The Bounty Museum
The History of Norfolk Island (C)
Captain Cook's landing point on Norfolk Island
The first known European to sight Norfolk Island was Captain James Cook in HMS Resolution on 10 October 1774.
He landed on the rocks below Duncombe Bay. His party was lucky with the weather.
(Four years later the French navigator, Jean-Francois La Perouse, in command of La Bousole and L’Astrolobe was unable to land and sailed off with the observation that Norfolk was fit only ‘for angels & eagles to reside in’.)
“The chief produce of the Isle is Spruce Pines which grow here in vast abundance and to a vast size,” he recorded.
Captain Cook
Ship unloading at Cascade - Norfolk Island
Lieutenant Phillip Gidley King had atttempted to land at Cascade, but it was too rough and he commented that the cliffs were too high for scaling even if he had been able to land. His ship hove to near the cascade which he said was falling “with great force and noise”.
In May, 1798, a road from the settlement at Kingston to Cascade Bay was completed.
Near the foot of the hills there was a rock forming a natural jetty from which boats were hauled out of the sea when they were unable to land on the Kingston side. King made improvements to this landing place, one of his main projects in 1792. He had discovered that after “having with infinite labour made an opening on the stone beach at Cascade Bay for landing”, it had filled up again with stones after a gale.
He wrote: “I therefore turned my attention to erecting a crane on the landing-rock, at the east end of Cascade Bay, which is connected with the road by a strong and well-framed bridge, and some rocks that were under water, and have been blown to pieces, have rendered the north side of the island very accessible, and have removed every obstacle respecting landing safely and conveniently on this island, which now can be always easily affected either in Sydney or Cascade Bay, as they reciprocally become the lee side of the island.”
When King finally left Norfolk in 1796 there was a strong wharf, 126 ft long, between the landing rock and the shore.
Cascade Reserve is located along the northern coast of Norfolk Island. Cascade Reserve includes the former Quarantine Reserve (10ha) and has a total area of approximately 32.45 hectares. The reserve surrounds Cascade jetty, which is used to launch fishing boats and for loading and unloading cargo. The reserve has spectacular coastal views and pastoral landscapes.
Cascade Reserve and the former Quarantine Reserve were proclaimed reserves under the Commons and Public Reserves Act 1936 on 4 February 1937.
The waterfalls at Cockpit were named “the Cascades” by Captain Cook as he sailed south-eastwards off the north-east coast after discovering Norfolk Island in October 1774. Cascade Creek is one of Norfolk’s few permanent streams.
A rocky outcrop in Cascade Bay was used as a landing place from the beginning of the First British Settlement in 1788 and the hamlet of Phillipsburgh was laid out by Lt. King near Cascade creek in 1790. Phillipsburgh is the oldest European township site in Australasia that has not been substantially altered. During the next 200 years, the Cascade Reserve area became a centre for various agro-industrial activities, including flax dressing (to make canvas), timber milling, fuel storage, fish processing, and whaling.
One of the few remaining areas of mature remnant coastal mixed hardwood forest, and the only area of such forest within a public reserve, occurs in Cascade Reserve.
The cultural heritage of the reserve reflects the history and development of this community and provides a link with a past way of life that continues to shape the Island’s character. The cultural landscape, together with the remnants of native coastal forest provides some insight into the nature of the Island before Cook’s discovery. The cascades, creeks and coastline form one of the most valued landscapes on the Island.
References:
Rambler’s guide to Norfolk Island - Merval Hoare, 1972.
Norfolk Island Public Reserves - Plans of Management
Cascade
From the beginning, the Pitcairn custom of sharing was evident in their new settlement on Norfolk Island.
Examples include the establishment of a common store for their food and the designation of common grazing lands at the KAVHA site and elsewhere on the island, indicating the communities’ continued sharing of resources as an important cultural tradition. The free-roaming chickens and cattle appear to be an expression of this custom.”
