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Trip Report (long): Lord Howe Island via Brisbane - May 07
Our long-awaited adventure on Lord Howe Island (LHI) kicked off on a dark and stormy early morning, with a domestic 6:30am connecting flight to Brisbane and a four hour layover to our departure on a little prop-driven Dash-8 thirty-seater QantasLink flight to the island.
On checking in, all our efforts in keeping within the restricted weight limit of 14kg (as opposed to the normal 20kg) per person paid off in spades, especially choosing the lightweight sports-type check-in luggage bags over the hardcase, which actually saved our adventure from disappearing before our eyes. Check-in staff are also scrupulous about weighing in-cabin bags, including handbags, as the limit here is 4kg. After the four-hour wait, our flight was finally called, boarding a bus to the flying cigar and seated in DH’s favourites (row 4 gives extra legroom, as it’s usually near one of the emergency exit doors), taxiing to the runway for take-off and getting the usual safety blurb, ending with the rather disconcerting final sentence “prepare for take-off for our flight to LHI via Coffs Harbour.” Eh, Coffs? – it’s listed as a non-stop flight, why backtrack down the coast? As the attendant checked seatbelts, I had to ask. “We need to land at Coffs to pick up some fuel.” Eh, Brissie airport doesn’t have enough fuel?? An indication of things not being quite right. The props churned and whined, and then died. Started up again, and died. “Ladies and Gentlemen, there will be a slight delay due to operational problems” which was later amended to “mechanical problems” and finally, the flight was cancelled and we were bussed back to the terminal. One of the passengers was an aircraft engineer on his way to LHI to check on a plane there that had been involved in a birdstrike, who overhead me saying this could take hours. “Won’t be going at all today, I reckon” and he was right :'( Our first night on LHI was in Brisbane. Jackie |
QantasLink looked after us very well, with taxi and hotel, and vouchers for dinner and breakfast and advice that the flight would depart at 6:45 the next morning.
Our hotel was lovely, the Brisbane Riverview Hotel in Hamilton, an easy ten minute drive from the airport - http://www.viewhotels.com.au/hp_rv.asp - the room spacious and very comfortable, understandably not with a view of the river, but ‘inland’ towards a racecourse and down to the palm-fringed pool. We immediately unpacked the bubble-wrapped and ziplocked plastic drink bottle recycled as a scotch container, and determined to enjoy our unexpected ‘diversion’. We swam the pool with its delightful waterfall, tried the spa, sweated some more in the sauna and were rejuvinated! Had dinner at the hotel’s ZigZag restaurant and I chose a glass of wine purely on it's label "Rascal's Prayer" which was unexpectedly delicious asit was prophetic. The clouds cleared, and we enjoyed a lovely evening walk along the river towards Newstead Park, meeting up with a local elderly jogger who led us to his favourite walks and then jogged on. So tranquil after a hectic day, with lights reflecting on the water and the Rivercat purring past. As we had to be up early in the morning, we unpacked our novels and settled in for an early night. Slept well, but both woke at 3am and decided to get up, brew coffee and be fully-awake for the room service breakfast ordered for 5am. We checked out and ordered the taxi by 6am, still overcast skies but we’re full of good cheer to finally get on our way. Waiting for the taxi, waiting waiting. It’s now 6:15 and DH is getting nervous. We take our bags to the end of the hotel’s driveway to be able to cut a few minutes off the travel time. Its 6:20 and still no taxi, DH is running back to the front desk, up the road to see if it’s coming and too nervous to complete a call to Qantas with all the menu choices and numbers to punch whilst jogging up and down the road. Oh it’s dire – now 6:25 and the flight is due to DEPART in twenty minutes. It’s all frittering away – there are no more flights to the island for a whole week, DH has had such a stressful week at work preparing to be totally ‘out of contact’ for eight days and it’s not going to happen. The hotel manager joins us on the footpath, he’s been phoning about the taxi’s tardiness and he helps chuck our bags into the back when the taxi finally arrives and asks “Can you fly to the airport” as he knows it’s pretty well a lost cause. DH jumps in the front to urge on the taxi driver “it’s green, it’s green go go go” and receives a call from Qantas about our non-appearance. DH explains we’re just “minutes away”, (this early on a Sunday morning, it took 6 minutes and 13 seconds!) the taxi never came, we know exactly where to go from our previous day’s cancelled