{"id":2929,"date":"2019-07-24T04:00:19","date_gmt":"2019-07-24T04:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=2929"},"modified":"2019-05-12T01:15:39","modified_gmt":"2019-05-12T01:15:39","slug":"lord-howe-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/lord-howe-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Lord Howe Island"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

Lord Howe Island<\/a> is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea<\/a> between Australia<\/a> and New Zealand<\/a>, 320 nautical miles directly east of mainland Port Macquarie<\/a>, 420 nautical miles northeast of Sydney<\/a>, and about 490 nautical miles southwest of Norfolk Island<\/a>. It is about 6.2 miles long and between 0.19 and 1.24 miles wide with an area of 3,600 acres, though 980 acres of that comprises the low-lying developed part of the island.<\/p>\n

Along the west coast there is a sandy semi-enclosed sheltered coral reef<\/a> lagoon. Most of the population lives in the north, while the south is dominated by forested hills rising to the highest point on the island, Mount Gower 2,871 feet. The Lord Howe Island Group comprises 28 islands, islets and rocks. Apart from Lord Howe Island itself the most notable of these is the volcanic and uninhabited Ball’s Pyramid<\/a> about 12 nautical miles to the southeast of Howe. To the North lies a cluster of seven small uninhabited islands called the Admiralty Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Lord<\/a>
Lord Howe Island Location<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Lord Howe Island Group is part of the state of New South Wales and is regarded legally as an unincorporated area administered by the Lord Howe Island Board which reports to the New South Wales Minister for Environment and Heritage.<\/p>\n

UNESCO<\/a> records the Lord Howe Island Group as a World Heritage Site<\/a> of global natural significance. Most of the island is virtually untouched forest, with many of the plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Other natural attractions include the diversity of the landscapes, the variety of upper mantle and oceanic basalts<\/a>, the world’s southernmost barrier coral reef, nesting seabirds<\/a>, and the rich historical and cultural heritage. The Lord Howe Island Act 1981 established a “Permanent Park Preserve” (covering about 70 per cent of the island). The island was added to the Australian National Heritage List<\/a> on 21 May 2007 and the New South Wales State Heritage Register<\/a> on 2 April 1999. The surrounding waters are a protected region designated the Lord Howe Island Marine Park.<\/a><\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

1788\u20131834: First European Visits:<\/h3>\n

It appears that, prior to European discovery and settlement, Lord Howe Island was uninhabited, and unknown to Polynesian peoples<\/a> of the South Pacific. The first reported European sighting of Lord Howe Island was on 17 February 1788 by Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball<\/a>, commander of the Armed Tender HMS Supply<\/a> (the oldest and smallest of the First Fleet<\/a> ships), which was on its way from Botany Bay<\/a> with a cargo of nine male and six female convicts to found a penal settlement on Norfolk Island. On the return journey of 13 March 1788 Ball observed Ball’s Pyramid and sent a party ashore on Lord Howe Island to claim it as a British possession. Numerous turtles and tame birds were captured and returned to Sydney. Ball named Mount Lidgbird<\/a> and Ball’s Pyramid after himself and the main island after Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe<\/a>, who was First Lord of the Admiralty<\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n

\"Henry<\/a>
Henry Lidgbird Ball<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The island was subsequently visited by many government and whaling ships sailing between New South Wales and Norfolk Island and across the Pacific, including many from the American whaling fleet, so its reputation as a provisioning port preceded settlement, some ships leaving goats and pigs on the island as food for future visitors. Between July and October 1791 the Third Fleet ships arrived at Sydney and within days the deck work was being reconstructed for a future in the lucrative whaling industry. Whale oil was to become Australia’s most profitable export until the 1830s, and it was the whaling industry that shaped Lord Howe Island’s early history.<\/p>\n

1834\u20131841: Settlement:<\/h3>\n

Permanent settlement on Lord Howe was established in June 1834 when the British whaling barque<\/a> Caroline, sailing from New Zealand and commanded by Captain John Blinkenthorpe, landed at what is now known as Blinky Beach. They left three men, George Ashdown, James Bishop and Chapman, who were employed by a Sydney whaling firm to establish a supply station. The men were initially to provide meat by fishing and by raising pigs and goats from feral stock. They landed with (or acquired from a visiting ship) their M\u0101ori<\/a> wives and two M\u0101ori boys. Huts were built in an area now known as Old Settlement which had a supply of fresh water, and a garden was established west of Blinky Beach.<\/p>\n

\"Blinky<\/a>
Blinky Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This was a cashless society; the settlers bartered their stores of water, wood, vegetables, meat, fish and bird feathers for clothes, tea, sugar, tools, tobacco and other commodities not available on the island\u2014but it was the whalers’ valuation that had to be accepted. These first settlers eventually left the island when they were bought out for \u00a3350 in September 1841 by businessmen Owen Poole and Richard Dawson (later joined by John Foulis) whose employees and others then settled on the island.<\/p>\n