NSW Dept. of Commerce 2007: pp. 249-260
Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Historic Area Heritage Management Plan June 2015: p. 42 (Cth)
“They (the Pitcairners) told me that the Bishop of New Zealand had been there; they also said that they were out of flour, and that beef and potatoes formed the substance of their meals. They, considering they had never tasted meat of any kind at Pitcairn, took very kindly to animal food, and had devoured a good number of the sheep and cattle which had been left when the convicts were removed to Van Diemen’s Land. Some whalers had called in for fresh provisions and water, and beef had been sold to them at 3d. per pound. The cattle were in beautiful condition; they had killed one which weighed 1,400 pounds, a very fair weight for a grass-fed bullock, but one could not wonder at their condition when one saw the luxuriance of the grass, which covered the ground with a mat some eight or nine inches deep.”
Captain Denham’s journal on his visit to Norfolk September 1857
It has been a traditional right, on Norfolk, for cattle to graze freely anywhere that a pasture has not been fenced off by a property owner.
Take care when driving on our roads, as the cows have right of way!
Cattle
Cemetery - Norfolk Island
Only a stone’s throw from the sea is the cemetery, from which the bay takes its name.
Kingston’s cemetery has been in use since Lieutenant Philip Gidley King’s time. Here high officers and humble convicts, ruthless insurgents and their victims, Pitcairn patriarchs and strangers, lie in serene surroundings.
On entering the gates you pass first through the new section of the cemetery, which is well-kept and bright with flowers. Conspicuous on the surrounding headstones are the Bounty names, Christian, Quintal, Adams, Young and McCoy, and the Pitcairn names, Nobbs, Buffett and Evans.
Nearer the seaward fence is pre-Pitcairn (1856) section of the cemetery where the monuments vary from mere broken stumps of headstones to massive built-up tombs. There is a surprising variety in the epitaphs; some are quaint, some melancholy, others effusive, and many include verses of a moral nature. The words carved above some of the prisoners executed for ‘mutiny’ are brief and badly-cut as though done by amateur stonemasons, perhaps by friends of the victims.
The clarity and apparent freshness of some of the early inscriptions are due to the attentions of stonemasons who have visited Norfolk in recent years and done restoration work.
The island has no facilities for embalming or cremation. Volunteers dig the grave and a simple wooden coffin is built. At the end of the service ‘Come Ye Blessed’ - Pitcairn Anthem is sung.
Reference: Rambler’s guide to Norfolk Island - Merval Hoare, 1972.
Cemetery
Thursday October Christian
Milntown - Isle of Man
Fletcher Christian was born to Charles and Ann (nee Dixon) Christian on September 25, 1764, at Moorland Close near Cockermouth in Cumberland on the north-west coast of England.
When Fletcher was only three and a half years old his father died. Ann Christian was a dedicated mother and, despite financial difficulties, saw to it that all her children got an excellent education. In 1780, having lost the family home in Cumbria, Ann took her daughter and her two youngest sons, Fletcher and Humphrey, and moved to Douglas on the Isle of Man. Fletcher may well have been proud of his Manx background and the bravery of his great-great-grandfather, Illiam Dhone, who had led a mutiny against English rule over the island and had been executed in 1663.
In 1787, he became master’s mate on the HMAV Bounty, bound for Tahiti. Their mission was to gather breadfruit trees for the West Indian planters. The Bounty reached Tahiti on 25 October 1788 and spent five months collecting and loading the plants.
Upon leaving Tahiti, and shortly into their voyage, the Bounty’s crew mutinied. On 28 April 1789, Bligh was cast off in an open provisioned boat with eighteen others. Fletcher Christian took command and after an unsuccessful attempt to set up settlement at Tubuai, they returned to Tahiti. Some of the mutineers agreed to separate. The rest of Christian’s crew, along with twelve Tahitian women and six Tahitian men, set sail to find a fitting place of refuge.
After desperately searching for several weeks, they finally came upon Pitcairn Island. Captain Carteret on his discovery of the island had recorded the longitude incorrectly. This nautical error was to the advantage of Christian in establishing a secluded and hidden settlement.
On 23 January 1790, Pitcairn Island became home to this mixed race of twenty eight people.
