1. Norfolk Island is part of Australia but most of the locals don t see themselves as Australian
Many of the citizens of Norfolk Island, classified as an Australian external territory and 1670 kilometres northeast of Sydney, are descendents of the Mutiny on the Bounty incident of 1789. They came here from Pitcairn, the Pacific island where the original mutineers first settled, after life on the tiny, crowded and rocky outcrop became intolerable. And they did so with the approval of Queen Victoria who agreed to their passage in 1858. In contemporary times, with nearly 50 per cent of the population of under 2000 bearing Pitcairn lineage, an ongoing campaign has been waged for self-rule with placards calling for autonomy ubiquitous across the island. Wherever you stand on the issue, it certainly adds considerable interest and flavour to a visit to the island and, of course, despite everything, Australian visitors are warmly welcomed. See thenorfolknavigator.com
THE ONE ARTWORK
Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia, is home to descendants of Fletcher Christian s 1789 Mutiny on the Bounty. Discover their story at the Fletcher s Mutiny Cyclorama, a 360 degree painting, as it brings to life this extraordinary affair and how, with the acquiescence of Queen Victoria, early mutineer descendants eventually found their way to Norfolk Island after abandoning their original Pitcairn Island home. See norfolkcyclorama.com
THE ONE VIEW
Popular Mount Pitt, at 320 metres, provides sublime panoramic views of the island and the Pacific Ocean. Special too, are the vistas and setting afforded from the Captain Cook Memorial clifftop lookout inside Norfolk Island National Park. From here, where Cook and his officers landed in 1774, a series of karsts, a Great Ocean Road in miniature, emerge from the crashing sea as migratory birds swirl above. See parksaustralia.gov.au