1842\u20131860: Trading Provisions:<\/h3>\n

The new business was advertised and ships trading between Sydney and the New Hebrides<\/a> (Vanuatu<\/a>) would also put into the island. Rover’s Bride, a small cutter, became the first regular trading vessel. Between 1839 and 1859 between five and twelve ships made landfall each year, occasionally closer to 20 with seven or eight at a time laying off the reef. In 1842 and 1844 the first children were born on the island. Then in 1847 Poole, Dawson and Foulis, bitter at failing to obtain a land lease from the New South Wales Government, abandoned the settlement although three of their employees remained.<\/p>\n

In 1849 there were just 11 people living on the island but it was not long before the island farms expanded. Vegetable crops now included potatoes, carrots, maize, pumpkin, taro, watermelon\u2014even grapes, passion fruit and coffee. Between 1851 and 1853 there were several aborted proposals by the NSW Government to establish a penal settlement on the island.<\/p>\n

\"Lord<\/a>
Lord Howe Island Vegetable Garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In about 1853 a further three settlers arrived on the American whaling barque Belle. As well as George Campbell (who died in 1856) and Jack Brian (who left the island in 1854), the third, Nathan Thompson, brought three women (called Botanga, Bogoroo and a girl named Bogue) from the Gilbert Islands. When his first wife Botanga died he then married Bogue. Thompson was the first resident to build a substantial house in the 1860s from mainland cedar washed up on the beach. Most of the residents with island ancestors have blood relations or are connected by marriage to Thompson and his second wife Bogue.<\/p>\n

In 1855 the island was officially designated as part of New South Wales by the Constitution Act.<\/p>\n

Over the next 30 years population remained small and the island was the subject of numerous scientific expeditions.<\/p>\n

1890\u20131999:<\/h3>\n

In 1883 the company Burns Philp<\/a> started a regular shipping service and the number of tourists gradually increased. By 1932, with the regular tourist run of SS Morinda, tourism became the second biggest source of external income after kentia palm sales to Europe. The service continues into the present day with the fortnightly Island Trader service from Port Macquarie.<\/p>\n

The palm trade began in the 1880s when the lowland kentia palm (Howea forsteriana<\/em><\/a>) was first exported to Britain, Europe and America but the trade was only placed on a firm financial footing when the Lord Howe Island Kentia Palm Nursery was formed in 1906.<\/p>\n

\"Potted<\/a>
Potted Kentia Palms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Lord Howe Island Airport was completed in 1974, seaplanes were eventually replaced with QantasLink<\/a> twin-engined turbo-prop Dash 8-200<\/a> aircraft.<\/p>\n

21st Century:<\/h3>\n

In recent times tourism has increased and the government of New South Wales has been increasingly involved with issues of conservation.<\/p>\n

One of the most contentious issues among islanders in the 21st century is what to do about the rodent situation. Rodents have only been on the island since the SS Makambo ran aground in 1918 and have wiped out several endemic bird species and were thought to have done the same to the Lord Howe Island stick insect<\/a>. There is a plan to drop 42 tonnes of rat bait across the island but the community is heavily divided.<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Lying in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand the island is 370 miles east of mainland Port Macquarie, 436 miles northeast of Sydney, and about 480 miles from Norfolk Island to its northeast. The island is about 6.2 miles long and between 0.19 and 1.24 miles wide with an area of 5.62 square miles. Along the west coast there is a semi-enclosed sheltered coral reef lagoon with white sand, the most accessible of the island’s eleven beaches.<\/p>\n

\"Lord<\/a>
Lord Howe Island from Space<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Both the north and south sections of the island are high ground of relatively untouched forest, in the south comprising two volcanic mountains, Mount Lidgbird 2,549 feet and Mount Gower<\/a> which, rising to 2,871 feet, is the highest point on the island. The two mountains are separated by the saddle at the head of Erskine Valley<\/a>. In the north, where most of the population live, high points are Malabar 686 feet and Mount Eliza 482 feet. Between these two uplands is an area of cleared lowland with some farming, the airstrip, and housing. The Lord Howe Island Group of islands comprises 28 islands, islets and rocks. Apart from Lord Howe Island itself the most notable of these is the pointed rocky islet Ball’s Pyramid, a 1,808 foot eroded volcano about 14 miles to the southeast, which is uninhabited but bird-colonized. It contains the only known wild population of the Lord Howe Island stick insect, formerly thought to be extinct.<\/p>\n

\"Ball's<\/a>
Ball’s Pyramid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To the north there is the Admiralty Group, a cluster of seven small uninhabited islands. Just off the east coast is 11 acre Mutton Bird Island, and in the lagoon is the 7.4 acre Blackburn (Rabbit) Island.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

Trading vegetables, meat, fish and other perishables with visiting ships ceased in the 1870s when the whaling industry collapsed. With such a small population, Lord Howe Island’s economy is now extremely simple with external income derived from only two significant sources: tourism and the overseas sale of kentia palm seeds and seedlings.<\/p>\n

