![\"Norfolk](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Norfolk-Island-on-the-Globe-300x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>The first known settlers in Norfolk Island were East Polynesians<\/a> but they were long gone when Great Britain<\/a> settled it as part of its 1788 settlement of Australia. The island served as a convict penal settlement from 6 March 1788 until 5 May 1855, except for an 11-year hiatus between 15 February 1814 and 6 June 1825, when it lay abandoned. On 8 June 1856, permanent civilian residence on the island began when it was settled from Pitcairn Island<\/a>. In 1914 the UK handed Norfolk Island over to Australia to administer as an external territory.<\/p>\n The evergreen Norfolk Island pine<\/a> is a symbol of the island and is pictured on its flag. Native to the island, the pine is a key export for Norfolk Island, being a popular ornamental tree on mainland Australia, (where two related species grow), and also worldwide.<\/p>\n Norfolk Island was settled by East Polynesian seafarers either from the Kermadec Islands<\/a> north of New Zealand or from the North Island<\/a> of New Zealand. They arrived in the thirteenth or fourteenth century, and survived for several generations before disappearing. They must have disappeared at least a few hundred years before Europeans arrived as the island was covered with forest by then.<\/p>\n The first European known to have sighted and landed on the island was Captain James Cook<\/a>, on 10 October 1774, on his second voyage to the South Pacific on HMS Resolution<\/a>. He named it after Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk<\/a> (c. 1712 \u2013 1773).<\/p>\n Sir John Call<\/a> argued the advantages of Norfolk Island in that it was uninhabited and that New Zealand flax<\/a> grew there. In 1786 the British government included Norfolk Island as an auxiliary settlement, as proposed by John Call, in its plan for colonization of New South Wales<\/a>. The decision to settle Norfolk Island was taken due to Empress Catherine II<\/a> of Russia’s decision to restrict sales of hemp. Practically all the hemp<\/a> and flax<\/a> required by the Royal Navy<\/a> for cordage and sailcloth was imported from Russia<\/a>.<\/p>\n When the First Fleet<\/a> arrived at Port Jackson<\/a> in January 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip<\/a> ordered Lieutenant Philip Gidley King<\/a> to lead a party of 15 convicts and seven free men to take control of Norfolk Island and prepare for its commercial development. They arrived on 6 March 1788.<\/p>\n During the first year of the settlement, which was also called “Sydney” like its parent, more convicts and soldiers were sent to the island from New South Wales.<\/p>\n Robert Watson (1756\u20131819), harbormaster, arrived with the First Fleet as quartermaster of HMS Sirius<\/a>, and was still serving in that capacity when the ship was wrecked at Norfolk Island in 1790. Next year he obtained and cultivated a grant of sixty acres on the island.<\/p>\n As early as 1794, Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales Francis Grose<\/a> suggested its closure as a penal settlement, as it was too remote and difficult for shipping and too costly to maintain. The first group of people left in February 1805, and by 1808 only about 200 remained, forming a small settlement until the remnants were removed in 1813. A small party remained to slaughter stock and destroy all buildings, so that there would be no inducement for anyone, especially from other European powers, to visit and lay claim to the place. From 15 February 1814 to 6 June 1825 the island was abandoned.<\/p>\n In 1824 the British government instructed the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane<\/a>, to occupy Norfolk Island as a place to send “the worst description of convicts”. Its remoteness, previously seen as a disadvantage, was now viewed as an asset for the detention of recalcitrant male prisoners. The convicts detained have long been assumed to be a hardcore of recidivists, or ‘doubly-convicted capital respites’ \u2013 that is, men transported to Australia who committed fresh colonial crimes for which they were sentenced to death, but were spared the gallows on condition of life at Norfolk Island.<\/p>\n The British government began to wind down the second penal settlement after 1847, and the last convicts were removed to Tasmania in May 1855. The island was abandoned because transportation from the United Kingdom to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) had ceased in 1853, to be replaced by penal servitude in the UK.<\/p>\n The next settlement began on 8 June 1856, as the descendants of Tahitians and the HMS Bounty<\/a> mutineers, including those of Fletcher Christian<\/a> were resettled from the Pitcairn Islands<\/a>, which had become too small for their growing population. On 3 May 1856, 193 people had left Pitcairn Islands aboard the Morayshire. On 8 June 194 people arrived, a baby having been born in transit. The Pitcairners occupied many of the buildings remaining from the penal settlements, and gradually established traditional farming and whaling industries on the island. Although some families decided to return to Pitcairn in 1858 and 1863, the island’s population continued to grow. They accepted additional settlers, who often arrived with whaling fleets.