Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

is an external territory of Australia in the Pacific Ocean. It was settled in 1788 as with

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and despite its small population and size it has developed its own traditions and legends, some slightly different from the mainland. The island was un-populated when settled, though evidence does suggest that it was home to a population of East Polynesians centuries earlier.

Events

* – Sometimes regarded as "Australia's famous shipwreck" Sirius was the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the

First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...

and was wrecked upon the reef of Slaughter Bay. *

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...

– The mutiny of . Many islanders can trace their ancestry to mutineers from the ship. Bounty Day is celebrated on the island because of these events. *

Norfolk Island convict mutinies Norfolk Island convict mutinies were a series of armed uprisings by convicts on the penal colony of Norfolk Island. All were unsuccessful. 1826 rebellion The first convict rebellion took place in September 1826. It was led by "Black" John Goff. H ...

– With Norfolk Island being a remote penal settlement, many of the convicts were treated poorly and led insurrections against the British, none more famous than the

Cooking pot uprising The Cooking Pot Uprising or Cooking Pot Riot was an uprising of convicts led by William Westwood in the penal colony of Norfolk Island, Australia. It occurred on 1 July 1846 in response to the confiscation of convicts' cooking vessels under ...

People

Fletcher Christian Fletcher Christian (25 September 1764 – 20 September 1793) was master's mate on board HMS ''Bounty'' during Lieutenant William Bligh's voyage to Tahiti during 1787–1789 for breadfruit plants. In the mutiny on the ''Bounty'', Christian sei ...

– A master's mate on board , many claim their ancestry from Christian himself. *

Phillip Parker King Rear Admiral Phillip Parker King, FRS, RN (13 December 1791 – 26 February 1856) was an early explorer of the Australian and Patagonian coasts. Early life and education King was born on Norfolk Island, to Philip Gidley King and Anna Jo ...

– Born on the island in 1791, son of

third governor

Philip Gidley King Captain Philip Gidley King (23 April 1758 – 3 September 1808) was a British politician who was the third Governor of New South Wales. When the First Fleet arrived in January 1788, King was detailed to colonise Norfolk Island for defence an ...

. He was one of the first Australian born explorers. *

William Wentworth William Charles Wentworth (August 179020 March 1872) was an Australian pastoralist, explorer, newspaper editor, lawyer, politician and author, who became one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures of early colonial New South Wales. Throug ...

– Also born on the island, First native born Australian to receive recognition internationally. * William Westwood – Led more than 1600 convicts in a rebellion against the British, due to poor treatment by Major

Joseph Childs Major Joseph Childs (1787–1870) was a British Royal Marines officer and penal administrator; he was commandant of the second convict settlement at Norfolk Island, from 7 February 1844 to August 1846. Early life and military career Joseph Ch ...

Traditions

Bounty Day Bounty Day is a holiday on both Pitcairn Island, destination of the ''Bounty'' mutineers, and on Norfolk Island. It is celebrated on 23 January on Pitcairn, and on 8 June on Norfolk Island, the day that the descendants of the mutineers arrived on ...

– (See above) An annual holiday celebrated only in Norfolk Island and

Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four isl ...

, that remembers HMS Bounty. * Foundation Day – The day that marks first settlement in 1788, in which a reenactment is held. *

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

– The island is one of the few locations outside of North America and the only place in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

to celebrate Thanksgiving. The tradition was brought there by American whalers in the mid-1890s.

Other

* Canadian website The Paranormal lists Norfolk as No.4 in the world's most haunted islands. *

Norfolk Island pine ''Araucaria heterophylla'' (synonym ''A. excelsa'') is a species of conifer. As its vernacular name Norfolk Island pine (or Norfolk pine) implies, the tree is endemic to Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific ...

– The native tree of the island, the symbolism of which is recognised on the Island's Flag.

References

Australian folklore Norfolk Island culture Society of Norfolk Island Convictism of Norfolk Island {{NorfolkIsland-stub

Events

People

Traditions

Other

See also

References