Norfolk Island is a quiet, peaceful and scenic place. Would we return some day? Probably, not for a long time.
Perhaps our opinion is coloured by the fact that we chose to spend seven days here, when four or five would have been quite ample for us. We are people who, while in our sixties are very active and like to explore. This place is far too quiet for us – as much as it is scenic, friendly and full of history. We are just in the wrong demographic – 20 years too young!
Norfolk appears to have been in its hey day when the old (and now all defunct) airlines such as East West, TAA and Ansett flew here. In those days, very few Australians had a passport, travelled extensively; especially internationally. The average person who comes to Norfolk Island still seems to fit into this category.
We’ve decided that Norfolk is, however, a great place for:
- Artists and photographers because the scenery there is very attractive.
- Botanists and environmentalists as Norfolk Island still has much to research and potentially new species to explore.
- Musicians and poets who would find that peace and tranquillity is helpful in contributing to their creative process.
- Anyone who wants to spend some simple, slow paced time on an unspoilt semi tropical island and appreciate its history and natural beauty.
On a lighter note, Norfolk Island would be especially attractive to:
- People who have holidayed all their lives in a caravan, and are excited by the idea of, for once, staying in a basic motel and even getting a stamp in their passport. You don’t even have to change your Australian money here. Everyone speaks English and the weekly craft market has some excellent home-made souvenirs quite suitable for the poolroom. (If you are unfamiliar with the importance of the poolroom, watch the movie titled ’The Castle’).
- Old blokes over seventy who still have something to offer, and who are looking for a new wife. From the large number of single elderly women that we see in the street, this must be one of the best senior’s pick up joints on earth. When I mentioned this idea to the lady in the next unit to ours (about out age), her first reaction was that seventy was probably a little young. She thought that seventy-year old men would run the risk of just being seen as a ‘toy boy’ rather than as real potential husband. She thought that eighty would be a much more appropriate age.
- Elderly ladies who want a travel experience away from home without any risk of danger, upsetting foreign foods, the ability to buy old fashioned products and where you can still make afternoon tea and go out to dinner dressed up in your twin set.
- Anyone who finds life so stressful that they just need to chill out with nothing to do for a while. There is no stress or pressure on this island whatsoever. The most difficult thing is to decide what satellite television station to watch after 8.00 pm when the restaurants have all closed and the town is shut up for the night.
- Anyone who likes to eat dinner by 6.00 pm and then get home before it gets dark and too late to still be up.
Our conclusion is that if you have put a visit to Norfolk Island on your bucket list, then make sure that you visit here just before you kick it. At any other time, you would probably be far too young!
Now Bruce, did you go on the evening historical tour ( and see the same actors turn up puffed and in different costume after running across the fields); did you see the bridge where the convict workers killed their supervisor and concreted him into the structure? did you find the spot where the girl was murrderred a few years ago by the bloke from NZ? did you see the Morgan house from the Colleen McCullough book Morgan’s Run, and look at the sole remaining bit of the house ( a fragment of fireplace); if not you have missed such a lot of excitement- go back and see it properly !! JB