Anson Bay, Norfolk Island. Photo / Supplied
From transport and accommodation to food and activities, Tiana Templeman breaks down what these two Aussie islands have to offer visitors this summer.
If you’re looking for the perfect place to recharge and tune out from the pressures of modern life, choosing between Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island isn’t easy. Both destinations offer three things you’ll seldom find in one spot anywhere in the world: sublime natural beauty, World Heritage-listed wonders, and hardly any tourists. The choice isn’t simplified when comparing flight times from New Zealand; they’re also identical. Fortunately, this is where most of the similarities end.
On Lord Howe, tourists get around on bicycles; the entire island is World Heritage-listed, and it’s got an international reputation as “the” place to go. On Norfolk, you’re unlikely to see a Hemsworth or a Hollywood starlet, but the atmospheric penal colony, historic tours and country town charm tempt everyone else to visit. Read on to learn more about each destination and discover which one you should choose for a summer stay.
Perhaps surprisingly, reaching both islands takes around 7.5 hours, even though Norfolk is further from mainland Australia. This is thanks to the larger aircraft used on this route.
The $1450 cost of a return flight is about the same too, unless you’ve got Qantas frequent flyer points. If so, you’ve scored yourself a discounted trip to paradise, as Qantas flies to both islands via a connecting flight from mainland Australia (usually from Sydney). Book early for the best choice of frequent flyer seats.
The timing and costs may be the same, but the connection to Norfolk is easier as all of your flights arrive and depart from the international airport. Lord Howe Island involves a transfer to the domestic terminal and a frisson of excitement because of frequent weather and luggage delays. Will you make it? Will your luggage? Travel insurance is essential.
Whether you’re dodging cows on Norfolk Island or cruising alongside Lord Howe’s lagoon on two wheels, transportation is less about speed and more about simplicity. For destinations that are so isolated, it’s also surprisingly well priced.
Almost everyone gets around on bicycles or walks on Lord Howe Island, as there aren’t many roads and most of them are relatively flat. Bike rental costs around $100 a week. If you’re staying at a fancy lodge, (much better) bikes or a golf buggy are included.
On Norfolk, you can’t really get by without a hire car, which costs around $120 per day as the island is larger, hillier and not walkable except for downtown. While hire bikes are available, only fit travellers will be game to take on the many steep hills.
Neither island has public transport, so if you aren’t an active traveller or would prefer not to drive, Lord Howe is a clear winner when it comes to getting around.
Whether you’re a planner or a pantser when it comes to organising holidays could make your decision for you. Since Lord Howe only caters to 400 visitors, it feels like a private island but also means you must get in early, as the entire island can book out months in advance. Don’t lock in flights until after you’ve got somewhere to stay.
Norfolk Island can accommodate more than 1500 visitors and offers more variety, affordability and availability, with choices ranging from budget-friendly motels to hotels, heritage cottages and full-service resorts. Spontaneous travellers and those wanting more choice may prefer Norfolk, and the same is true when it comes to dining.
Once again, planning and booking early is key on Lord Howe Island, as there are a limited number of restaurants to choose from. Most of the island’s food is shipped over on a fortnightly barge, with a small amount of produce flown in or grown locally.
Some of Lord Howe’s high-end lodges include meals in the tariff, but the room rates can be eye-watering. If you’re self-catering, can’t get a table for dinner or feel like a change, you can always enjoy a memorable meal at one of the island’s barbecues, provided the weather plays along. Add drinks and food, and the spectacular views are yours for free.
Unlike Lord Howe Island, most of the produce you’ll eat on Norfolk Island is grown there. Restaurants are homely with a community vibe, and paddock-to-plate dishes that can be measured in metres, not miles. There’s even a coffee plantation.
Prices are higher than on the mainland at both spots, but each one offers a unique taste of paradise and dining options to suit every taste and budget.
Each destination is shaped by its heritage and geography, with a few similarities but a lot more differences. Both are beautiful, and neither is home to snakes, poisonous spiders, ticks or leeches. However, while nature is the star of the show on Lord Howe, on Norfolk it plays more of a supporting role to the island’s fascinating past.
Originally inhabited by the Polynesians and named by Captain Cook, Norfolk Island has been home to humans since the 1200s, including convicts. They arrived just over 10 years after Cook and were incarcerated at a penal colony that remains remarkably intact and is rumoured to be one of Australia’s most haunted sites.
When the descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers were pardoned by Queen Victoria, they were rehoused on Norfolk Island and spoke in Norf’k, a combination of 18th-century English and Tahitian that is still heard around the island today.
Walking tours, museums, re-enactments and other attractions bring the island’s historic tales of misfortune and lucky escapes to life, plus there’s a national park to explore, a golf course on a Unesco site, and snorkelling at Emily Bay.
There were no humans at all on Lord Howe until 1834, and then there were only six (coincidentally, they were New Zealanders). Sunlight glimmers on the ocean, empty beaches beckon, and the real world seems light years away – not two hours by plane.
With lush rainforest, dramatic cliffs and the world’s southernmost reef teeming with tropical fish, the entire island and its surrounding waters are World Heritage listed. Add the glamorous good looks of Tahiti and you’ve got a nature-lovers’ delight.
So, now you know how to get to and get around both islands, and about their history, accommodation and dining options, and things to do. But what if you still can’t decide which one to visit? In that case, the answer is obviously both!
The writer travelled at their own expense.