Explore Norfolk Island

Beaches

Norfolk has several beaches to offer. Most popular among visitors and locals is sublime Emily Bay a reefed off lagoon this beach is hard to beat. Low tide is like swimming in a lake, with calm waters ideal for snorkelling and young children play. A pontoon in the middle for jumping provides hours of fun. Any tide is very swimmable though, it’s easy to come here day after day or multiple times in the day! Locals will tell you this spot has a different climate bubble to the rest of the island, some locals swim year-round as the water average temperatures are 19-25C in Summer and 14-19C in the height of Winter.

Slaughter Bay is part of the lagoon area and like Emily it’s easy to snorkel from shore to start seeing the underwater water world.

Cemetery beach is also in the Kingston area and is a favourite for children with boogie boards, perhaps more adventurous snorkelling on low tide and rock pool meandering.

Bumboras or Bumby beach is a lovely cove with rockpools for young children play and for the nibble passing over the basalt rocks it’s a great place for snorkelling and the reef break is very popular with locals for surfing.

Anson Bay on the north-western side of the island is at the base of majestic cliffs, a path zig zags down to the shore. This beach is open to the elements and often has breakers for body surfing, although on some days this beach can be calm and crystal clear especially when the wind comes from the east.

National Parks

Norfolk’s sub-tropical climate fosters some special endemic plants and birds life which also form the base for some fascinating stories in history. Almost a third of the island is devoted to National Parks where it’s impossible to miss the prolific and iconic Norfolk Island Pines, plus see the tallest ferns in the world and 116 species of bird life some found nowhere else on earth. Norfolk is a haven for keen birdwatchers but also for anyone who enjoys nature, each house at Whitewood has a local birds book written by Marg Christian for those keen to count the birds. Phillip Island south of the island is another world altogether very different to Norfolk and well worth a visit for those who love an adventure and tougher hike.

Scuba Diving and Fishing

Jetty fishing is a great way to meet the locals and drop a line (visit Land and Sea for your rod and equip hire). Or deep sea fishing is very popular on Norfolk and there’s plenty of fish in the sea! Great for beginners who want to try (and go home a fishing hero) and also for those avid enthusiasts keen for the challenge of trumpeter, wahoo, yellow fin tuna, and marlin. Less known but equally spectacular is scuba diving with Mitch Graham, Norfolk’s pristine waters are ideal for diving and exploring this teeming underwater world.

Photography

Ask our favourite visiting professional Photographers and they’ll tell you the beauty about capturing Norfolk Island is that nothing is far away, chasing the light isn’t so arduous! Easterly sunrise, westerly sunset shots, moody skies and a quick drive to chase morning and afternoon light combined with so many different subjects to choose from framing historical buildings, unique flora and fauna or dark dark night skies.

Tours

Wow there’s enough tours on Norfolk to fill each morning, afternoon and evening if you enjoy being looked after! The beauty about doing some or many tours whilst on the island is that you’ll receive all the inside info from knowledgable locals who are proud to share their stories with you. There are many tours to choose from as there’s many of facets to Norfolk to showcase including: history and culture, nature and environment tours, dinners and shows. My suggestion would be to follow your interests and to pre-book before you arrive as some tours book out during busy periods e.g. if you’re a bird lover you can’t miss Marg’s Bird Tour, or for convict history a walking settlement tour is a must or for a taste of Norfolk food and culture the Cliff-top fish fry combines local fish and island dishes with a show from our island dancers.

Shopping

Formerly renowned for being a haven for tax-free shopping, things have shifted for Norfolk but there’s still some good duty-free and gst-free shopping available including jewellery, toys and giftware, cosmetics, European shoes, and more. Locally made gifts are also now very much in focus including local artwork galleries at Gallery Guava, Aatuti Art and locally made gifts at Prinke and the Sunday island markets.

Dining out

Being so tourism focussed our island offers a high number of cafes and restaurants per capita! If you have your heart set on one of our popular restaurants we recommend pre-booking before you arrive as there can be busy periods on the island and some restaurants book out early especially one of our favourites The Homestead. Other great restaurant dining options include Hilli Restaurant, Castaway Hotel, Baileys Restaurant at Governors Lodge and Bounty Bar & Grill. More casual dining includes Salty Beer Garden open every night and has live music on Sunday afternoons or the food at Rae’s Kitchen (Leagues Club) and the Bowling Club are very popular. Cafés abound including the lovely Golden Orb, The Olive, Seriously Chocolate, Prinke (great coffee), Café Tempo, The Olive Branch (at the Golf Club) Enitaim and Fitzy’s farm.