Discover a destination unlike anywhere else in Australia. Timeless history, warm island hospitality, dramatic coastal scenery and rich culture come together on this unforgettable Norfolk Island Discovery tour, perfectly timed to coincide with the island’s Foundation Day celebrations.
Travel as part of a our, friendly group, fully hosted by First Fleet Descendant Laura Bellette, where everything is taken care of — from immersive sightseeing and iconic island dining to meaningful local encounters you simply wouldn’t experience travelling independently.
Depart Brisbane on our included group flight to Norfolk Island. On arrival, we are warmly welcomed by the locals and transferred to our accommodation at the South Pacific Resort, set amongst lush subtropical gardens in the heart of Burnt Pine.
After time to settle in, we come together this evening for a Welcome Dinner on the western side of the island for the wonderful Island Fish Feast Dinner. Perched on the clifftop above Anson Bay we will have an eagle eyed view of the tiny crescent shaped beach and the magnificent spread of ocean stretching to the far horizons. We’ll enjoy paddock to plate freshness including local fish, prepared the local way! We’ll be entertained by the very talented Tahitian style dancers whose singing and dancing will set the tone for an evening of fun and relaxation. A perfect opportunity to meet your fellow travellers and your friendly Great Value Holidays host.
Accommodation: South Pacific Resort, Norfolk Island
Meals: Welcome Dinner
This morning we begin with the Discover Norfolk Tour, an ideal introduction to the island. Travel around the main points of interest while learning about Norfolk’s geography, settlement history and daily life. Your local guide shares stories of early Polynesian settlers, convict times and the Pitcairn Island descendants who shape modern Norfolk culture.
Tonight we enjoy an evening of meeting the locals on The Progressive Dinner experience. It’s the perfect way to get a taste of the real Norfolk lifestyle. We are taken to some lovely homes on the island. All you have to do is relax and enjoy the home-cooked food, bursting with the goodness of fresh island produce. Chat with your fellow diners and soak up the stories of your island hosts. They’ll share their passion for their little island paradise. A complimentary glass of wine or juice accompanies the main course, tea and coffee served with dessert.
Accommodation: South Pacific Resort, Norfolk Island
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Today we enjoy a special Foundation Day experience, marking Norfolk Island’s first British settlement established in 1788 by Lieutenant Philip Gidley King. As this public holiday unfolds, we travel to the beautiful setting of Emily Bay, where a moving First Fleet landing re-enactment brings history to life.
The day continues with beachside lunches and banquets, accompanied by live entertainment, followed by historical talks and displays offering insight into early convict life. Community gatherings and performances by local school students add a heartfelt touch, making this a meaningful and memorable day. For many families with First Fleet ancestry, this day is a deeply meaningful celebration of heritage and history.
After a big day of events, this evening we enjoy dinner at our Hotel.
Accommodation: South Pacific Resort, Norfolk Island
Meals: Breakfast, Morning Tea, Foundation Day Lunch & Dinner
This morning we enjoy return transfers to the Island Markets, where you can browse local handicrafts, artwork, souvenirs and home-grown produce. It’s a wonderful opportunity to support local artisans and find something truly unique.
Later today we explore World Heritage-listed Kingston on the Convict Kingston Tour. Walk through one of Australia’s most significant convict sites and learn about the harsh realities of life during both the first and second penal settlements. The ruins, cemetery and buildings tell powerful stories of hardship, resilience and survival. We’ll finish by learning how Norfolk became home to the descendants of the infamous Bounty mutiny.
The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure with dinner at the Hotel.
Accommodation: South Pacific Resort, Norfolk Island
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
MORNING OPTIONAL TOUR or SHOPPING:
This morning choose to spend some free time exploring the charming boutiques and local stores in Burnt Pine — where there’s plenty of opportunity to browse island crafts, souvenirs and duty-free bargains. Norfolk Island is not subject to Australia’s GST, making it well known for its GST-free shopping and great value bargains.
