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Flying in, I see it. Not the hulking green mass of Norfolk Island, which looks like a dairy farm plonked in the middle of the ocean, but its smaller sibling six kilometres to the south, a rugged, uninhabited (except by thousands of seabirds) red-earth island that s been called the Uluru of the Pacific .
It s called Phillip Island, and getting there involves a mini-expedition that starts with a short, often rough boat trip from Norfolk; you then have to leap ashore onto slippery, wave-sloshed rocks and scramble up ladders and ropes to reach the island s higher, drier slopes.
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On my first visit to Norfolk a few years ago, the weather had been against me. This time I ve got three days to make it happen. Not that there aren t other outdoorsy things to do while I wait.
Last weekâs column began with, âI suppose there arenât many of us who havenât read Tennysonâs famous poem The Charge of the Light Brigade while in school.â
It went on to point out that out of the 670 British light cavalrymen who charged into that valley on October 25, 1854 to capture some cannons at its far end, 278 men and 375 horses fell in just five minutes; and it added the fact that the brave men who died in that charge were in the wrong place. In truth, no one was supposed to charge into that valley of death. It was all a mistake, one which began as a simple order to go guard some abandoned enemy cannons up on a hill until the infantry could climb up there and collect them.
How The United States Stole American Samoa Shutterstock
By Cody Copeland/Dec. 30, 2020 1:29 pm EDT
Whether it s suppressing independence fighters in the Philippines, economically exploiting Puerto Rico, or atom-bombing the crap out of the Marshall Islands, the United States has a long history of playing empire with islands far from its own borders. The country finally gave in and granted Hawaii statehood in 1959, but many others have been subjected to U.S. rule without enjoying benefits like being able to vote or self-govern. American Samoa is one such case.
According to Britannica, the Samoan islands have been inhabited since Polynesians most likely Tongans arrived around 1000 BC. It is believed that within five centuries, the islands became the point of origin for people who voyaged east to settle other islands in Polynesia. The first European to sight Samoa was Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen in 1722, and others followed. As noted by World Travel Guide, th
Australian Traveller
The best swimming spots on Norfolk Island 23 December 2020 . BY Eliza Sholly
We uncover the best swimming spots along the 32-kilometre coastline of Norfolk Island.
Norfolk Island remains one of Australia’s lesser-known island gems. Having quietly dodged the march of mass tourism, the island still boasts an array of uncrowded, pristine swimming spots and a mild sub-tropical climate to enjoy them in.
Here, our picks of the best places for a cooling dip on Norfolk Island – and the beaches that aren’t safe to swim at, but still worth a visit.
Emily Bay Lagoon
Emily Bay Lagoon is our pick of the bunch for swimming on Norfolk Island. Find sheltered reefs, calm horizons and aqua azure waters reminiscent of the Maldives. It’s renowned as one of the safest beaches in the world – and one of the top 10 beaches in Australia according to Trip Advisor.