flight, and here comes the vital question about our bags. How big are they – and when told they’re just sportsbags, the FA says we might still make it by coming straight to the gate with all our luggage, but she has to check with the flight’s captain whether he will accept two late passengers with ‘unchecked’ luggage. He approves! We are chewing all our fingernails, (the drive – this early on a Sunday morning, takes just 6 minutes and 13 seconds!) rush from the taxi to a side door that’s ten paces from security, the QantasLink attendant is stationed at the corner to see all goes without further delay – our sportsbags slide smoothly through the hand-luggage x-ray machine, we arrive at the gate 10 minutes before take-off and I’m so relieved to see the line of boarding passengers is only just then boarding the bus to the plane. The formalities are whizzed through in seconds (I bless that FA’s incredibly fast keyboard speed), there’s an airport security buggy waiting for us outside a special door, we are chucked in with our bags, the FA jumps in the front as she has to personally ‘hand us over’ to the captain and we speed to our little plane with another guy and clipboard waiting to grab our bags and throw them in the baggage hold. We climb aboard just as the rest of the passengers are still getting settled so haven’t held up the flight – but now we are the ones arriving sweaty and harried, adrenalin pumped that we so often see arriving on other flights. To add to the poignancy of the moment, the first question (loud!) by fellow passenger as we make our way to our seats (yep yep, still row 4) is “Did you have a good sleep then?” Next ... mmmm, Lord Howe Island :-D Jackie Tip: <u>Always</u> pre-book taxi to airport at least six hours prior to departure from hotel. |
oh, my, what an adventure! Good thing you got the spa treatment the day before. I hope the three copies of your post doesn't mean that the rest of the trip report is lost! I can't wait to hear all about it!
Sally in Seattle |
Oh my Sally, the double-posting virus has bitten hard - am trying to fix it.
And no way lost, I'm saving it all in a word file - just trying to strangle that triple-posting cousin .... Oh and the snorkelling, Sally - that's to come, :-D |
:-D
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<b>Flight and Arrival</b> The 1.5 hour flight was uneventful apart from a bit of turbulence (LHI is about 750km east of both Sydney and Brisbane), over deep dark unrelieved cloud cover. All passengers received an official Qantas letter regarding the previous day’s cancellation for any claims against travel insurance with their muffin and bitter coffee. An interesting bit of info from the captain of which we were totally ignorant is that LHI indeed has island time – it’s 30 minutes ahead of the mainland, but never ever in a hurry ;) Ten minutes prior to landing, the cloud cover broke up, blue ocean was visible and we approached in brilliant sunshine offering amazing views of the island in its entirety – which is small ;) Just under 1km at the flatland ‘waist’ where the airstrip is, and bulging like a Dali eggtimer at both ends with Dawson’s Ridge to the north and the magnificent sentinels of Mr. Gower (flat, 875 m) and Mt. Lidgbird (pointy, 777 m) to the south. It’s variously measured as being 12km, 15km or 17km long – depending on which expert holds the tape measure, I guess. My camera was as happy as I was :) The little airport is charming – a small wooden building with a solar-panel festooned roof and a little white picket fence – security island style! As you step off the plane, the two monoliths are right in your face, and from that moment the many claims of the island as unique and wondrous are confirmed. Mini-buses from the various accommodations are waiting to collect their guests, and depart toddling along at the sedate 25kmh speed limit – actually the lowest maximum speed limit in the world. Most of the accommodations are in a small area north of the airport, with the exception of Capella which is isolated at its own Lovers Bay two kms south of the airport. We had finally arrived! A short drive to our small lodging complex – Lorhiti – with points of interest explained on the way, and at 9:15am we broached our carefully packed cask of De Bortoli Premium Reserve Merlot and were celebrating on our lovely verandah admiring the gorgeous garden and all the small local landbirds as we kept pinching ourselves. Now on to a review of Lorhiti, which I know Peteralan is waiting for .. Fingers crossed I actually managed to post this just <u>once</u>. (I've asked the editors to delete two of the triple above - I promise not to sneeze again!) Jackie |
Great report, I've always wanted to go to LHI!. I eagerly await the next bit or three. |
Thanks, Sally! I've put my glasses on, hopefully no more 'or threes'.
