Lord Howe Island, Travel Information

Island getaways don’t have to about resort developments and crowded beaches. Lord Howe Island lies at the opposite end of the scale – a tranquil oasis with a lifestyle fashioned by a respect for nature and the environment.

Accommodation Lord Howe Island

Discovered in February 1788 by Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball and named after a British admiral, Lord Howe Island – which lies just over 600 kilometres off the coast of Port Macquarie and is part of New South Wales – was declared a World Heritage site in 1982. Forced from the sea by volcanic activity some seven million years ago, the island covers just 1,455 hectares and measures little more than 11 kilometres long by 2.8 kilometres wide.

A coral reef extends down the western side of the island, forming a beautifully sheltered lagoon. The first settlers arrived in 1834 but did not stay long. Later, more Europeans arrived, but by 1851 there were no more than 16 people on Lord Howe Island. Tourism started in the 1940s with a regular flying boat service from Sydney, which was the main method of arrival until the completion of an airstrip in the mid-1970s.

Today, Lord Howe Island is serviced by regular QantasLink flights from Sydney and Brisbane. With a permanent population of just 300 people, tourist numbers are carefully controlled so as not to overwhelm the delicate ecosystem. There are slightly fewer than 20 accommodation establishments, but visitors will find much to do.

Regular music festivals draw interest from around the country, as do fishing competitions, the Lord Howe Island Golf Open held each November, and the Gosford to Lord Howe Yacht Race. Nature is the drawcard here, with many walking tracks leading to banyan forests, stands of kentia palms and out-of-the-way places where the flora and fauna can be viewed undisturbed.

Aside from bushwalking, birdwatching and leisurely explorations of the island, there’s also swimming, surfing, scuba diving, fishing and kayaking.