MELBOURNE TO SYDNEY

Welcome to our holiday to stunning Norfolk Island to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. With chauffeured pickup from home, we travel to Melbourne Airport. Here we’ll be greeted by an O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours Tour Director who will assist us with check in and travel with us to Sydney. On arrival, we are transferred to our overnight accommodation. We will enjoy dinner in our hotel and prepare for our journey to magnificent Norfolk Island tomorrow morning.

Lunch at own arrangements and cost 

OVERNIGHT: Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel, SYDNEY

SYDNEY TO NORFOLK ISLAND

This morning, we depart from Sydney International Airport on our Qantas flight to Norfolk Island. Once on this beautiful island, we are transferred to our home for the next 7 nights. Castaway, our accommodation, is in the heart of Burnt Pine with sweeping valley and garden views. After our welcome platters of sandwiches, we can take a walk and familiarize ourselves with the property. We have plenty of time to settle in and freshen up before joining fellow travellers in the bar.  This evening we enjoy a “welcome tasting plate dinner” at Castaway, a fun and relaxed way to begin our tour on Norfolk.

Refreshments on flight

OVERNIGHT:  Castaway Norfolk Island, NORFOLK ISLAND

ISLAND TOUR AND BOUNTY FOLK MUSEUM

This morning, we depart on a half day sightseeing tour around the island. This tour takes us back in history with a visit to the convict ruins of Norfolk Island’s famous penal settlement. We hear about the settlers who followed from Pitcairn Island and learn interesting facts about Norfolk Island today — the government, immigration laws and lifestyle. Back at Castaway, we enjoy a light lunch before we head for the Bounty Folk Museum. It’s a treasure chest of history, full of fantastic collections, excellent learning resources and inspiring information stretching back to 1788. The Museum tells the strange and startling history of Norfolk Island, from the harrowing tales of ill-fated convicts brought here, to the against-the-odds survival of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives. Tonight’s dinner is at the Bounty Bar and Grill, set in an historic homestead.

OVERNIGHT: Castaway Norfolk Island, NORFOLK ISLAND

CONVICT SETTLEMENT TOUR

We have a totally free morning to do our own exploring - you may wish to take a stroll down to the local markets, or just sit back and read a book. This afternoon, we enjoy a most interesting tour of the “Convict Settlement” at Kingston where our informative guide will take us through the eras of convict settlement on the Island. We will walk through the cemetery and hear the history of various convict and colonial head stones, pass the houses along Quality Row and visit the restored Military Barracks. We walk through the ruins of the gaol and visit All Saints Church admiring its beautiful stained glass windows, which was in convict times the Commissariat Store. Think of the generations of families that call this island home and all that has made Norfolk Island the destination that it is today. Tonight, we dine at the delightful Hilli Restaurant.

Lunch at own arrangements and cost

OVERNIGHT:  Castaway Norfolk Island, NORFOLK ISLAND

YESTERDAY-TODAY TOUR, NORFOLK INDULGENCE TOUR AND WONDERLAND BY NIGHT

This morning, our group will be split in two—one half will depart on a tour while the other half relax, shop or explore. Don’t worry, the other half will enjoy this tour tomorrow morning.  Experience the full and varied history of Norfolk with the personalised Yesterday and Today tour. Gain insight and understanding of Norfolk Island today through the history of yesterday. The Island’s role in World War II, the whaling industry, the history of Emily Bay, the Melanesian Mission College, St Barnabas Chapel and so much more have all played their parts in shaping today’s Island life. We visit the sites of the past to imagine life as it was. This afternoon, we all join in for the Norfolk Indulgence Tour. We start on the south-eastern side of Norfolk Island, at Ball Bay - another stunning bay with magnificent ocean views! Here you will learn all about how we get fuel ashore, as this is where our supply is unloaded. We then move on to Steeles Point, to enjoy the sheltered valleys behind the coastal cliffs. You may even spot a White Fairy Tern nesting in the forest! From here, we head to the Captain Cook Monument, a scenic lookout where you will stand at the spot on the northern coast where Captain James Cook and his officers landed in 1774. It has some of the best sea views on the Island, with offshore rock formations like Bird Rock and Elephant Rock. We will finish the tour with wine, cheese and crackers on Mount Pitt. The Lookout gives a 360° view of the whole island, so it will be a memorable tour. What a fantastic day but it’s not over yet!  We enjoy a Barney Duffy barbecue dinner - just about everyone who comes to Norfolk Island hears the story of Barney Duffy. Barney was a convict escapee who spent seven years hiding in a hollow pine tree until captured and hung, although not before he cursed his captors. The curse apparently worked as the young soldiers who captured Barney later drowned while fishing.  And to top off the evening, we enjoy Wonderland by Night as we follow a gently meandering path through 10 acres of Norfolk Pines with dioramas, poetry and stories of times gone by that have shaped life on the Island today. Thousands of lights turn this into an evening in an enchanted forest.

