Norfolk Island is rich in History and Culture from Captain Cook's discovery in 1774 to todays modern times.

Captain James Cook, on his second voyage around the world, discovered the uninhabited Island on 10 October 1774, some thirty thousand centuries after Norfolk Island propelled itself above the ocean's surface.

Norfolk Island was essentially uninhabited up until Cook discovered the Island in 1774. Upon discovery, Cook named the Island in honour of the Duchess of Norfolk - a wife of the noblest peer of England. While the Island was uninhabited at the time of discovery, evidence of previous occupation by Polynesians has since been found.

Given the minute size and isolation of Norfolk Island, it’s hard to imagine just how Cook managed to stumble across this Island ‘Paradise’. Cook was impressed by the native pine trees and flax on the Island. He judged (mistakenly) that the pines would be suitable for masts of large ships and that sail-cloth and cordage could be made from the flax. These resources were important factors in Cook’s recommendation that Norfolk Island be secured for the British Crown.

A monument to Cook’s discovery stands at Duncombe Bay, where Cook first ‘landed’ on Norfolk Island.

FIRST SETTLEMENT (1788-1814)

Norfolk Island is the site of one of the earliest European settlements in the Southwest Pacific. It is arguably the most famous place of secondary punishment for nineteenth century British Convicts.
On the 6 March 1788, less than two months after the establishment of the colony of New South Wales, Lieutenant Philip Gidley King and 22 settlers (including 9 male and 6 female convicts) landed at what is now Kingston, Norfolk Island.

The produce from this settlement probably saved the Sydney inhabitants from starvation, but by 1804 it was no longer needed. However, the settlement met with mixed success. The soil was fertile, but clearing the rainforest proved difficult and early crops were attacked by rats and parrots.

On 19 March 1790 “HMS Sirius” the flagship of the First Fleet, was wrecked on the reef at Kingston. Although there was no loss of life, the incident highlighted the settlement’s vulnerability.

Despite these difficulties, the settlement continued to grow, reaching a population of over 1100. However, the settlement failed to become self-supporting and proved to be both difficult and expensive to maintain. From 1806 onwards the inhabitants were gradually transferred to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). In 1814 the settlement was abandoned, following destruction of all buildings to discourage unauthorised occupation of the Island.

Norfolk Island was to remain uninhabited for another 11 years.

SECOND SETTLEMENT (1825-1855)

In 1825 when a second penal settlement was established, without free settlers, for the worst convicts from New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land. It was officially described as “a place of the extremist punishment, short of death”.
Conditions were harsh and inhumane; often triggering murders, mutinies and escape attempts by the convicts. The only exception was the period from 1840 to 1844 when the treatment of prisoners improved dramatically under Captain Alexander Maconochie, an enlightened prison reformer.

The following statements were written during the Second Settlement and they provide us with an insight into the horrendous treatment inflicted upon the convicts during this period:

‘Their sunken glazed eyes, deadly pale faces, hollow fleshless cheeks and once manly limbs shriveled and withered up as if by premature old age, created horror among those in court. There was not one of the six who had not undergone from time to time, a thousand lashes each and more. They looked less like human beings than the shadows of gnomes who had risen from their sepulchral abode. What man was or ever could be reclaimed under such a system as this?’

During the Second Settlement the convict population of the Island reached a maximum of about 2,000. The fine buildings at Kingston were built by convicts during this period. However, by 1855 public pressure finally led to the abandonment of the Island as a penal colony. Many of the convicts were transported to Port Arthur and New Norfolk in Van Diemens’ Land (Tasmania).

Over the past 35 years, the Australian and Norfolk Island governments have undertaken a comprehensive program to conserve the early buildings and ruins in the Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Area. The Area is on the Register of the National Estate and is of international heritage significance.

Visitors can wander around or take a guided tour through the many historic ruins and buildings, including the ‘New Goal’, with its solitary confinement ‘apartments’ and cells designed to prevent the transmission of light or sound. Evidence indicates that such cells drove the occupant insane.

Barracks, stores, offices and homes from this era can be visited, while four public museums and numerous private museums help give a perspective of Norfolk Island’s fascinating history.
There are four public museums and numerous private museums for visitors to explore Norfolk Island’s fascinating history.

Norfolk Island Today

Some things on Norfolk Island have changed little over the years. Many of the Islanders preserve their Pitcairn heritage and speak the distinctive traditional language passed down from the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives. Cows still graze under the commonage system and goods from ships are still brought ashore in lighters, as the Island has no natural harbour. However, meeting the demands of the tourism industry has meant that a wide range of services and most modern comforts are now available.

RELATIONSHIP TO AUSTRALIA

Norfolk Island became a Territory under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1914. It is administered under the Norfolk Island Act 1979 which provides the basis of the Territory’s legislative, administrative and judicial systems.

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