I've decided to put headings on the sections, so it's easy to scroll past the uninteresting bits ... <b>Accommodation </b> Our week in paradise was spent at <b>Lorhiti Apartments</b>, http://www.lorhiti.com/ a small lodging complex on the escarpment above Ned’s Beach. This next bit especially for Peteralan ... As most of the island is rather hilly, a bit of uphill walking is involved coming back from Lagoon Beach (the Post Office ‘CBD’ area), and an extremely, I could say homicidal, steep hill from Joys Shop (Middle Beach Road) coming from the opposite direction. Lorhiti itself and its entrance path from Anderson Road are relatively flat. We solved the Joy hill challenge by simply only going <u>down</u> it and then continuing along past the Museum to Lagoon Road and completing the circuit past the Post Office and its much gentler hill back to base. There are several other lodgings along this top ‘flat’ stretch of Anderson Road (Beachcomber, Earls Anchorage, Broken Banyan, and Hideaway) and after the first days, we recognised many of our fellow visitors who had come up with the same solution. We did notice a few wooden benches dotted here and there along the road, but never had to use them. The narrow road is so lovely in itself, bordered by lush palms and trees, that we paused often to admire something or chat to other walkers and never felt out-of-breath. Lorhiti consist of six one-bedroom apartments, and one motel-style unit, in a fairly-new single-story rectangular colonial-style building in beautifully landscaped and well-maintained gardens. The units are self-contained with open-plan kitchen/living areas; each have a front porch with a privacy divider on the sides (visual but not conversational privacy) and a narrow back-door gallery. Lorhiti caters for just 12 guests (no children under 10) so has minimal staff. The units are <u>not</u> serviced but cleaning services may be purchased (AU$35). As on the whole island, great attention is given to household waste – four bins are supplied in the kitchen (glass, paper, compost and garbage) and it is the guests’ own responsibility to empty these in the larger appropriate containers outside the laundry before departure. When we tried to empty our ‘compost’ bin (all food scraps etc) early on the morning of our departure, the rather small main bin was already quite full, as well as smelly and fly-heaven – and we had quite a job to compact our ‘contribution’ on top. Tip: make sure you do this before showering and changing into your flight travel clothes ;)! Check-out is at 9:30am, but luggage can be stored at reception if flight departure is in the afternoon. Power and water (tank only) resources are precious – short showers are requested. When the solar power is depleted, the gas/generator kicks in but sometimes empty gas cylinders are replaced rather tardily, and cold showers can result. Prices vary from a low-season (mid-Apr to Sept) of AU$150 to mid-season (Sept to mid-Dec and mid-Jan to late-Apr) of AU$270 and high-season (mid-Dec to late-Jan) of AU$370 per double per night. (A one-bedroom unit can be extended with the motel-unit to provide 2-bedroom family accommodation.) As with most of the middle-range non-catered lodgings, on arrival there is a ‘complimentary’ supply in the kitchen of a few teabags, coffee and sugar sachets and UHF milk; in the bathroom, 2 rolls of toilet paper and 3 tiny soaps - these are not replenished and guests must purchase further supplies. Bed linen is not changed if staying one week (but changed if staying longer) and two bath towels per person only are supplied for a one week stay. Guest laundry with coin-operated washing machine and drier (AU$1.00 each – washing powder not supplied) and washing lines are available. Laundry also has a ‘library cupboard’ of novels to borrow, and, as we discovered on our last day, a binder with island info on tours, trips and restaurants. The units are clean and well-equipped, the beds super comfortable and have electric blankets for the cooler low-season, the garden surroundings a peaceful, bird-haven and a delight – although we did hear one guest complain about the disturbing loud noise of the sewerage pump situated at the back of the apartments which kicked in at 6am one morning. There was also a regrettable tranquillity-wrecker when a chain-saw whined before 8 am for about an hour - it didn’t worry us as we were up to delight in the sunrise colours, but for any guests enjoying a sleep-in it would have been infuriating. There are two separate guest barbeque gazebo areas (one gas, one wood) and a separately-run Chinese and Asian licensed restaurant – the Garden Court – in the old main house. Open to all, but only for dinner (Tue to Sat 6:30 to 8:30pm), with take-away available. We didn’t eat there, so sorry, no reviews on this feature. We did pop our head round the door when passing, but found it rather dreary, dark and unwelcoming – though it probably looks friendlier in the evenings with lights and candles. One glaring feature that seemed totally out of the Asian-muted interior-design context was several gaudy and garish Tahiti paintings. Lorhiti’s best feature is its proximity to Ned’s Beach – just a few minutes along a gently-sloping track through a palm and banyan rainforest and the wonder of Ned’s beauty unfolds as you walk along (be cautious at night, as several times we almost stepped on roosting mutton birds – take the torch provided!). The soft sound of the surf can be heard from the lodgings, especially late at night and early in the mornings, accompanied by the muted twitter of endemic birds. Jackie |
'umble apologies, Susan7.
