Overview
Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, approximately 1,412 kilometres (877 miles) east of Australia's Evans Head. Together with the neighbouring Phillip Island and Nepean Island, the three islands collectively form the Territory of Norfolk Island. At the 2021 census, the territory had 2,188 inhabitants living on a total area of about 35 square kilometres (14 square miles). Its capital is Kingston.
Geography and Natural Features
Norfolk Island is home to the evergreen Norfolk Island pine, a symbol of the island that is pictured on its flag. The pine is native to the island and serves as a key export, being a popular ornamental tree in Australia and worldwide.
Early Settlement and Polynesian Habitation
Archaeological evidence indicates that Norfolk Island was settled by East Polynesian seafarers in the 13th or 14th century, likely from either the Kermadec Islands north of mainland New Zealand or from the North Island of New Zealand. Both Polynesian and Melanesian artefacts have been found on the island, suggesting that people from New Caledonia may have also reached Norfolk Island. However, human occupation had ceased at least a few hundred years before Europeans arrived in the late 18th century, likely due to the island's relative isolation and poor horticultural environment.
European Discovery and Early Colonial History
Captain James Cook was the first European known to have sighted and landed on Norfolk Island, arriving on 10 October 1774 during his second voyage to the South Pacific aboard HMS Resolution. He named the island after Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk.
Following the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775, which halted penal transportation to the Thirteen Colonies, British prisons became severely overcrowded. In response, the British government announced in December 1785 that it would send convicts to parts of what is now Australia, including Norfolk Island as an auxiliary settlement.
First Penal Settlement (1788–1814)
After the New South Wales First Fleet arrived at Port Jackson in January 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip ordered Lieutenant Philip Gidley King to lead a party of 15 convicts and seven free men to Norfolk Island on 6 March 1788. The settlement served as a convict penal colony until 1814, though the remoteness and high maintenance costs prompted suggestions for closure as early as 1794. The first group of people left in February 1805, and by 1813, the last inhabitants were removed. From February 1814 until June 1825, the island remained completely uninhabited, with all buildings destroyed to prevent any claim by rival European powers.
Second Penal Settlement (1824–1855)
In 1824, the British government instructed the reoccupation of Norfolk Island as a destination for "the worst description of convicts." Its remoteness, now viewed as an advantage, made it ideal for detaining recalcitrant male prisoners. The second penal settlement underwent periods of unrest, with convicts staging numerous uprisings and mutinies between 1826 and 1846, all of which failed. The British government began winding down this settlement after 1847, and the last convicts were removed to Tasmania in May 1855.
Settlement by Pitcairn Islanders (1856–Present)
Permanent civilian residence on Norfolk Island began on 8 June 1856, when descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers and Tahitians were resettled from the Pitcairn Islands. On 3 May 1856, 193 people departed Pitcairn Islands aboard the Morayshire, and 194 people arrived at Norfolk Island on 8 June, with a baby born during the voyage. The Pitcairners gradually established traditional farming and whaling industries on the island. Although some families returned to Pitcairn in 1858 and 1863, the population continued to grow as additional settlers arrived on whaling vessels.
The island was a regular resort for whaling ships during the age of sail, with the first recorded vessel, the Britannia, arriving in November 1793. The last recorded whaling ship, the Andrew Hicks, visited in August–September 1907.
Modern Administrative History
Norfolk Island underwent several changes in administration during the 19th century. The island was formally transferred from the United Kingdom to Australia in 1914. In 1867, the headquarters of the Melanesian Mission of the Church of England was established on the island, though this was relocated to the Solomon Islands in 1920.