The Bounty was stripped of all useful articles - planks, her ribs, copper, nails, bolts, masts, sails. The hull was set on fire. The last remaining link between the mutineers, Tahiti and Europe was effectively destroyed.
Fletcher Christian had three children with Mauatua: Thursday October, Charles, and Mary Anne (born after his death).
His descendants live today in Pitcairn, in Norfolk Island, the Isle of Man and in many other places in the Pacific and the rest of the world.
Fletcher Christian
The Bounty replica anchored at Kingston, Norfolk Island in January 1989.
c.1200 AD - Polynesian settlement
1774
October 10: Captain James Cook, in command of HMS Resolution, arrived at Norfolk Island.
1788
March 4: Lieutenant Philip Gidley King and 4 others landed at Duncombe Bay to explore landing possibilities.
March 6: Lieutenant Philip Gidley King with 22 people (including 15 convicts) landed at Sydney Bay to form the first penal settlement. (Foundation Day)
1790
March: HMS Sirius wrecked on the reef at Sydney Bay.
1792
September: Population 1,115
1800
Planned convict uprising, 2 hanged.
1803
British government decided to move part of the settlement to Van Diemen’s Land. Many settlers petitioned to be allowed to remain.
1805
Many leave on the Investigator for Port Dalrymple in Van Diemen’s Land.
1810
March: Population: 177.
1813
February: 145 left for Sydney and Port Dalrymple. 35 remained to kill and salt stock.
1814
February: First penal settlement closed: island abandoned.
1825
June: Captain R Turton, commandant, re-occupied the island as a settlement for the worst felons.
1826
September: Convict uprising: 4 lives lost, 2 leaders later executed in Sydney.
1833
About 600 prisoners, 130 troops. Several murders and much unrest.
1834
January: Convict outbreak: 9 convicts died, 13 executed. Major Joseph Anderson became commandant.
1839
Major Thomas Bunbury succeeded Anderson. Soldiers revolted. Population: about 1,200 prisoners, 180 soldiers.
1840
Captain Alexander Maconochie, now superintendent (or commandant) introduced new system of penal reform.
1842
June: Attempt by prisoners to take over Governor Phillip.
1844
Major Joseph Childs became commandant: restored harsh penal code. Norfolk annexed to Van Diemen’s Land and administered from Hobart.
1846
July: Convict outbreak: 12 executed. John Price succeeded Childs. Decision made to evacuate Norfolk.
1848
Decision to retain Norfolk settlement for the present.
1852
Brutal treatment of prisoners caused Bishop Robert Wilson to recommend that convict station be closed. Norfolk suggested as new home for Pitcairn Islanders.
1856
Last convicts left for Hobart.
1856
June 8: Pitcairn Islanders arrived. (Anniversary (Bounty) Day)
1857
Proclamation of Laws and Regulations for Norfolk. In the absence of the governor, the executive government was vested in the chief magistrate and his two councillors.
1858
First party returned to Pitcairn Island.
1863
Second party returned to Pitcairn Island.
1866
Church of England Melanesian Mission headquarters established.
1870
Population about 340.
1880
St Barnabas chapel completed.
1884
Visit by Lord Augustus Loftus, governor of New South Wales and governor of Norfolk Island.
1885
Commissioner Henry Wilkinson reported on social conditions, land use, public works. Population: 662 (481 Islanders, 181 with Melanesian Mission).
1896
New Zealand raised objection to control of Norfolk by New South Wales. Viscount Hampden proclaimed new constitution. Government-appointed chief magistrate to reside on the island, Council of Elders established.
1897
Order-in-Council: Norfolk to be administered by the governor of the colony of New South Wales.
1900
Order-in-Council: Norfolk to be administered by the governor of the state of New South Wales.
1902
Pacific Cable Board’s station at Anson Bay opened.
1903
Executive Council set up.
1911
Population: 985 (Pitcainers, Norfolk Islanders, Melanesian Mission staff and scholars, others).
1913
Norfolk Island Act 1913 provided for the island to become a territory under the authority of the Commonwealth.