I saw I'd written the wrong name in Preview, edited it to lovely Susan7 but when I posted, it came up Sally O-) Honest! But I've cleaned my glasses just to be sure, to be sure %%- |
Happy to see all those duplicates have been vacuumed away as requested. Thanks, Editors ((y))
<b>Shopping</b> With 320 local residents and a full maximum of 398 visitors, the island has quite a comprehensive array of groceries/supplies available at four small shops. LHI has recently started an anti-plastic bag campaign, and to reduce their use, a levy of .50 cents per bag applies. There are cotton bags with an LHI logo for a few dollars, and all the lodgings help by supplying backpacks for every guest in their rooms for use during their stay. Everything on LHI has – for mainlanders – rather odd opening times, a few hours a day or a few days a week (or advertised as open but closed on arrival) so it’s best to check the monthly newsletter or phone. (Most restaurants/tours require a reservation – now in low season, it’s not so much about getting a table or place on a boat, but if the reservations are few, they just decide not to open/operate at all! They will send someone to advise of this, though.) Phones, however, are as scarce as woodhens. There is no mobile phone coverage on the island. None of the lodgings have in-room phones, but do have a public phone available – either in reception or laundry. Coin or card operated. There are a few public telephone booths as well. Everything runs or non-runs island style – slow, leisurely and without stress, so be prepared for a booked trip being cancelled, a restaurant reservation suddenly not valid, places being closed when you expect them open and with little or no apology. The largest shop is <u>Joy’s Shop</u> in a house on Middle Beach Road, easy distance from most of the lodgings if you avoid that dreaded hill. Half the store is devoted to groceries/dairy/fruit and veg, a huge mountain of toilet paper ;) and the other half to clothes, souvenirs (nearly all made in China) and knickknacks. I even saw a small selection of shoes. This is where we went for our initial supplies for breakfast makings. But a word or warning – the Use By dates seem to be totally ignored and the fruit and veg are mostly sad and limp and ready for a pensioner’s card. We bought sausages ($7.50) that turned out to be 5 days past their use date and had to be thrown out as they were quite slimy and stinky. Then I checked the yoghurts and they were 10 days too old! Joy’s also has videos/movies for hire, a small selection of alcohol & tobacco, and accepts credit cards. We never shopped here again, as we found a little treasure just 10 minutes gentle walk from Lorhiti - the Top Shop. <u>The Top Shop</u> is on aptly-named Skyline Drive and is easy to miss – a single garage with a lattice entry – but offers top-quality fruit and veg (flown in daily), excellent fresh meat and the magnificent locally-made (daily) LHI sausages. DH went back twice! Also a selection of grocery items (including a hill of toilet paper ;) and we noted most of the locals seemed to shop here. Walking along Skyline Drive is a delight in itself with the ocean visible on both sides of the road. The other two shops are in the ‘CBD’ area near the Post Office. This is the ‘hub’ of the island, with a cafe (Humpy Mick’s), two clothing boutiques, the charming little Post Office and Town Hall opposite, and the two grocery/supply shops. And that’s it ... it’s the islanders themselves who have affectionately dubbed this the CBD and indeed, it boasts five neatly-outlined parking spaces. <u>Thompson’s Store</u> (also has take-away) was rather unpleasantly stuffy so we didn’t stay long, but it seemed to have the same sort of supplies as Joy’s, if in a more haphazard layout. <u>LHI Co-op Store</u> was also a little gem, but due to its odd opening hours, we only discovered it a few days before departure. It has basic food supplies in bulk – big plastic vats – so you can buy just a little or a lot, self-service – with scoops into paper bags, without all the unnecessary packaging and waste if you buy the normal packets. Sugar, flour, syrup, cereal, nuts, dried fruits etc – lots of locals also seem to shop here. When we were there, they had fresh, home-grown avocados on offer and they were delicious. |
<b>Dining</b>
