There’s something special about Norfolk Island. This paradise has a unique appeal that draws visitors again and again. Here are 10 things on Norfolk Island you must experience.
1. Discover convict history
The convict settlement site located at Kingston is World Heritage listed and the oldest of Australia’s 11 convict sites. There are four museums depicting the four layers of the island’s history.
2. Hire a mini-moke
Have fun driving around the island taking in the beautiful scenery. Practise the Norfolk wave as you pass vehicles and give way to the roaming cows and chooks!
3. Get twitching
Norfolk Island is the home of five birds that are endemic to the island: the green parrot, the boobook owl, the grey gerygone, the Pacific robin and the slender-billed silver eye. You may spot one
of these birds whilst bushwalking in the parks and reserves.
4. Experience authentic paddock-to-plate
There’s no food miles here; rather food metres with most things grown on the island. Enjoy fresh in-season fruit and vegetables, indulge in local cheeses, wines, coffee and honey. Taste Norfolk Island Food Festival is held in November and incorporates Thanksgiving Day, a legacy left by American whalers during the 1960s.
5. Visit ‘Fletcher’s Mutiny Cyclorama’
The cyclorama is a 360-degree painting created by local artists Sue Draper and Tracey Yager depicting the Mutiny on the Bounty story and the descendants settling on Norfolk Island in 1856.
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
AI Prompt
6. Take a lagoon dip
Emily Bay has a safe beach with surrounding reef, teeming with amazing fish life and corals. It’s perfect for snorkelling.
7. Play a round of golf
Near the seaside at Kingston, this will probably be the cheapest week of golf you’ll ever play. The golf club and pro shop are located in an historical convict building.
8. Capture the moment
Norfolk Island is a photographer’s paradise, with a rugged coastline, the majestic Norfolk pinetrees and more than 30 per cent of the island being national parks and public reserves.
9. Watch the sun rise and set
Witness the best sunsets and sunrises at one of the cliff top vantage points.
10. Immerse yourself in culture
The Norfolk Islanders inherited from their Tahitian foremothers the art of island cooking and weaving. You can see demonstrations on an island culture tour. You might also hear the local language – “Watawieh" means hello.
Want to see more stories from Australian Traveller in your Google search results?
City buzz, gourmet trails, surf breaks and art scenes are all at your fingertips.
When it comes to planning a trip, picking a holiday destination is the easy part. The real dilemma is where to set yourself up for the night. Do you go coastal, city, or countryside? Somewhere remote and rugged, or right in the action? Luckily, the Sunshine Coast, and huge number of amazing Sunshine Coast day trips, have kindly made the choice for you.
Ditch the hotel-hopping and suitcase-lugging. Instead, base yourself at Novotel Sunshine Coast or Mantra Mooloolaba, where big-city culture, vine-covered valleys, and theme parks are all within a two-hour drive.
1. Sunshine Coast to Brisbane
Drive time: 1 hour 20 minutes (105km)
Shake off the sand from your sandals and swap the beach for the throb of the Queensland capital. Ease in gently with a bougainvillea-filled stroll through South Bank, iced latte in hand, before cooling off at Streets Beach lagoon – Brisbane’s answer to the coast (but without the waves).
Once firmly in big-city mode, hit up the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), home to Australia’s largest collection of modern and contemporary artworks. Dive into the past at the Queensland Museum, where prehistoric fossils of Australian dinosaurs and megafauna collide with First Nations cultural collections and interactive science exhibits.
All this learning got you hungry? Howard Smith Wharves calls. Here, riverside dining delivers breweries with meat-forward menus, Japanese fine dining and overwater bars. If you’ve got room for more, Fortitude Valley’s shopping boutiques await you and your wallet.
Wander the Gallery of Modern Art. (Image: TEQ)
2. Sunshine Coast to the Scenic Rim
Drive time: 2 hours 15 minutes (170km)
Make your way inland to the Scenic Rim for the state’s best vineyards and age-old volcanic slopes. Start your day early (like, sparrow’s breakfast early) at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park. Here, take a treetop walk through the canopy and hand-feed the wild birds who flock here.
Next, it’s your turn to eat. Here, the food scene operates where locally sourced produce is an expectation, not an exception. Order a picnic basket crammed with regional wine and cheese to devour next to the creek at Canungra Valley Vineyards. Or perhaps a grazing platter of vegan and non-vegan cheeses at Witches Falls Winery.
Feeling bold? Tackle the Twin Falls circuit in Springbrook National Park. Or keep the gourmet life going with a Scenic Rim Brewery tasting paddle, best enjoyed while taking in the rise of the Great Dividing Range.
Enjoy a cheese platter at Witches Falls Winery. (Image: TEQ)
3. Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast
Drive time: 2 hours (180km)
Surf, sand and sparkling skylines might be the Gold Coast’s MO, but there’s more to Surfers Paradise and beyond. Kick things off with a beachfront coffee at Burleigh Heads, then hike through Burleigh Head National Park to look over the ocean and whale sightings (dependent on the season, of course).
Cool off in the calm waters of Tallebudgera Creek before chowing down on the famously buttery Moreton Bay bug rolls at Rick Shores. Travelling with the kids? Then you can’t miss Australia’s theme park capital, with Dreamworld’s big rides and Warner Bros. Movie World’s Hollywood treatment at hand to keep the family entertained.
Dive into Tallebudgera Creek. (Image: TEQ)
4. Sunshine Coast to Tweed Heads
Drive time: 2 hours 15 minutes (200km)
Dare to cross enemy lines? Then welcome to New South Wales. Tweed Heads blends the laid-back attitude of the Northern Rivers with high-quality dining, experimental art, and farm-fresh indulgence – a combo worth the drive.
Start strong with a long, lazy brunch at Tweed River House, then swing by Tropical Fruit World for exotic finds like red dragon fruit, handfuls of lychees and black sapote. Next, hit M|Arts Precinct – an art deco hub of micro galleries, artist workshops and one-off boutiques.
Round off the day with sunset drinks at Husk Distillers among the glowing cane fields, and order one with their famous Ink Gin. You’ll thank us later.
Taste the famous Ink Gin at Husk Distillers. (Image: Destination NSW)
5. Sunshine Coast Hinterland
Drive time: 1 hour (70km)
Strap on those hiking boots and make tracks inland, where volcanic peaks, misty rainforest and hinterland townships beckon. Ease in with the Glass House Mountains Lookout Walk, or, if you have energy to burn, tackle the Mount Ngungun Summit Walk for a 360-degree sight of the surrounding summits.
Next: Montville. This township delivers European-style architecture and old-world appeal. Nearby, settle in at Flame Hill Vineyard, where a large pour of estate-grown wine comes with encompassing views of the countryside.
Not ready to leave the hinterland villages just yet? Of course not. Meander past art galleries and indie shops at Maleny. Nab some fudge from Sweets on Maple for a sweet fix. Or go salty at Maleny Dairies with a farm tour and a chunky wedge of their deliciously creamy cheese.
End the day among the eucalypts and rainforests of Kondalilla National Park. Here, the Kondalilla Falls Circuit winds down through trees humming with life to a rock pool beneath a waterfall – as if designed for soaking tired feet before heading back to the coast.
Take on the Mount Ngungun Summit Walk (Image: TEQ)