1914
Norfolk Island Act 1913 became operative. An administrator, also appointed chief magistrate, placed in charge of the island.
1926
Royal Commission into Norfolk affairs. Administrator Colonel E T Leane recalled.
1930
Banana boom. 339 hectares under cultivation (the largest area since convict days).
1932
Depression sets in.
1933
Population: 1,231.
1935
Norfolk Island Act 1913 amended: position of chief magistrate separated from that of administrator. Advisory Council established.
1936
Depression eased and new industries flourished.
1939
World War II began.
1942
December: First aircraft landed on new airstrip and Pacific air patrols began, using Norfolk airstrip.
1943
Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel stationed on the island.
1945
Bean seed became an important export industry.
1948
Growth of air traffic with QANTAS and New Zealand National Airways operating regular flights.
1956
Centenary of landing of the Pitcairn Islanders. A week’s celebrations, including re-enactment of original landing. Economy improved with revival of whaling industry.
Reference: Norfolk Island - An Outline of Its History 1774 - 1987 - Merval Hoare, 1969.
Chronology of Norfolk Island
to 1956
Church of England (Anglican) services began on Norfolk Island with Lieutenant King's first "Public Order":
"No person is to absent himself from public worship which will begin every Sunday morning at eleven o'clock, the Commandant's house, when everyone will come clean and orderly and behave themselves devoutly".
Thomas Jamison, the Surgeon, was authorised to marry suitable couples. Lieut. Ralph Clark, in his journal of 6 November 1791, noted that the Revd. Mr Johnston performed Divine Service in both the forenoon and afternoon - "all the troops in the Garrison present", and later baptised 31 children.
During the second settlement, many Irish political exiles were sent to Norfolk Island where they were treated as harshly as the convicted criminals. These devout Roman Catholics had a crying need for a clergyman of their faith, Captain Alexander Maconochie, an exceptionally liberal Commandant, allowed the "unwarranted expense" of building both a Protestant and a Roman Catholic Church within the walls of the Prisoners' Barracks.
In 1835, two English Quaker missionaries, James Backhouse and George Walker, who spent two months on the island, were able to watch prisoners at work, talk to them and, at appropriate times, preach the Gospel. They reported to the N.S.W. Governor that the barracks were clean and white-washed, the bedding free of bugs and the men healthy on a good, if monotonous, diet.
In 1856 the Pitcairn Islanders brought with them to Norfolk strong traditions of strict religious observance based on the Bible and the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.
Reference: Norfolk Island: South Pacific island of history and many delights. Jean Edgecombe 1991.
Churches
Anson Bay - Norfolk Island
Norfolk’s climate is sub-tropical. Temperatures range from 10 - 26 degrees throughout the year. Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed during the 12 months.
Lieutenant King was the first "weather man" on Norfolk. He was specifically required to "observe what are the prevailing winds in the different seasons of the year, the best anchorage according to the season, the rise and fall of the tides, likewise when the dry and rainy seasons begin and end".
The weather watch today is not so very different, with the exception of sophisticated instruments to gather information on surface and upper air conditions and to send it to the Melbourne Bureau of Meteorology for processing and relay to Sydney and other stations requiring data.
Norfolk’s clear days - and most days are clear - are not only blue, but gold and green as well. The pines, perpetually green, dominate the landscape at every turn. Summer heat is tempered by sea-breezes so that the weather is seldom unpleasantly hot.
When fog settles on the island, the horizon has no distance at all. The pines, their outlines all blurred, seem to merge into one another. Floors and unused shoes sprout mildew as rain drifts into fog and fog drifts into rain. Then comes a change; perhaps a rumbling, crackling thunderstorm that clears the air in an hour, and the mists fold up and vanish in the blue.
Summer brings a certain lassitude; draws people to the beaches and detracts a little from the pleasures of walking. The sunsets are glorious; flaming red and gold on the west coast with lovely reflections in the eastern sky.
~ Merval Hoare
Climate
The Norfolk Island motto of “Inasmuch” is displayed on the Coat of Arms. The motto is taken from the words of the Pitcairn Anthem, which in turn were taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew (25.40) - “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”.