As we preferred to self-cater and loved our barbeques, we only ate out a few times – and lucky for us, they were great venues! Most of the dining/eateries seemed to be licensed, just as most of the shops carried some liquor supplies. There is, however, a true blue ‘dedicated’ Liquor Store (next to Commonwealth Bank and the LHI Board office) along Lagoon Road, and half a carton of beer fits nicely into the bike basket! <u>Humpy Mick’s</u> One of the most popular eating spots, open from early to late. Whenever we passed there were always people sitting at the tables outside – many of them locals – enjoying their meals to the strains of Bob Marley (unobtrusive) with a bottle of wine. We ate there twice, we enjoyed it so much. Great steak sandwich on Turkish grilled bread ($10.50) and DH’s beef burger ($9) with a big bowl of perfectly-fried crispy chips with garlic & sour cream dip ($4.50). The deserts are excellent – caramel pecan pie and double-chocolate cake ($7.50 ea) tasted more, more. <u>Coral Cafe</u> (at the Museum) Although they serve more substantial fare, we were there for coffee ($3.50ea) and cake ($7ea) on the verandah - and were not disappointed. Home-baked and fresh. Generous wedges of Lumberjack and Cinnamon coffeecake, served with fresh whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream - $7 each. <u>Pandanus</u> Just a five minute walk from Lorhiti, this restaurant (open for dinner only, 6:30 to 8pm) has a great reputation (as well as recommended by Peteralan’s sis) and justifiably so. Great food, very nice atmosphere, but slow service. Casual but upmarket decor, although waiter was in shorts and black T-shirt. Sydney prices – but generous servings and excellent quality. DH chose grilled trevally on spiced lentils – as a fish lover he gave it the double-thumbs up, and I had slow-cooked lamb on a herbed couscous ($28 ea) with side dishes of crispy green salad and fresh, well-prepared, mixed vegetables ($9 ea). The lamb was superb and popular with the other eight diners as it soon disappeared from the blackboard. Soft background music. From the blackboard menu: entrees were $18 for anti-pasta or pizza. Deserts were between $12 and $15 – three choices. Some restaurants were closed for the winter low season (which on LHI begins in mid-April and ends in Oct/November) and others open sporadically, so using that ‘darned elusive Pimpernel’ phone to check the status becomes a seasoned routine. Jackie |
I'm looking forward to your next bit Jackie!
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Thanks very much for the comprehensive feedback Jackie...just what I needed. We will stay either at Somerset or Lorhiti. We were just waiting for your ideas on Lorhiti, so thanks so much for that. Looking forward to our trip now ( probably November). I hope we have a better start than you did!! Thanks again
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Most welcome, Peteralan – glad I could provide the info you were looking for. Anything else you want to know, just ask.
We walked past Somerset many times; it's situated quite close to the 'flat area' near the CBD and looked lovely; tucked away in tropical gardens, but visible from the main ‘drag’, Ned’s Beach Road. Just a few minutes stroll from the lovely Lagoon Beach. Slightly more expensive and with 25 units, much larger compared to Lorhiti. But visits to Ned's Beach, (according to even the locals the 'best' beach on the island), involves some uphill walking from Somerset. More info on Ned’s in my next. Thanks Susan7 – and a ‘appy muvvers day to all the mums out there in Oz. I have three. Know it’s celebrated different Sundays globally. Bit off topic, I know – but here’s what one of my beauties wrote in a hand-made card: “All the strength, all the knowledge, the true way to live, I owe to you. My fingers stretch the world’s length around you. I love you.” How beautiful is that? Apologies for ‘information overload’ but as there wasn’t a trip report of LHI on this board, thought I’d make it pretty comprehensive as an ‘eyewitness’ account for anyone contemplating a visit to this unique, amazing, heritage-listed, beautiful and pristinely-clean island. I gleaned lots of info when researching from the LHI’s own website, http://www.lordhoweisland.info but did find that some of the info was out-of-date or too generalised when actually there. It’s a bit like experiencing isolated village life in the 1960s – perhaps even a taste of “back to the future” with all the emphasis on conservation of resources and caretaking of our natural, irreplaceable environment. And like outback towns, all visitors – no matter the importance of tourism to the island – are outlanders, outsiders, and leaving soon, whilst locals remain - and it’s more important to finish the dialog with great-cousin Sam than to pay attention to the line of visitors waiting at the cash register. We had no problem with this at all, but it is a unique situation where, although the main income is from tourism, the tourist is not king, and there is no kowtowing/obsequiousness to the tourist dollar. We found this philosophy understandable and if one accepts this and makes no demands for special attention as an income-deriving tourist, the islanders are polite, friendly and incredibly enthusiastic about their home. Only islanders may own property, development is strictly controlled, and even long-term rentals are restricted to three months. As an example of this LHIers’ culture: DH and I were waxing lyrical to a local about the wonders of the short tour we had just taken. Response