The Bounty Museum
The History of Norfolk Island
(Q-S)
Quality Row - Norfolk Island
This road appears on a plan of the Kingston settlement dated in 1839 as Military Road, and was marked in surveyors’ books in the 1850's as Quality Row.
A short, straight road, it contains the largest group of convict-built structures in good repair. All these buildings date from the Second British Settlement and many of them were occupied by Pitcairners and their descendants from 1856 until 1908.
Quality Row
Queen Victoria's Garden - opening - Bernie Christian-Bailey, Greg Quintal & Marie Bailey.
Victoria was born in Kensington Palace in 1819 and became the Queen of the United Kingdom in 1837. Her reign as the Queen lasted 63 years and 7 months, longer than that of any other British monarch at the time.
Historically known as the Victorian era, it was a time of industrial, political and military progress within the United Kingdom. A time also of devotion which grew from a small community settled in the South Pacific Ocean.
Following the mutiny on HMAV Bounty, Fletcher Christian and his crew returned to Tahiti and then set sail again with twelve Tahitian women and six Tahitian men. They searched for a secluded hiding place and arrived at Pitcairn’s Island which had been charted incorrectly. A refuge and safe haven had been found to begin a new life. Years went by and the community grew. It soon became clear that they could not remain self-sufficient indefinitely on this small isle.
Following a failed attempt at re-locating in Tahiti, the islanders petitioned Queen Victoria to help them to find another home.
Norfolk Island was suggested and preparations for the settlement’s departure was arranged.
The Pitcairn Islanders arrived on Norfolk Island 8 June 1856.
Queen Victoria's Garden
Resolution - Norfolk Island
In Emily Bay, in the 1920s, a band of Norfolk Islanders constructed the 60 ft Resolution, 29 tons net, made of local timber brought to the site and labouriously pitsawn.
She was Norfolk’s effort at establishing her own merchant marine. The channel through the reef was deepened to allow the vessel to reach the outer sea, and the Resolution sailed off to New Zealand, carrying, in addition to her crew, a cargo of the island’s choicest fruit, the high hopes and prayers of the people.
Unfortunately she made no money from her regular passages to Auckland and she was eventually sold and ended her days 20 years later in the New Hebrides.
Reference: Rambler’s guide to Norfolk Island - Merval Hoare, 1972.
Resolution schooner
St Barnabas Chapel on Norfolk Island
St Barnabas Chapel was erected in the memory of Bishop John Coleridge Patterson, who had been instrumental in persuading the authorities to grant land.
The Mission, known as St Barnabas College was staffed by a handful of Europeans with over 200 students from all parts of Melanesia.
The stone building of St Barnabas with interior dark brown timbers and exquisite stained glass windows remains the same today. The black and white marble that paves the broad aisle leading to the Sanctuary and the Altar rich in mosaics and finely carved wood is enhanced by delicate shell designs at the end of each pew.
St Barnabas Chapel
Salt House - Norfolk Island
The picturesque Salt House ruins on the little headland between Emily and Slaughter Bays, are a reminder of pre-refrigeration days when salt was the only means of preserving meat.
Built in the late 1840's, this salt factory was equipped with two boilers, a pump and an evaporating pan. Salt water was pumped in, heated to evaporation point and the salt left behind was collected for use or export.
Salt House
Norfolk Island - 1848
The Second British Settlement was established from 1825 - 1855. Norfolk Island was occupied as a place to send “the worst description of convicts”.
The remoteness as seen in the First Settlement as a disadvantage, was now viewed as an appropriate and fitting place to send the twice-convicted men.
Reformation was not an objective. Fertile lands were cultivated again, public works recommenced with a programme of bridge building.
Following reports that reached England of the harsh treatment inflicted on the Norfolk Island prisoners, the British Government decided once again to abandon the island.
Norfolk Island - 2019
Second British Settlement
Selwyn Reserve
Selwyn Reserve extends approximately 1.1km along the western coast of Norfolk Island its spectacular west-facing cliffs rising to about 80m from sea level.
