Norfolk Island sits in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, and it is an external territory of Australia. Living on Norfolk Island means living on a small, remote speck of land with a long and unusual story behind it.
This page covers the island's setting, its history, its people and the distances to bigger centres. For the wider picture, start with our Norfolk Island travel guide.
Where Norfolk Island sits
The island lies 1,412 kilometres directly east of Evans Head, on the New South Wales coast. Lord Howe Island is the nearest Australian neighbour, about 900 kilometres away. That is a long way from anywhere.
Three islands make up the Territory of Norfolk Island: Norfolk itself, plus neighbouring Phillip Island and Nepean Island. Together they cover about 35 square kilometres. The capital is Kingston.
| From Norfolk Island to | Distance |
|---|---|
| Evans Head, Australia | 1,412 km |
| Lord Howe Island | about 900 km |
Population and daily life
At the 2021 census, Norfolk Island had 2,188 inhabitants. Spread over roughly 35 square kilometres, that makes it a close community. The local language is Norf'k, and you will see the island's name written as Norf'k Ailen.
Getting around is not a rush. Hire vehicles are easy to arrange, and the pace is gentle. Around the main village centre you will find shops, restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes and churches, along with tour operators. Our Norfolk Island tours and rentals page has more on that side of things.
Flights have run from Newcastle, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with direct services from New Zealand on Wednesdays and Sundays. Schedules change, so check with the operator before you plan anything.
A short history of the island
First settlers
East Polynesian seafarers settled Norfolk Island in the 13th or 14th century, probably from the Kermadec Islands or the North Island of New Zealand. Both Polynesian and Melanesian artefacts have been found. They had gone a few hundred years before Europeans arrived, and the isolation and poor growing conditions were not favourable to long-term settlement.
The convict years
Captain James Cook landed on 10 October 1774 during his second voyage, and named the island after Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk. Britain settled it on 6 March 1788, when Lieutenant Philip Gidley King arrived with 15 convicts and seven free men. Flax, and a worry about hemp supplies from Russia, helped drive the decision.
The first settlement was judged too remote and too costly to maintain, and it was abandoned. The island lay empty from February 1814 until 6 June 1825, when 104 people landed from the ships Brutus and Mermaid to start a second penal settlement. Its remoteness was now treated as a strength, for holding what the government called the worst description of convicts.
The reality was gentler than the reputation. A 2011 study of 6,458 convicts found more than half had no colonial conviction, only 15 per cent had been reprieved from a death sentence, and most had committed non-violent property offences. The average stay was three years. Even so, there were uprisings and mutinies between 1826 and 1846, and all of them failed. The last convicts left in May 1855.
The Pitcairn settlers
Permanent civilian life began on 8 June 1856. Descendants of the Tahitians and the HMS Bounty mutineers, including those of Fletcher Christian, were moved from Pitcairn Island, which had become too small for them. 193 people left aboard the Morayshire and 194 arrived, because a baby was born on the way.
They used many of the buildings left by the convict settlements and gradually built up farming and whaling. Some families went back to Pitcairn in 1858 and 1863, but the population kept growing. Whaling ships called from 1793 until 1907 for water, wood and provisions. The island was transferred from the United Kingdom to Australia in 1914.
Landscape and weather
The Norfolk Island pine is the island's symbol and appears on its flag. It is native here and is a key export, popular as an ornamental tree in Australia and around the world. For what to expect through the year, see our Norfolk Island weather page.
Services and places to stay
Visitors can choose from self-contained apartments and houses, lodges, B&Bs, hotels, motels and cottages. The Norfolk Island accommodation page covers the range, and the All Seasons Colonial Norfolk Island Resort is one property to look at.
For wider planning across the state, Visit NSW is the official tourism site. You can read more of the island's story on Wikipedia's Norfolk Island entry.
Frequently asked questions
How many people live on Norfolk Island?
The 2021 census counted 2,188 inhabitants on about 35 square kilometres.
How far is Norfolk Island from the mainland?
It is 1,412 kilometres directly east of Evans Head, and about 900 kilometres from Lord Howe Island.
Who lives on Norfolk Island today?
Many residents descend from the Bounty mutineers and Tahitians who were resettled from Pitcairn Island in 1856, along with later settlers who joined them, often arriving on whaling vessels.