<\/p>\n The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia<\/a> accepted the territory by the Norfolk Island Act 1913 subject to British agreement; the Act received the assent on 19 December 1913. In preparation for the handover, a proclamation by the Governor of New South Wales<\/a> on 23 December 1913 (in force when gazetted on 24 December) repealed “all laws heretofore in force in Norfolk Island” and replaced them by re-enacting a list of such laws. Among those laws was the Administration Law 1913 (NSW), which provided for appointment of an Administrator of Norfolk Island and of magistrates, and contained a code of criminal law.<\/p>\n During World War II, the island became a key airbase and refuelling depot between Australia and New Zealand, and New Zealand and the Solomon Islands<\/a>. The airstrip was constructed by Australian, New Zealand and the United States servicemen during 1942. Since Norfolk Island fell within New Zealand’s area of responsibility, it was garrisoned by a New Zealand Army<\/a> unit known as N Force<\/a> at a large Army camp which had the capacity to house a 1500 strong force. N Force relieved a company of the Second Australian Imperial Force<\/a>. The island proved too remote to come under attack during the war and N Force left the island in February 1944.<\/p>\n In 1979, Norfolk Island was granted limited self-government by Australia, under which the island elected a government that ran most of the island’s affairs.<\/p>\n In 2006, a formal review process took place, in which the Australian government considered revising this model of government. The review was completed on 20 December 2006, when it was decided that there would be no changes in the governance of Norfolk Island.<\/p>\n Financial problems and a reduction in tourism led to Norfolk Island’s administration appealing to the Australian federal government for assistance in 2010. In return, the islanders were to pay income tax for the first time but would be eligible for greater welfare benefits. However, by May 2013 agreement had not been reached and islanders were having to leave to find work and welfare. An agreement was finally signed in Canberra on 12 March 2015 to replace self-government with a local council but against the wishes of the Norfolk Island government. A majority of Norfolk Islanders objected to the Australian plan to make changes to Norfolk Island without first consulting them and allowing their say, with 68% of voters against forced changes.<\/p>\n In March 2015, the Australian Government announced comprehensive reforms for Norfolk Island. The action was justified on the grounds it was necessary “to address issues of sustainability which have arisen from the model of self-government requiring Norfolk Island to deliver local, state and federal functions since 1979”. On 17 June 2015, the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly was abolished, with the territory becoming run by an Administrator and an advisory council. Elections for a new Regional Council were held on 28 May 2016, with the new council taking office on 1 July 2016.<\/p>\n From that date, most Australian Commonwealth laws were extended to Norfolk Island. This means that taxation, social security, immigration, customs and health arrangements apply on the same basis as in mainland Australia. Travel between Norfolk Island and mainland Australia became domestic travel on 1 July 2016. Norfolk Island residents also became eligible to vote in the ACT electorate of Canberra<\/a>.<\/p>\n There is opposition to the reforms, led by Norfolk Island People for Democracy Inc., an association appealing to the United Nations to include the island on its list of “non-self-governing territories<\/a>“. There has also been movement to join New Zealand since the autonomy reforms.<\/p>\n The Territory of Norfolk Island is located in the South Pacific Ocean, east of the Australian mainland. Norfolk Island itself is the main island of the island group that the territory encompasses. It has an area of 13.4 square miles, with no large-scale internal bodies of water and 20 miles of coastline.<\/p>\n The island’s highest point is Mount Bates<\/a> reaching 1,047 feet above sea level, located in the northwest quadrant of the island. The majority of the terrain is suitable for farming and other agricultural uses. Phillip Island, the second largest island of the territory, is located 4.3 miles south of the main island.<\/p>\n The coastline of Norfolk Island consists, to varying degrees, of cliff faces. A downward slope exists towards Slaughter Bay and Emily Bay, the site of the original colonial settlement of Kingston. There are no safe harbor facilities on Norfolk Island, with loading jetties<\/a> existing at Kingston and Cascade Bay. All goods not domestically produced are brought in by ship, usually to Cascade Bay. Emily Bay, protected from the Pacific Ocean by a small coral reef, is the only safe area for recreational swimming, although surfing waves can be found at Anson and Ball Bays.