Alternatively, we join a guided tag-a-long tour of the Kingston Pier Area and No. 10 Quality Row, taking us on a journey behind the scenes, to reveal additional stories from the museum collection and Norfolk’s history.
No. 10 Quality Row was built as the residence for the Foreman of the Works and was completed in 1844. Its first inhabitants, Thomas Seller and Robert Orford, were responsible for the building programmes in Kingston. As the house with the most original fabric it was beautifully restored to this period in the 1980s. From 1856 till 1890 Isaac Christian and Miriam Young lived in the house, until they handed it over to the Church of England for use by their chaplains. In 1926 Ernest Stephenson, Registrar and Collector of Customs lived there. The house then became the residence of the Official Secretary’s to the Administrator, and included local Charles Potts Buffet. From 1960 until 1984 it was home to Police Sergeants on the island and in 1985 visiting Systems Analyst Phil Munnings and his family lived there. It was then restored and opened as a house Museum in 1985.
*This tour also comes with a Museum Pass including multiple entries to all museums at any time during your stay.
Early afternoon we visit the stunning 360˚ panoramic painting at Cyclorama which continues to impress with its ‘wow’ factor. It brings to life the Bounty mutiny and the history of the Norfolk Island people. Following this we enjoy the Island Culture Tour, celebrating Norfolk’s unique customs, language and traditions. Learn about Norf’k language, family life and the strong sense of community that defines island living.
Tonight’s entertainment is the fun and interactive “Who Killed the Surveyor?” Mystery Dinner. Enjoy a delicious meal while following clues, characters and stories in this theatrical and light-hearted evening that always delivers plenty of laughs. Step back in time for the evening to 1859 – 3 years after the arrival of the Pitcairn Islanders in 1856. The scene is set on arrival as you will dine in Kingston’s elegantly restored No. 9 Quality Row building (when available).
Accommodation: South Pacific Resort, Norfolk Island
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
This morning we join the Norfolk Today Tour where we’ll learn how Norfolk Islanders live in the 21st century and make life on this tiny South Pacific Island possible. How is petrol and gas brough to the island? How is the island powered? This is a behind the scenes tour where we’ll meet the locals and see how Norfolk plays a role in the worldwide weather monitoring as well as visiting the community radio station.
On our Taste of Norfolk tour, we’ll meet some passional local producers. Meet a local salt maker, taste a brilliant blend of Norfolk teas and visit a local bee keeper. We’ll also enjoy a cooking demonstration with tasting of traditional dishes handed down by Tahitian foremothers and taste the local green banana fritters.
This evening we attend the Bounty Show and Dinner, a lively cultural performance featuring music, storytelling and humour. The show brings Pitcairn heritage to life and is paired with a delicious island-style meal.
Accommodation: South Pacific Resort, Norfolk Island
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Following breakfast, we visit the property of the late Colleen McCullough. The world-renowned author of 24 books called Norfolk Island home for almost 36 years and today we have the opportunity to see into her world. She and husband, Norfolk Islander, Ric Robinson, created a luxurious hideaway and maintained their privacy to ensure that Colleen had the perfect environment for her writing. Some of her most powerful titles were created in this much loved sanctuary.
Her beloved property “Out Yenna” is now open and we are escorted through her magnificent home where we are able to view Ric and Colleen’s priceless collection of artefacts gathered on their travels all over the world. We will see where her books were researched and where she worked into the wee hours creating the incredible tales that have sold in their millions in so many different languages.
This afternoon Christian’s Glass Bottom boat will take you on a cruise within the lagoon of Emily and Slaughter Bays. Norfolk Island has the second southernmost coral reef in the world and attracts a diversity of marine life. View beautiful coral gardens as you cruise the crystal-clear pristine waters of the lagoon. There’s also a wide variety of species of colourful fish on display.