Kentia Palm Industry:<\/h3>\n

The first exporter of palm seeds was Ned King, a mountain guide for the Fitzgerald surveys of 1869 and 1876, who sent seed to the Sydney Botanic Gardens. Overseas trade began in the 1880s when it was found that one of the four palms endemic to the island, kentia palm (Howea forsteriana<\/em>), which grows naturally in the lowlands, was ideally suited to the fashionable conservatories of the well-to-do in Britain, Europe and the United States, but the assistance of mainland magistrate Frank Farnell was needed to put the business on a sound commercial footing when in 1906 he became director of a company, the Lord Howe Island Kentia Palm Nursery, whose shareholders included 21 islanders and a Sydney-based seed company. However, the formation of the Lord Howe Island Board of Control was needed in 1913 to resolve outstanding issues.<\/p>\n

\"Kentia<\/a>
Kentia Palms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The native kentia palm (known locally as the thatch palm as it was used to thatch the houses of the early settlers) is now the most popular decorative palm in the world. The mild climate of the island has evolved a palm which can tolerate low light, a dry atmosphere and lowish temperatures\u2014ideal for indoor conditions. Up to the 1980s the palms were only sold as seed but from then onward only as high quality seedlings.<\/p>\n

Seed is gathered from natural forest and plantations, most collectors being descendants of the original settlers. Seed is then germinated in soil-less media and sealed from the atmosphere to prevent contamination. After testing they are picked, washed (bare-rooted), sanitized and certified then packed and sealed into insulated containers for export. They grow both indoors and out and are popular for hotels and motels worldwide. Nursery profits are returned to enhance the island ecosystem. The nursery plans to expand the business to include the curly palm and other native plants of special interest.<\/p>\n

Tourism:<\/h3>\n

Lord Howe Island is known for its geology, birds, plants, and marine life. Popular tourist activities include scuba diving, bird watching, snorkeling, surfing, kayaking, and fishing. To relieve pressure on the small island environment only 400 tourists are permitted at any one time. The island is reached by plane from Sydney Airport or Brisbane Airport in less than two hours. The Permanent Park Preserve declared in 1981 has similar management guidelines to a national park<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With fewer than 800 people on the island at any time, facilities are limited; they include a bakery, butcher, general store, liquor store, restaurants, post office, museum and information center, a police officer, a ranger, and an ATM at the bowling club. Stores are shipped to the island fortnightly by the Island Trader from Port Macquarie.<\/p>\n

\"Supply<\/a>
Supply Ship<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is a small four-bed hospital and dispensary. A small botanic garden displays labelled local plants in its grounds. Diesel-generated power is 240 volts AC, as on the mainland. There is no public transport or mobile phone coverage, but there are public telephones, fax facilities and internet access as well as a local radio station and newsletter, The Signal.<\/p>\n

Tourist accommodation ranges from luxury lodges to apartments and villa units. The currency is the Australian dollar, and there are two banks. There are no camping facilities on the island and remote-area camping is not permitted. To protect the fragile environment of Ball’s Pyramid (which carries the last remaining wild population of the endangered Lord Howe Island stick insect), recreational climbing there is prohibited. No pets are allowed without permission from the Board. Islanders use tanked rainwater, supplemented by bore water for showers and washing clothes.<\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

Access to Lord Howe Island is by either once every other week boat from Port Macquarie or by air with Qantas Airlink from Brisbane<\/a>, Sydney, and Port Macquarie during high season.<\/p>\n

Lord Howe Island (along with Norfolk Island) is an important transit and refueling point for light aircraft flying between Australia and New Zealand. Located 373 miles to the west is the Australian mainland, and 559 miles to the east is Norfolk Island Airport which is within range of New Zealand to the southeast and New Caledonia<\/a> to the north. These countries are within the range of many light aircraft when fitted with extra fuel tanks and operating via the two islands, but not while flying directly between them. From New Caledonia, other Pacific nations such as Vanuatu and Fiji<\/a> are within range and can be used as further ‘stepping stones’ to other South Pacific and North Pacific destinations.<\/p>\n

\"Lord<\/a>
Lord Howe Island Airstrip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are hire cars available but most visitors find they do not need them given the small size of the island. All lodging providers meet guests at the airport for transfer. Most attractions are within easy walking distance although bikes are also available for rental. Because of the small size of the island, there is no public transit system.<\/p>\n

The Flag:<\/h2>\n

The Flag of Lord Howe Island is the unofficial flag of the island, an unincorporated area of New South Wales administered by the Lord Howe Island Board.<\/p>\n

\"Flag<\/a>
Flag of Lord Howe Island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The unofficial flag of Lord Howe Island, which was designed by Sydney-based vexillologist John Vaughan, was first flown in November 1998. The yellow center of the flag evokes the island’s topography and depicts a Kentia palm, while the surrounding area of flag utilizes the pre-1801 Union Jack, excluding the red of St George’s Cross.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Flag of Lord Howe Island is the unofficial flag of the island, an unincorporated area of New South Wales administered by the Lord Howe Island Board. The unofficial flag of Lord Howe Island, which was designed by Sydney-based vexillologist John Vaughan, was first flown in November 1998. The yellow center of the flag evokes the island’s topography and depicts a Kentia palm, while the surrounding area of flag utilizes the pre-1801 Union Jack, excluding the red of St George’s Cross.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[58,63,5,6,7,30,44],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2929"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}