour,  it is well worth while.

Huge vats of ginger being processed

Next I wandered the pretty rainforest tropical gardens with its water features and quiet, serene places to sit, delightful on a hot day. The Rainbrella Project is a colourful installation by Sophy Blake and a great photo spot on the garden walk.

I'm always a sucker for trains, even little tiny ones, so just had to have a ride on Moreton, the open carriage ginger train, which takes guests on a 15 minute ride through lush gardens and the factory site.  The informative commentary tells of the history of Yandina and the development of ginger growing in the area.

Moreton the Ginger Train 

Local visitors can buy some stunning tropical plants at the Potting Shed on site but as an international tourist I couldn't buy, nevertheless it was good to look at the gloriously vibrant tropical flowers and plants on offer.

There are plenty of activities for children including Craft Days, a Creative Hub, a Knight School (extra charge for this) and  Overboard which is a boat ride accompanied by music and animated puppetry (for all ages). The place was positively humming with happy children the day I was there.

The Egyptian part of the boat tour (photo from trip advisor)

If you are in a shopping mood or want souvenirs to take home there are plenty of shops to choose from including a toy shop, a herbs and fragrance shop and the main shop at the entry/exit.  You'll find a wonderland of ginger products in the main shop, it was hard to choose just a few things to take home but I managed.

The shop sells everything ginger, drinks, sweets, sauces, soaps, etc, etc
(photo from trip advisor)

Because it was the school holidays the place was pretty crowded with families, however, the only place that felt overly crowded was the cafe so I took myself across the road to the Pioneer Coffee Roastery where I had a very pleasant, leisurely coffee in peace. The Roastery and the adjoining Nut Shop are also both worth a visit.

The Coffee Roastery has a wonderful selection of coffees to buy.

I think the Ginger Factory is a terrific place for anyone to visit and especially families.  It is well maintained, educational, and there are activities for children and adults alike. I'd say it is a half day activity.

Disclaimer: Views are my own. I have no connection to the Ginger Factory

Coast to Hinterland Food and Wine Tour, Sunshine Coast, Australia

 With a whole week to just relax and enjoy Mooloolaba, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, I thought it would be fun to spend one day taking a food and wine tour out into the hinterland.  Collected from my hotel by a very friendly Dave, who was to be our guide for the day,  I was one of just five on the Coast to Hinterland Tour, we were a small friendly group.

 Our first stop was  at the very pleasant little town of Maleny  to enjoy a tasting of locally made chocolates. This was a little bit underwhelming to be honest.  It was basically just a chocolate shop but it did have an amazing array of different flavoured chocolates and we were invited to try a number of samples, some with uniquely Australian flavours, and we were  also given a slab of chocolate to keep.

From there we went to the Maleny Cheese factory.   After a short talk about the making of cheese and viewing the factory area where the cheeses were made we were given two large platters to share with a wide assortment of Maleny cheeses, breads, crackers, chutneys etc, all delicious, which we enjoyed with a welcome cup of coffee.  I highly recommend this place for the warmth of our welcome and the generosity of the cheese boards.

Well satisfied we continued on to the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve for a walk through tranquil native bush and to view spectacular views out towards the Glass House mountains and  the coast.  We were lucky, it was a beautiful day and we had very clear views and I always enjoy the serenity of the bush.

Cool, shady bush at the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve

View from Mary Cairncross of the Glass House Mountains

Then it was time for a wine tasting at Clouds Restaurant. We each received  generous pourings of 4 different wines and sat in a sunny courtyard enjoying the tasting, hearing about the different wines and chatting with our fellow passengers.  Pleasant indeed. 

The road to our lunch destination was very pretty, stopping at Gerrard's Lookout for panoramic views of the countryside, then on through rolling hills and finally down a steep bush lined road to Secrets on the Lake.  This is a pretty eccentric kind of place in a stunning location right on the edge of a lake. Within the restaurant there are numerous intricate wood carvings.  They are impressive.  Lunch here was absolutely superb.  The quality of the food was outstanding, befitting of a wine and food tour.  I had barramundi, asparagus, tomatoes with a potato mash for my main followed by orange creme brulee. Delicious.

View from Secrets on the Lake resort

My sublime lunch

One of many carvings in the restaurant  area

The owner of the lodge offered to show us one of the accommodation lodges.  The lodges are set high on poles and are accessed by long wooden walkways through the bush.  The lodge, like the restaurant, was eccentric with plenty of wooden carvings and an unusual layout, really not my style, but it had stunning views over the lake and I imagine would certainly be a very restful place to spend a few days.