The Lion reflects the historic links of Norfolk Island with Great Britain, New South Wales and Tasmania.
The Kangaroo refers to the island's connection with Australia.
Anchors and the Naval Crown allude to the naval background of the first settlers on Pitcairn Island and the importance of sea in its history.
The Covered Cup is taken from the Arms of Fletcher Christian's Family.
The Book represents the Bounty Bible.
The Pine tree is taken from the landing scene depicted on the 1856 Royal Seal.
The Laurel Wreath around the neck of the Lion is taken from the posthumous crest of Captain James Cook.
Stars occur in the posthumous crest of Norfolk Island.
Reference: EDGECOMBE, Jean. Norfolk Island: South Pacific island of history and many delights, 1991.
The Armorial Ensignes for Norfolk Island were granted and assigned by Royal Warrant by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1980.
The Public Seal includes the Norfolk Island Coat of Arms and was approved on 6 July 1981.
Coat of Arms
View to Quality Row on Norfolk Island
FIRST SETTLEMENT
Lt. Philip Gidley King 1788-90 and 1791-96
Maj. Robert Ross 1790-91
Capt. John Townson 1796-99
Capt. Thomas Rowley 1799-1800
Maj. Joseph Foveaux 1800-04
Capt. John Piper 1804-10
Lt. Thomas A. Crane 1810-13
William Hutchinson (civil administrator) 1813-14
PENITENTIARY
Bt. Maj. Richard Turton 1825-26
Capt. Vance Young Donaldson 1826-27
Capt. Thomas E. Wright 1827-28
Capt. Robert Hunt 1828-29
Capt. J. Wakefield 1829
Lt. Col. James T. Morisset 1829-34
Maj. Joseph Anderson 1834-39
Maj. Thomas Bunbury 1839
Maj. Thomas Ryan 1839-40
Capt. Alexander Maconochie 1840-44
Maj. Joseph Childs 1844-46
John Price Esq. 1846-53
Commandants
Tom & Tim Lloyd - Norfolk Island
Many community volunteers have assisted in raising public awareness of the need for the preservation of the social, cultural, customs and traditions of the island.
Special days on the island include celebrations such as: Bounty Day; Thanksgiving Day; The Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Show and Foundation Day.
Other community events are also included such as: Bounty Bowls, Tennis, Golf, Archery, Clay Target competitions, Line Dancing Festival, Country Music Festival, Photographic workshops, Artists residencies, Bird Week and Live Theatre productions.
Recognition and appreciation is given to all those community volunteers who support these activities, including the many Service Clubs and Committees who assist members and the local community.
Since the 1960’s senior citizens and those in need, have been blessed by the on-going work of Committee members of the Sunshine Club whose main objective is, “to serve’ the community.
The Lions Club, Rotary International and Quota donate generously to local residents, the Norfolk Island Hospital, Norfolk Island Central School as well as communities in Australia and overseas.
NATIN is a not for profit organisation that raise and distribute emergency funding towards those who require urgent medivac off the island.
For the past 159 years, one of the major foundations and the heart of the Norfolk Island community is: “we will help our own”.
~ Tom Lloyd
Community Groups
Island elders - Norfolk Island
In 2008 the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly re-established the Council of Elders to:
protect, preserve and promote the identity, values, welfare and wellbeing of the community and its unique traditional knowledge and expressions of culture.
In performing its role the Council may:
~ Identify and consider issues, challenges and priorities;
~ Monitor and evaluate activities and practices;
~ Formulate recommendations and provide advice;
~ Promote peace and good order;
~ Discuss any other matter initiated by, or referred to the Council.
The Council of Elders meets every month.
You can contact the President of the Council of Elders on president@councilofelders.nlk.nf or the Secretary on secretary@councilofelders.nlk.nf
Council of Elders
Open 7 days a week
10am to 4pm
Corner of Queen Elizabeth Avenue and Middlegate Road
EFTPOS Availabe & FREE WIFI
Bounty Museum
P.O Box 69
Norfolk Island
NSW 2899
Phone: 53961