<\/p>\n The area surrounding Mount Bates is preserved as the Norfolk Island National Park<\/a>. The park, covering around 10% of the land of the island, contains remnants of the forests which originally covered the island, including stands of subtropical rainforest<\/a>.<\/p>\n The park also includes the two smaller islands to the south of Norfolk Island, Nepean Island and Phillip Island.<\/p>\n The major settlement on Norfolk Island is Burnt Pine<\/a>, located predominantly along Taylors Road, where the shopping centre, post office, bottle shop, telephone exchange and community hall are located. The settlement also exists over much of the island, consisting largely of widely separated homesteads.<\/p>\n Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years. As Norfolk Island prohibits the importation of fresh fruit and vegetables, most produce is grown locally. Beef is both produced locally and imported. The island has one winery, Two Chimneys Wines<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Australian government controls the exclusive economic zone (EEZ)<\/a> and revenue from it extending 200 nautical miles around Norfolk Island equating to roughly 165,000 square miles, and territorial sea claims to 3 nautical miles from the island. There is a strong belief on the island that some of the revenue generated from Norfolk’s EEZ should be available to provide services such as health and infrastructure on the island, which the island has been responsible for, similar to how the Northern Territory is able to access revenue from their mineral resources. The exclusive economic zone provides the Islanders with fish, its only major natural resource.<\/p>\n In 2015 a company in Norfolk Island was granted a licence to export medicinal cannabis. The medicinal cannabis industry has been viewed by some as a means of reinvigorating the economy of Norfolk Island. The Commonwealth stepped in to overturn the decision, with the island’s administrator, former Liberal MP Gary Hardgrave revoking the local licence to grow the crop. Legislation to allow the cultivation of cannabis in Australia for medical or scientific purposes passed Federal Parliament in February. The Victorian Government will be undertaking a small-scale, strictly controlled cannabis cultivation trial at a Victorian research facility.<\/p>\n There are no railways, waterways, ports or harbours on the island. Loading jetties are located at Kingston and Cascade, but ships cannot get close to either of them. When a supply ship arrives, it is emptied by whaleboats towed by launches, five tonnes at a time. A mobile crane picks up the freight using nets and straps and lifts the freight onto the pier. Which jetty is used depends on the prevailing weather of the day; the jetty on the leeward side of the island is often used. If the wind changes significantly during unloading\/loading, the ship will move around to the other side. Visitors often gather to watch the activity when a supply ship arrives. Norfolk Forwarding Services is the primary Freight Forwarding service for Norfolk Island handling both sea and airfreight. In 2017 Norfolk Forwarding Services shipped most of the freight for the Cascade Pier Project over a period of 18 months.<\/p>\n There is one airport, Norfolk Island Airport<\/a> which offers flights to and from Sydney<\/a> and Brisbane<\/a>. There are 50 miles of roads on the island, 33 miles paved and 17 miles unpaved. Local law gives cows the right of way.<\/p>\nHistory:<\/h2>\n
Polynesian Settlement:<\/h3>\n
First Penal Settlement (1788\u20131814):<\/h3>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/New-Zealand-Flax-Plants-200x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Second Penal Settlement (1824\u20131856):<\/h3>\n
![\"Norfolk](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Norfolk-Island-Jail-Remains-300x196.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Settlement by Pitcairn Islanders (1856\u2013present):<\/h3>\n
20th Century:<\/h3>\n
![\"Norfolk](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Norfolk-Island-1913-Proclamation-282x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>21st Century:<\/h3>\n
![\"Modern](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Modern-Norfolk-Island-Cottage-300x175.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Map-of-Norfolk-Island-279x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"Nepean](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Nepean-and-Phillip-Islands-300x177.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Economy:<\/h2>\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Two-Chimneys-Vineyard.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Transportation:<\/h2>\n
![\"Kingston](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Kingston-Jetty-300x182.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Flag of Norfolk Island:<\/h2>\n
![\"Flag](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Flag-of-Norfolk-Island-300x150.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>