Australian themed tiles in a lodge shower

The day was speeding by and by the time we got to the lovely village of Montville most of the shops and cafes were closing.  We did have time to take in the views towards Mooloolaba and as I had been to Montville on a couple of other occasions I wasn't too fazed.  A shame for the other passengers, though because Montville is charming and home to numerous independent crafty type shops.

The charming Camphor Cottage, Montville (Photo from Trip Advisor)

The view out over the rain forest from the platform at Mapleton Falls

Mapleton Falls cascading down into a deep ravine 

To round out the day we made our final stop at Mapelton Falls National Park to see the waterfall plunging 120 metres down into the deep Obi Obi Gorge. We viewed it from a platform hanging right out over the ravine.  I'm not usually afraid of heights but found this a bit stomach churning, nevertheless  I stood on the platform to take in the view of the rain forest and waterfall before scampering off to safer ground. 

Then it was back to Mooloolaba after a truly fantastic day.  I highly recommend this tour, it had a bit of everything and really showcased the lovely hinterland of the Sunshine Coast plus, as the tour's name states, provided delicious food and good wine. 

Great company for the day. Glass House Mountains behind us.

Disclaimer:  I have no association with Coast to Hinterland Tours.  I paid my own way and this is my unbiased opinion of the day.

Day trip to the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

I really couldn't remember much about the Blue Mountains from my visit when I was aged 14  so with a day to spare in Sydney recently I decided to take a day trip out there and have another look. The day didn't start well, although it was all my own fault.  I had travelled from Perth to Sydney and had reset the time on my alarm incorrectly.  I was up and raring to go at what I thought was an ideal time so went to the hotel lobby to wait for my pick up.  I thought the night staff were looking at me strangely until I finally realised it was 4am and my pick up wasn't until  6!  Oh well, back to my room for a while. Right on the dot of 6am the BLUE MOUNTAIN TOURS bus arrived driven by a bright, bubbly, friendly driver/guide named Amy.  The day was looking up.  As the first aboard it meant a bit of a trip around Sydney to pick up other passengers but Amy kept us well entertained telling stories, playing popular Australian music and educating us all on Aussie slang. Our first stop was for breakfast of bacon and egg burgers and coffee at Cafe 2773 in the charming little country town of Glenbrook. 

 Well fortified  we set off to drive higher into the Blue Mountain range to see the iconic Three Sisters peaks. What a stunning and spectacular sight it is with bush, mountains, deep valleys, sandstone cliffs and standing proudly over them all, the Three Sisters. Apparently we were lucky to have a very clear view as mist and cloud were threatening.  We spent quite some time there admiring the panorama from all different vantage points before  reboarding the bus and heading the short distance to Scenic World to ride the world's steepest railway as recorded in the Guiness Book of Records. It drops 206 metres with an incline of 52 degrees. Originally built to take coal out of the mine in the valley below, it is a thrilling, if short, ride.

Just look at how steep the track is!

At the bottom we  enjoyed a gentle ramble along a bush walk while Amy described the mining history of the area, the vegetation and the various birds spotted along the way including colourful parrots and the rare lyre bird. I love the bush so was in my happy place although, as a New Zealander who doesn't have to worry about such things, I was on the alert for snakes and spiders.

A homage to the coal miners and horses of the valley

At the end of our stroll we boarded the Cableway to reach the top of the valley and then changed to the Skyway which took us across the Jamison Valley 270 metres below and past the Katoomba Falls tumbling down to the valley floor.  It was all thrillingly scenic.  Time for our pre-ordered and tasty lunches at The Bunker in the small town of Springwood.  This was a great opportunity to get to know, and chat with, my fellow travellers, who came from many different countries.

The Skyway crossing the Jamison Valley, Three sisters on the left 
 (photo from Trip Advisor)

The Katoomba Falls are around 200 metres high

After lunch we headed off to our final stop of the day, the Featherdale Wildlife Park. This is basically a small zoo and an excellent place to see many Australian birds and animals. Here you get a close up view of Tasmanian Devils, Quokkas, Dingos, Wombats, Cassowaries, Crocodiles, Emus and the very, very busy little Echidna that never stopped moving, plus many colourful Parakeets, Parrots, Kookaburras and other birds.   This is a great place to see the amazing variety of wildlife unique to Australia. 

A rare albino wallaby

Koala

A tree kangaroo, I never knew they existed

The busy little echidna

After a generous amount of time at the park we headed back to Sydney.  It had been a fantastic day, I enjoyed every minute of it and highly recommend BLUE MOUNTAIN TOURS. I'm pretty sure this is the only tour which includes both breakfast and lunch. 

 Disclaimer:  I have no association with Blue Mountain Tours and paid full price for the day...it was well worth it!