The Reserve extends up to 300m inland, and has an area of approximately 21.21 hectares.
The northern portion of the Reserve was proclaimed as “Selwyn Reserve” under the Commons and Public Reserves Act 1936 on 4 February 1937. In 1968 the Reserve was renamed “Selwyn Recreational Reserve” but was changed back to the original name in 1999.
Selwyn Reserve has significant community, landscape, and conservation values, with opportunities for recreation and habitat for native flora and fauna.
Puppys Point picnic area is a major tourist attraction noted for its spectacular sunset views and seascapes that epitomise the natural beauty of Norfolk Island.
The Reserve contains a number of vegetation types including parklands, coastal cliff communities, and remnant coastal forest. The patches of remnant forest in the northern part of the Reserve have a diverse range of native plants, some of which are now rare. Norfolk Island Pine and eucalypt plantations have been established on much of the northern section of the Reserve.
Reference: Norfolk Island Public Reserves - Plans of Management
Selwyn Reserve
Wedge-Tailed Shearwater [Puffinis Pacificus]
State Library of NSW Collection
Puffinus pacificus 430mm
Named because of their habit of flying just 3 to 4 metres above the sea, the Shearwaters travel as much as 300 kilometres each day on their migratory journey to Norfolk.
The Wedge-tailed variety arrive in their hundreds between the 18th and 21st October, returning to the same burrow they were hatched in, and stay until April or May. Where they go in the meantime is not known with certainty - it’s certainly a long way away and could be as far as Japan. While they are at sea they are active throughout the day but ashore, where they come to breed, they normally venture out only at twilight or night.
If you look out a few hundred metres towards Phillip Island around sunset, you’ll sometimes see them floating on the water in huge `rafts’, waiting for the onset of semi-darkness before venturing ashore.
They’re known as Ghost Birds by the islanders and you’ll know why when you hear their eerie moaning cries at night. Their burrows are up to two metres long - watch your step near the cliff-tops - it’s easy to step into one.
In June and July, some of the burrows are taken over by the winter-breeding, blue-legged Little Shearwaters who stay until December.
Shearwater bird
Across Slaughter Bay to Phillip Island - site of Sirius wreck, Norfolk Island
The Sirius played an important part in Australia’s and Norfolk’s history, for she was the flagship of the First Fleet, whose people colonised Australia.
Sirius, accompanied by Supply, left Sydney Cove for Norfolk in March, 1790 with a big party of marines, convicts and children of convicts. The party was bigger than otherwise would have been sent because food was short in the infant Australian colony and Governor Phillip sought to have fewer mouths to feed in Sydney.
The Sirius struck the reef on the morning of Friday, March 19, but all were saved. She broke up so slowly that it was not until two years later, that she finally disappeared.
Unfortunately the wreck of the Sirius meant that food was also in short supply for a time on Norfolk, for more than 80 members of the crew now also had to be fed. The crew were on Norfolk for 11 months.
Reference: Rambler’s guide to Norfolk Island - Merval Hoare, 1972.
HMS Sirius
Slaughter Bay on right - Norfolk Island
The beach fronting the pier at Kingston, is called Slaughter Bay.
A small, rocky headland separates it from Emily Bay.
Slaughter Bay, though lacking trees for shade, is still a favourite swimming place, and, near the pier at low tide, it is possible to walk out on dry reef to the long arm of the outer reef protecting the lagoon.
At low tide also in the pools near the shore you will see something of the marine life: anemones, starfish, molluscs and sea-weeds. Coral, in all shapes and patterns, and of various colours, may be seen as well.
Reference: Rambler’s guide to Norfolk Island - Merval Hoare, 1972.
Slaughter Bay
Sports and Games
In 1979 Norfolk Island was accepted as an official participant in our own right at the South Pacific Games alongside its fellow Pacific islanders.
Since then Norfolk Island has participated in 10 South Pacific Games, 7 Pacific Mini Games and proudly hosted the 6th South Pacific Mini Games here in 2001.