Tonight we join the Commandants Dinner and Show, which is a night of great entertainment, delectable food and loads of fun. This factual yet fun dinner theatre is a great way to learn about Norfolk’s history. The cast of actors will take you on an entertaining journey back in time. You will be enthralled by the Commandants’ stories about the notorious Convict Settlements on Norfolk Island and how the convicts were treated by sadists and reformers. Listen to a chilling recall of one of the infamous rebellions. Marvel at how the Commandants and their families adapted to life in a Norfolk Island penal colony, recreating a little piece of England in the Pacific. Explore their great challenges, impressive successes and shameful secrets.
You are in for a special three course dinner menu of traditional English fare to complement the theatrical setting. Hearty, wholesome, British tucker fit for a Commandant and his good lady wife – fortunately prepared by free men in a modern kitchen not a poor convict over a wood stove! The Commandants’ Dinner & Show is a night of great entertainment, delectable food and loads of humour!
Accommodation: South Pacific Resort, Norfolk Island
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
MORNING OPTIONAL TOUR or SHOPPING:
This morning choose to spend some free time exploring the charming boutiques and local stores in Burnt Pine.
Alternatively, we join a guided tag-a-long tour of the Sirius Museum and Pier Store, taking us on a journey behind the scenes, to reveal additional stories from the museum collection and Norfolk’s history.
This Sirius Museum is dedicated to the HMS Sirius, flagship of the First Fleet and wrecked on Norfolk Island in 1790. The objects you’ll see include a one tonne anchor, carronades, cannon balls and delicate pieces from the Officer’s Quarters. Over 6,000 items have been recovered from the wrecksite, which lies about 100 metres away on Slaughter Bay reef. The reasons why the Sirius was at Norfolk Island and the circumstance of the wrecking are fully explored together with the words of eye-witness accounts. A 20 minute video “Search for the Sirius” tells the fascinating story of the recovery of the objects during the 1980s’.
The journey of the First Fleet is celebrated in this museum. A computer contains biographies of all who landed at Botany Bay in 1788 and a unique First Fleet Wall provides the opportunity to view the names of all those who made the journey. Visitors can purchase and have mounted on the Wall a timber disc engraved with a First Fleeters name and also view a book containing a page for each First Fleeter.
The Pier Store Museum displays the current, or Third Settlement of people on Norfolk Island – the descendants of the Bounty mutineers. Downstairs the story begins with the 1789 mutiny on the Bounty and discovery of Pitcairn island by the mutineers. Life on Pitcairn and the eventual resettlement to Norfolk in 1856 is covered. A listening post has fascinating recordings of the Norfolk Language. Objects include those from the Bounty (a cannon, kettle and ironstone platter) and Pitcairn Island (Codex of Laws, wooden carvings and Pitcairn Bibles).
Upstairs the displays continue to highlight aspects of Norfolk’s history and culture such as Anniversary (or Bounty Day), Melanesian Mission, Religion, Domestic Life, Industry and Agriculture, Whaling, Tourism and Education. Artefacts on display include historical weavings, items from the Melanesian Mission and whaling implements.
After lunch and having had a wonderful holiday we now prepare for our return flight to Brisbane. We arrive home having an unforgettable holiday on Norfolk Island.
Meals: Breakfast
Return group flights are included from Brisbane – flight details to be advised
Tour cost is per person in a Double or Twin Room. Add $600 for single room
This is an Easy paced tour – Low Level if Fitness required
Travelers must be able to meet the below fitness level requirements or have a carer who is available to assist. GVH Staff are not able to assist with those who have reduced mobility or other health problems. It is Your responsibility to arrange for such a carer if so required:
GVH reserves the right at its discretion to exclude from a tour or to terminate the travel arrangements during the course of the tour without refund, of anyone who is unable to cope with the requirements of the tour, including using coach steps for embarking and disembarking or needing services or facilities that are not available. We will not be held liable for any termination of your travel arrangements or additional expenses incurred. Please be aware that some outback locations may experience high temperatures.
