Family is a cornerstone of life on our island which is why we’ll welcome yours with open arms. And when it comes to fun, Norfolk is a veritable treasure island that will leave your kids wide-eyed with wonder at every turn. They’ll spend their days splashing in our pristine waters, playing hide and seek beneath towering pines, and listening to tales of convicts and mutineers in our museums. Just pack a sense of adventure and we’ll do the rest.
Outdoor family activities
Worried your little darlings are spending too much time on their devices? Norfolk Island is the perfect antidote to too much screen time. Within hours of arrival your kids will forget all about virtual playgrounds and be stepping into a world that is safe, authentic and, at times, truly wild. Snorkelling and kayaking adventures? Check. Hiking expeditions to uninhabited Phillip Island? Check. Giant chess, mini golf and even a hedge maze? You get the idea. There is no shortage of things to do with kids, whether it’s bucket-and-spade family fun at Emily Bay Lagoon with tiny tots, or a ferocious game of paintball with teens.
Indoor family activities
Holidays on our island are highly educational, just don’t tell the kids. Our child-friendly museums are world class, and you and the kids will love the interactive exhibitions that bring the fascinating stories of Norfolk Island’s past to life. See artefacts from the famous Bounty in the Pier Store Museum and discover the island’s grisly era as a convict hellhole as you explore the Kingston UNESCO World Heritage Site. On weekends the quaint Ferny Lane Theatre offers movies, refreshments and even warm blankets. We’re nice like that!
Free things to do with kids
The great outdoors is our biggest drawcard when it comes to family-friendly activities, and the best part is it’s completely free. While away days swimming and snorkelling in the safe and protected waters of Emily Bay, or hike into the Norfolk Island National Park in search of the native green parrots (hint: you’ll hear them before you see them). And when hunger calls, mealtimes are an adventure here too. Grab a ‘hunt and gather’ map of the island’s best honesty boxes and put together a picnic spread the kids will remember for the rest of their days. And bring a fishing line; Kingston Pier is the perfect place for kids to catch their dinner.
Top tips for family fun on Norfolk Island
- Emily Bay Lagoon and neighbouring Slaughter Bay are regularly voted some of the best beaches in all of Australia and they’re perfect for kids of all ages. They can snorkel the reef in safety a few metres from shore.
- Set a family challenge to reach the top of the 320 metre-high Mount Pitt for 360° views of the entire island.
- All that sea air and fun can wear kids out and bedtimes tend to be early. On a clear night, be sure to wake them up to see the constellations as they’ve never seen them before. Our absence of light pollution has awarded us a status of Gold Level Dark Sky Town. Take your time, you might just catch a shooting star, or 10.
- Check out our 3-Day Family Fun Itinerary for some great things to do with the kids.
Fun for the whole Family