Throughout the many different sports, gold, silver and bronze medals have been won and the sporting performance has often exceeded what is expected from such a small island.
In 1986 Norfolk Island was also accepted to join the Commonwealth Games Federation, and has competed at all 7 Games since then, across the Commonwealth.
For our young people living in Norfolk Island, there are many opportunities to represent the island at the South Pacific Commonwealth Games and The Pacific Games.
It is an important part of our social, cultural and spiritual identity.
Sports & Games
Norfolk Island stamps
The first Norfolk postage stamps were issued in 1947. Up until 2016, Norfolk Island was a postal issuing authority, operating its own postal services independently.
There was no mail delivery service. Articles received in the post were put into private boxes or held for collection. The rate in 1986 for local postage was five cents.
Prior to 2016, Norfolk stamps were widely collected, and the sale of stamps for collectors was an important part of the island’s revenues. The local Administration's Philatelic Bureau to handle direct enquiries for stamps from collectors. As a postal issuing authority, Norfolk Island provided one sheet of each new stamp issue to every other postal issuing authority in the world. They in turn would provide sheets of all their new issues for Norfolk.
Norfolk Island stamps are sought after by many within the philatelic world, and the territory has a long established and active participation in the collector market. Tasmanian stamps were used on Norfolk Island from 1853 until 1856, but after the abandonment of the convict settlement and the transfer of the Pitcairn Islanders in 1856, postal services were practically non-existent on the Island for the next 40 years, although New South Wales stamps were used from 1877 until the early 1880’s.
The first recorded use of Norfolk Island's own distinctive postmarker ocurred on 13th March 1891 but there was little opportunity for it to be used, as postage stamps were not available for purchase on the Island. The situation improved around 1898 when NSW stamps were placed on sale and this continued on until 1913 when they were replaced by the first Commonwealth issue the Kangaroo series of 1913.
About 1923, the first of the unsuccessful efforts was made to obtain distinctive postage stamps for Norfolk island, but the issue lapsed until 1937. Norfolk Island secured final approval to have distinctive postage stamps in late 1939. The stamps were printed by the Note Printing Branch in Australia in 1940, but because of wartime conditions the issue did not proceed. In 1947 authorisation for the destruction of the printed stock was completed but some were stolen before destruction was completed and these subsequently reached the philatelic market. They are readily distinguishable as they are perf 11 while the initial issue of 1947 was perf 14.
During most of the period of World War II Norfolk Island was garrisoned by New Zealand Army and Airforce units which established their own postal service.
Norfolk Island assumed full control of its postal affairs along with the first issue of Norfolk Island stamps on 10 June 1947. Since then the territory has had complete control and responsibility for its stamp issues. Designs are predominantly of island interest and include convict heritage, Pitcairn heritage, tourism, local fauna and flora and special events.
The Norfolk Island Philatelic Bureau was previously responsible for:
• the research, design, production and supply of Norfolk Island postage stamps for the Post Office and the stamp collector
• producing First Day Covers, postcards and maxicards along with souvenir sheets and sheetlets
• mailing stamps to standing customers upon release
The Philatelic Bureau was closed in 2016.
Reference: www.stamps.gov.nf
For information on any of the services that Philatelic previously performed contact the Customer Care Team email: customercare@nirc.gov.nf
From 1 July 2016 Australia Post provides local postal services to Norfolk Island.
Stamps
Surfing on Norfolk Island
Bodyboarding on Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is completely surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, so it makes sense that the sea is vital to fully experiencing the island.
Explore... underwater... snorkelling the beautiful, unspoilt natural coral reefs and discovering the colourful marine life.
Safe swimming for all ages, at pristine beaches like Emily Bay and Slaughter Bay are within a short drive from your accommodation.
Popular surf spots include the Kingston reef, Ball Bay, Bumboras - and these spots depend upon the tides and wind.
Ask a local for safety tips and advice. They will be happy to share their advice.
Swimming & surfing
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