was animated and full of elaboration of other sights not to be missed. Until I mentioned how much I had enjoyed the documentary on the island “Lord Howe Island - Pacific Eden” with self-taught biologist Ian Hutton, credited with saving the woodhen from extinction. I was going to expand on this to commiserate that after 25 years on the island, it looked like Mr. Hutton would be forced to leave as he was not permitted to buy a house, and had used up all his ‘long term’ rentals. Until I saw the scorn on the local’s face. “Ian Hutton, yeah yeah – there’s a lot of others on the island who work just as hard for conservation and protection and never get any recognition.” So after 25 years, he’s still an ‘outsider’, scorned for hogging the spotlight, and the thought crossed my mind that the non-availability of permanent ‘accommodation’ might be the island way of levering him back to the mainland. In a way, Lord Howe can add another aspect to its uniqueness – it’s a non-tourist tourist island. It bears little resemblance in its ‘tourist service’ to other island holiday destinations. My impression is that the islanders consider themselves its First Citizens, are fiercely protective and proud of both their home, heritage and culture, and their first loyalty is to other islanders and protecting their beloved environment. So a boat/excursion trip can be cancelled because there are insufficient passengers – they’re not going to expend fuel, time and energy plus make a loss in order to enhance ‘goodwill’, customer service or tourist satisfaction. They’ll just go the next day when the boat is full. Or not. If it’s great auntie’s birthday to celebrate. It’s the island’s way of life. Priorities of mainlanders/visitors sometimes conflict, but are secondary. We so loved our experience in every way, that I get quite defensive when reading criticism on other travel forums about ‘a crash-course in customer relations’ to teach the islanders about service to tourists when I want the world to experience this magical place as is. The island generates its own power – the Power House, as it’s affectionately known – situated on a prime spot overlooking Lagoon Beach in the ‘CBD’ next to the Post Office, and is so conservative with its use that there is no systematic street lighting on what I estimate to be a total of 20kms of road, and many of the beautifully-maintained public barbeques – each with its neatly stacked supply of wood - have a light over the area that can be switched on (and please, off when finished) with a covered household-type light switch. The island handles all its own waste (there are tours of the waste facility) and that makes the emphasis on each guest sorting their garbage more understandable – it’s not barged-off as in the case of so many other islands (eg Lizard in FNQ). Two things we found remarkable – there was absolutely no rubbish anywhere, not even a cigarette butt or lolly wrapper, and for the first four days we saw absolutely no children. That actually felt kind of weird, and I was happy to finally see a kid riding a big tricycle coming towards us – until it turned out to be a l’il old grannie! A few days later we did see a couple with a wee trailer-buggy behind their bike with a baby, but the absence of kids generally was strange. The bulk of the visitors seemed to be either seniors and up, or young honeymooners. And both age-groups were absolutely loving it! On the Saturday before departure, we did see quite a few local kids with their families on Ned’s Beach (who were obviously in school during the week) and it felt good to hear kids shouting and laughing, splashing and building sand castles. Jackie |
<b>Getting around, swimming, snorkelling and walking</b>
No taxis or public transport, although the lodgings do provide transport to/from various venues, and many of the tours do pick-ups. (We never had occasion to request this as we preferred to walk to the venues). Most popular mode, after walking, is cycling and some of the lodgings provide a bike with the rooms. Otherwise Wilson’s Hire (near Lagoon Road) rent excellent bikes (as well as snorkelling equipment & wetsuits) complete with helmet and front carrier basket for $42 per week. To discourage any thoughts of night bike riding, (as the unlit streets/steep hills make it rather hazardous) none of the bikes have a front light. Simple solution as riding a bike at night without a light is illegal in NSW, of which LHI is part. And there is a community policeman on the island. We only rented the one, as I wasn’t willing to challenge the sciatica gods. Good call - we chatted with a German couple who were hobbling along after the previous day’s bike riding: they hadn’t ridden for ten years and were now suffering aches and pains in every muscle. ;) But still smiling and enjoying it all. There are also a handful of cars available for rental for those with mobility problems. We were actually quite surprised at the number of