For more information on dates and prices, please email info@gatewaytravel.com.au or call 0414955109 (local) or +61 414955109 (international)
What’s the best time to visit Norfolk Island?
You can visit year-round, but the best months are September to May for warm weather, calm seas, and blooming gardens. Winter is great for hiking, whale watching, and quiet relaxation.
Do I need a passport to travel to Norfolk Island?
If you’re an Australian citizen, you don’t need a passport, but you’ll need photo ID (like a driver’s licence) for your flight. Travellers from New Zealand or other countries will need a valid passport and may be subject to Australian entry requirements.
Lime Mines
“During the convict era (1825-1855), lime was produced at Kingston to make mortar and plaster for the Georgian buildings of what is now the Kingston and Arthurs Vale Historic Area. Convict labourers gathered shell and coral-derived calcareous material from the shoreline and burned it in stone kilns to make quicklime, which was then slaked for building use. The work was hot, dusty and gruelling, done under military guard against a backdrop of rugged coast, Norfolk pines and the reef.”
Are these tours suitable for families and older travellers?
Absolutely. The tours are designed to accommodate all ages and fitness levels. Guided options and flexible pacing make them ideal for multi-generational travel.
What’s included in the tour packages?
Packages typically include accommodation, selected meals, guided tours, entrance fees to attractions, and transport. Check individual itineraries for full inclusions.
The Stone Slipway
Norfolk Island has no harbour, so the “boat launch” at the pier is really the centre of how the island gets its goods.
The stone slipway at Kingston Pier
- A timber slipway built in the 1830s was replaced in 1853 with a stone slipway for launching boats.
- When the Pitcairn settlers arrived, the inventory handed over to them included a stone pier with two flights of stone steps, a stone slip for launching boats, and the port’s two 15-tonne launches.
- Some of what passed through the boat crews’ hands was clandestine: goods were traded with the coxswains for sale to ship crews and passengers, and the same route was used to smuggle tobacco.
Can the itinerary be customised?
Yes! Gateway Travel can tailor itineraries to suit your interests, timeframes, and group needs.
How do I book?
Visit the website or contact us directly via email or phone for booking assistance and quotes.
Golf Course
- Convict-era land: During the penal period the area was known as “Garrison Farm”, the garden and farm land next to Government House.
- Clubhouse: The clubhouse is in a sandstone building from 1843, once home to the island’s Stipendiary Magistrate. It’s No. 1 Quality Row, which dates back to 1825 and housed military and civil officers.
- Early 1900s: The club’s own tourism page says the nine-hole course was established in the early 1900s and the club formally founded in 1927.
- 1913: An Australia Post stamp issue says golf is “said to have” started in 1913, when Lottie Stephenson drove a ball down the first fairway on what was then called Elliot Links. The club itself dates from 1927.
- 1927: A Norfolk Island Museum article gives Lottie Stephenson’s first tee-off as 1927.
- 1930s: The area was officially leased to the club in the 1930s.
- 1843 claim: A golf review says the Golf Society of Australia concluded in 2010 that the course, originally “Point Hunter Golf Course”, was built by convicts in 1843 and has never moved. That would make it Australia’s oldest course still on its original site. I only found this in one travel review, so treat it as unverified.
- The pines: Most of the Norfolk pines around the course were planted in the early 1950s to stop sand encroachment and to beautify the area.
- Queen’s visit: The same review says Queen Elizabeth visited in 1974 and oversaw the clubhouse renovation. I haven’t verified that either.
Can the itinerary be customised?
Yes! Gateway Travel can tailor itineraries to suit your interests, timeframes, and group needs.
How do I book?
Visit the website or contact us directly via email or phone for booking assistance and quotes.
Do your tours cater to dietary needs?
Yes. Please advise us in advance of any dietary requirements or allergies, and we’ll notify our local partners.
Is there a dress code for religious or historic sites?
Yes, modest clothing is advised when visiting churches, mosques, or monasteries—shoulders and knees should be covered.
Cemetery, Kingston, Norfolk Island
Located at Kingston on Cemetery Bay, burials have taken place there from the first settlement to the present day.
There were earlier burial places, though. The first “Burying Ground” was established by 1796 behind Emily Bay. Early European burials were generally close to where the person died, often on farms or near settlements, so most of those sites are unknown. By 1829, in the second settlement, the present cemetery site appears to have been in general use.
- There are no commercial funeral parlours, and the Norfolk Island Hospital carries out funeral services.
- There is no crematorium, so someone who dies on the island may be buried or cremated elsewhere.
- Under the Public Reserves (Amendment) Act 2009, the Administrator may appoint a sexton to manage the cemetery day to day.
Who is buried there
- The oldest marked grave is 1798, according to a photographer’s captions (unconfirmed).
- The graves include convicts, soldiers and sailors, and descendants of the Bounty mutineers. The novelist Colleen McCullough is also buried there.
- It holds four Commonwealth burials from the Second World War.
Let’s Make It Happen
For bookings and personalised advice:
Email: info@gatewaytravel.com.au
Or reach us via email, mobile, or WhatsApp.
Smartraveller in Australia
Keep up to date on overseas travel information. We recommend you visit smartraveller.gov.au for alerts and warnings, as well as other useful travel information or phone toll free on 1300 139 281.
Australian Travel Information
Keep up to date on Australian travel information. We recommend you visit immi.homeaffairs.gov.au for information on travel to and from Australia or phone toll free on 1300 139 281.
Emergency consular assistance
The Australian Government provides 24-hour consular emergency assistance.
+61 2 6261 3305 from overseas or 1300 555 135 from within Australia.