Lunch at own arrangements and cost

OVERNIGHT:  Castaway Norfolk Island, NORFOLK ISLAND

YESTERDAY-TODAY TOUR, COLLEEN McCULLOUGH TOUR AND ISLAND FISH FRY

This morning, the Yesterday and Today tour will take the other group who missed the tour yesterday. The rest of the group can have a free morning to explore and do some shopping. This afternoon, we enjoy the Colleen McCullough Tour as we get a glimpse into the life of a literary icon. Colleen McCullough made Norfolk Island home for 36 years. Our tour takes us to the private luxurious hideaway that she and husband, Norfolk Islander, Ric Robinson called home - ‘Out Yenna’. Together, they created an opulent 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. If you have read her amazing books, you will love the experience of sharing the world of Colleen McCullough, author of “Tim”, “The Thornbirds” and “Morgan’s Run”.  Tonight, we’re in for some fun as we perch on the clifftop watching the sun sink into the west at the Island Fish Fry.  Get ready for a night of delicious food, live music and stunning views! The Island Fish Fry is the must-do event for anyone visiting the island, and it's not hard to see why. Local dishes are served and the evening’s entertainment includes the Baunti Byuutis dancing group.

Lunch at own arrangements and cost

OVERNIGHT: Castaway Norfolk Island, NORFOLK ISLAND

THANKSGIVING DAY PICNIC AND PROGRESSIVE DINNER

Norfolk Island celebrates Thanksgiving Day annually on the last Wednesday in November.  During the 1890s, Isaac Robinson, an American trader who settled on Norfolk, proposed an idea of dressing All Saints Church in American-like style for Thanksgiving. The idea was supported because, at that time, Americans had a great influence on other nations around the world. Robinson died the next year, but his idea to decorate the church continued. People also sing American hymns and share a potluck meal consisting of cold pork, chicken, bananas and traditional American pumpkin pie. We relax and enjoy the festivities of the day partaking in the grand picnic. Tonight, we experience insight into Norfolk living as we progress with each course from Norfolk Island home to home. Meet the locals and listen to their family histories and stories during our 3-course Progressive Dinner. This will be one of the highlights of our tour!

OVERNIGHT:  The Castaway, NORFOLK ISLAND

OVER THE CATTLESTOPS TOUR AND GLASS BOTTOM BOAT

Today we’ll explore the heart and soul of Norfolk Island on our captivating “Over the Cattlestops Tour” where you'll discover the hidden gems of our local industries. Meet the skilled artisans and entrepreneurs behind the island's thriving businesses as they showcase their unique crafts and specialties. From handcrafted pottery to locally made soft drinks, you'll have the chance to taste and purchase some of the finest locally-made products. Along the way, we'll stop at a stunning scenic spot for morning tea, where you can soak up the breathtaking natural beauty of the island. Don't miss this chance to connect with the island's thriving community and see the magic in action. Around midday, we head to Emily Bay where we enjoy our lunch on the foreshore. We now board our glass bottom boat cruise around Emily and Slaughter Bay - a feature is the beautiful coral gardens and tropical fish in calm waters inside the reef. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner at the Homestead Restaurant - look out for the stunning Moreton Bay Fig Trees. Standing in a row along the road’s edge, these majestic sentinels are a horticultural wonder, dwarfing all who pass by.

OVERNIGHT:  Castaway Norfolk Island, NORFOLK ISLAND

CYCLORAMA, NORFOLK ISLAND TO MELBOURNE

We have some time this morning to pack and relax before our visit to Cyclorama. We immerse ourselves in the history of the mutineers, the Bounty and the Island as we view the 360 degree Cyclorama painting. Feel like we are really there witnessing adventures and discover how the world’s most famous mutiny created the Pitcairn and Norfolk communities. We now head back to Castaway for a snack before our transfer to Norfolk Island Airport. Here we connect with our return flight to Melbourne travelling via Sydney. Upon arrival in Melbourne our chauffeurs will be waiting to transport us home with many interesting stories to tell of our unique, relaxing and rewarding holiday. 

Refreshments on flight