vehicles – all puttering around at the prescribed 25 kph – but after a few days recognised most of them. All car drivers raise a hand in greeting as they pass walkers/cyclists, quite charming and reminiscent of driving outback Oz roads where drivers acknowledge each other in that special Oz style – raising the index finger without removing the hand from the wheel;) We never heard a single car horn during our entire stay. There are a couple of mini-buses doing half-day island tours (Whitfield and Chase n Thyme) but we preferred to explore independently. We took it slow and leisurely and undoubtedly missed some ‘must sees’, but we now have unopened bonbons awaiting our return visit :-D A great place to get background and info is a visit to the LHI Museum and Visitors Centre, just off Lagoon Road. We spent hours browsing the exhibits (both cultural and historical) and got up-to-the-minute info on what tours/activities were operating. Many of the tours can be booked here. There are LHI mementos etc for sale; the Coral Cafe (reviewed above) is in part of the museum area, with outside seating as well. (The next bit especially for Sally in Seattle – sorry you had to wait) <u>Swimming/snorkelling</u> We were blessed with perfect weather – warm, sunny autumn days – perfect for long walks and daily swims at <u>Ned’s Beach</u>. There are other wonderful beaches on LHI, but I think the general consensus of both visitors and locals is that Ned’s is Best. A gorgeous little horseshoe beach with fine, white sand, gentle waves, crystal clear water with the coral beginning just a few metres from the tide line. Voted two years in a row as Australia’s Cleanest Beach. We used the path from Lorhiti, but there’s a road which passes the LHI palm-fringed and peaceful cemetery, where we paid our respects. On the back of a gravestone belonging to an island matriarch there is a bold inscription “A Proud Islander,” which seemed to substantiate my comments above on islanders’ viewpoint. There is a cleverly-hidden public toilet block just off the beach; the only building on the beach itself is Ned’s shack, a covered, open-sided shelter with benches, a barbeque, and a closed-in corner to house the snorkelling equipment, wetsuits and a few bodyboards – all for rent on the honour system. Pick out what you need, tote up the amount from the pricing board, put your name in the book and money in the box – and you’re set! We just used goggles @ $4 per half hour. The water temperature was perfect at 22oC. Snorkelling here is just superb, especially around the huge Kingfish and Trevally that crowd the area in front of the shack waiting for the next dinner-provider. Hand-feeding the fish here is such a thrilling experience, we never tired of it. Even just stepping into the water would excite the fish to come closer, and these are huge babies, some well over a metre long. If they swim between legs and are then anxious to rejoin the fray, a whap from a Kingfish tail can result in an impromptu a-over-t ;) There are also hundreds of almost transparent sand mullet, and a little distance away, supremely vivid parrot fish and rainbow-coloured wrasse – sometimes vying for the food with the resident duck family. I was quite amazed to see a parrot fish nip the floating duck feet to remove the competitor from the water. We met a couple who were so happy their boat trip had been cancelled (knock on door by operator at 7 am) as they unexpectedly were now thrilling in the wonders of Ned’s Beach. They’d last snorkelled at the Caymans, and said this was even better. Also chatted to another couple who were getting in a last greeting to their marine friends just hours before their flight out – they were so addicted. And already planning a return trip. During our last snorkelling session, adjusting the goggles must have dislodged my ear-ring so now Ned’s Beach, or a Kingfish belly, has a souvenir of me. Part of me is there – what a lovely thought! We saw the Pro-Dive boat with learner scuba divers practising there quite a few mornings, and diving on the outer reefs is very popular – we’re just staid old snorkellers, so no first-hand info there, but I can report the glowing faces of those just returned who were bubbling with excitement and a special kind of joy. We did snorkel on the Lagoon, at Erscott’s Hole, as part of a glass-bottom boat viewing cruise (run by LHI Environment Tours) which was brilliant. I have snorkelled on the GBR many years ago, at the Agincourt Reef on the Quicksilver boat (it was announced just a few days ago that the GBR has won a coveted Best Destination tourism prize) – and I’m really loathe to compare one as better than the other. They are both unique – in both colour and composition (GBR is more vivid, I recall being so blown away I forgot to breathe) and marine life (LHI has many unique species). That said, LHI suffers much less damage/destruction due to pollution and over-use – it’s said to have the