Whether you’re a history buff or not, it won’t take you long to get swept up in Norfolk Island’s fascinating past, and to see that our history and culture are intricately entwined. Our heritage plays an important role in our traditions and everyday lives, from our foods to our music and folklore. Each year we honour these cultural traditions with vibrant festivals and events. Our history is unlike any other. In our museums and the Kingston UNESCO World Heritage Site you can learn about our very first Polynesian settlers, the British convicts who followed and the Bounty mutineer descendents who shaped our culture.
Norfolk Island’s convict history
In 1788, the British arrived on Norfolk Island and created a penal colony which existed until 1855. The glorious tropical idyll we see today was a place of nightmares for the convicts who served life sentences in this place that was known as Hell in the Pacific. Learn more about this brutal period at the 250-acre Kingston World Heritage Site where buildings, some now in ruins, once housed the convicts and later the Pitcairn settlers. And be sure to take a tour of our cemetery, a veritable library of tombstones which bring the stories of convicts and those who followed vividly back to life.
Norfolk Island’s Pitcairn culture
Captain Cook may have been the first European on Norfolk Island in 1774, but most of us on the island today owe our ancestry to one of the greatest adventures on the high seas: the Mutiny on the Bounty. After outgrowing tiny Pitcairn Island, the descendants of the Bounty mutineers were given Norfolk Island and the old prisoner’s settlement in 1856 by Queen Victoria, who we honour today in the beautiful Queen Victoria Memorial Gardens. No trip to the island is complete without visits to the Bounty Folk Museum and the award-winning Fletcher’s Mutiny Cyclorama, a multi-sensory, 360° panoramic painting where the story of our Pitcairn ancestors unfolds before you.
Top tips for experiencing history & culture
Save money with an unlimited Museums Pass for access to four of Norfolk Island’s top museums.
To really immerse yourself in our history and culture, join us in March for Foundation Day or in June for Anniversary (Bounty) Day, two of our biggest annual celebrations.
Our local language plays an important role in our culture, so why not learn a few Norf’k phrases such as watawieh (hello, how are you?) or see yorlye morla (see you tomorrow)?
Don’t let the gory legend of Bloody Bridge deter you; visit this historic landmark to admire the stonework and hard labour of the convicts who built it.
Visit the Commissariat to learn about Norfolk’s convict past. This historic building once held food supplies for the convicts and jailers on Norfolk Island.
Formerly the Surgeons Quarters, today this resilient little building houses a fascinating collection of photographs which bring the history of our island to life.
Visit Kingston Pier, which was a vital entry point for Norfolk’s settlers and still welcomes supply ships and fishing boats as it has done for two centuries.
Bring your camera along to capture this solitary tree that survived the mass felling of Norfolk pines and stood sentry over the island’s turbulent history.
Turn back to Norfolk Island’s convict chapter at No. 10 Quality Row, now a museum. Learn about the home’s inhabitants as you wander through the restored interior.
Our fascinating history takes on a new dimension at the Norfolk Island Cemetery. Read the grave stones marking two centuries of life on this South Pacific island.
The Old Military Barracks have served many purposes over the years. Visit the Kingston UNESCO World Heritage Site to find out what important roles it has played.
Strolling through Queen Victoria Memorial Gardens is a treat for both horticulturists and history lovers. There’s something for everyone on Norfolk Island.
Wander the stone ruins of Crankmill, another one of Norfolk’s sites with a dark past. Book your holiday now to discover our island’s intriguing history!