healthiest coral reef in the world (there is no coral bleaching) – but is also susceptible to the impact of global warming. The Crown-of-thorns starfish, causing such destruction on the GBR (according to our skipper, due to increased numbers feeding on the extra nutrients provided in the pollution outfalls), is in these waters as well, but they keep their distance to outside the line of surf that breaks on the outer reef of the Lagoon. One of our fellow-passengers, a seasoned snorkeller, returned from the half-hour Erscott’s session so exuberant about the experience (only three went in) that he gave an impromptu speech to those who’d never snorkelled before to grab the chance, this was a one-off perfect and amazing opportunity “best ever, the world’s best kept secret.” I will let his words speak for me. And yes, there were a few small Galapagos sharks and a couple of stingrays amongst the array of marine life, but totally non-threatening. The skipper also related an anecdote on the subject of GBR –v- LHI. On one of his trips, he recognised a director of the GBR Reef Management team, probably out checking ‘the competition’. Skipper couldn’t resist stating “My coral is bigger than yours!” The director deflected this by agreeing that LHI has so much easier access to the coral (no long boat trips involved as at Port Douglas, it’s just two steps into the water from the beach) and it was so incredibly healthy compared to GBR he was envious. We really just nibbled round the edges of what LHI has to offer, as our main target was relaxing and soaking it all in LHI-style; we did many walks (not guided) from the easy, flat and luscious 1.2km Stevens Reserve walk (start is next to Power House) to an attempt at Kim’s Lookout (start is Old Settlement Beach – 182m) until half-way up the sciatica gods whispered “we’re not happy” and we turned back to an amazing light-show over the water to the two sentinels. So rewarding, so lovely in spite of ‘defeat’. On a final note – on departure, all the passengers (holding their cabin luggage) were asked to step onto the scales ... so, don’t buy too much or eat too much, as all will be revealed to the queue behind you ;) Bit like calling the Bingo numbers. For those thinking of visiting LHI, I envy you. IMO it’s an experience both unique with breath-taking views, extraordinary fauna and flora and an opportunity to enjoy uncontrived, unadorned island life. The exception here, I must add, is a few of the accommodations such as Capella Lodge – which is the last-word in island luxury and pampered indulgence. Although I feel I’ve written way too much, there are still many details not included, so if anyone would like more info, just ask. Ok, I’ve finished the book, now off to see if I can download a few pics (LHI is also a photographer’s paradise, did I forget to mention that?) Jackie |
Jackie, thanks for the info on the snorkeling and diving. It sounds like a wonderful experience and something to look forward to in the future.
Sally in Seattle |
Jackie,
How did you make you arrangements to go to LHI? My sense is that you can only travel to and from Australia, not direct, say, from Auckland. Did you use an Australian travel agency, or were you able to book yourselves? On our trip to Norfolk Island last year we used a local agency, although seemingly I might have managed it myself. Thanks. |
Hi OliverandHarry,
We started planning our trip in September last year, not without its trials and tribulations, and ended up organising everything independently. You can find the ‘history’ in this previous thread http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34858010 where your trip report to Norfolk also gets a mention ;) All the accommodations (total of 17) have either their own website or their description/price/contact can be accessed through LHI’s own website under the ‘accommodation’ menu. http://www.lordhoweisland.info Qantas is the only airline flying this route (Dash-8s), either from Sydney (more frequently) or Brisbane (just once a week in the low season), and more recently twice a week from Port Macquarie. So it would mean flying to either of these from Auckland to get a connection to LHI. The ‘package deals’ offered by travel agencies appear to be great value, but often have extra costs (tax and/or upgrades from more than just ‘basic’ accommodation, plus flight cost add-ons) which brings the total almost to the same cost as independent booking. We booked everything on the Internet. Hope this helps, Jackie |
Jackie,
there is no thing as "posting too much"! Your report was informative, lively, amd filled with interesting information. If I never get to Lord Howe, I'll always remember your wonderful post. Meththinks you've missed your calling - you could be a travel writer! Best regards, Melodie Certified Aussie Specialist |
I'd second that! Thanks for a wonderfully engaging and very useful report.
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