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Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: Norf'k Ailen) is an Australian external territory located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, 1,412 kilometres (877 mi) directly east of mainland Australia's Evans Head and about 900 kilometres (560 mi) from Lord Howe Island. Together with the neighbouring Phillip Island and Nepean Island, the three islands collectively form the Territory of Norfolk Island. At the 2016 Australian census, it had 1748 inhabitants living on a total area of about 35 km ² (14 sq mi). Its capital is Kingston.

The first known settlers in Norfolk Island were East Polynesians but they were long gone when Great Britain settled it as part of its 1788 settlement of Australia. The island served as a convict penal settlement from 6 March 1788 until 5 May 1855, except for an 11-year hiatus between 15 February 1814 and 6 June 1825, when it lay abandoned. On 8 June 1856, permanent civilian residence on the island began when descendents of the Bounty mutineers were relocated from Pitcairn Island. In 1914 the UK handed Norfolk Island over to Australia to administer as an external territory.

Native to the island, the evergreen Norfolk Island pine is a symbol of the island and is pictured on its flag. The pine is a key export for Norfolk Island, being a popular ornamental tree on mainland Australia (where two related species grow), and also worldwide.

Norfolk Island was uninhabited when first settled by Europeans, but evidence of earlier habitation was obvious. Archaeological investigation suggests that, in the thirteenth or fourteenth century, the island was settled by East Polynesian seafarers, either from the Kermadec Islands north of New Zealand, or from the North Island of New Zealand. However, both Polynesian and Melanesian artefacts have been found, so it is possible that people from New Caledonia, relatively close to the north, also reached Norfolk Island. Human occupation must have ceased at least a few hundred years before Europeans arrived. Ultimately, the relative isolation of the island, and its poor horticultural environment, were not favourable to long-term settlement.

First penal settlement (1788-1814)

The first European known to have sighted and landed on the island was Captain James Cook, on 10 October 1774, on his second voyage to the South Pacific on HMS Resolution. He named it after Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk. Sir John Call argued the advantages of Norfolk Island in that it was uninhabited and that New Zealand flax grew there. In 1786, the British government included Norfolk Island as an auxiliary settlement, as proposed by John Call, in its plan for colonisation of the Colony of New South Wales. The decision to settle Norfolk Island was taken due to Empress Catherine II of Russia's decision to restrict sales of hemp. Practically all the hemp and flax required by the Royal Navy for cordage and sailcloth was imported from Russia.

When the 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 take control of Norfolk Island, and prepare for its commercial development. They arrived on 6 March. During the first year of the settlement, which was also called "Sydney" like its parent, more convicts and soldiers were sent to the island from New South Wales. Robert Watson, harbourmaster, arrived with the First Fleet as quartermaster of HMS Sirius, and was still serving in that capacity when the ship was wrecked at Norfolk Island in 1790. Next year, he obtained and cultivated a grant of 60 acres (24 ha) on the island.

Second penal settlement (1824-1856)

In 1824 the British government instructed the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane, to occupy Norfolk Island as a place to send "the worst description of convicts". Its remoteness, previously seen as a disadvantage, was now viewed as an asset for the detention of recalcitrant male prisoners. The convicts detained have long been assumed to be hardcore recidivists, or 'doubly-convicted capital respites' - that is, men transported to Australia who committed fresh colonial crimes for which they were sentenced to death, but were spared the gallows on condition of life at Norfolk Island. However, a 2011 study, using a database of 6458 Norfolk Island convicts, has demonstrated that the reality was somewhat different: more than half were detained at Norfolk Island without ever receiving a colonial conviction, and only 15% had been reprieved from a death sentence. Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of convicts sent to Norfolk Island had committed non-violent property offences, and the average length of detention there was three years. Nonetheless, Norfolk Island went through periods of unrest with convicts staging a number of uprisings and mutinies between 1826 and 1846, all of which failed. The British government began to wind down the second penal settlement after 1847, and the last convicts were removed to Tasmania in May 1855. The island was abandoned because transportation from the United Kingdom to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) had ceased in 1853, to be replaced by penal servitude in the UK.

Settlement by Pitcairn Islanders (1856-present)

The next settlement began on 8 June 1856, as the descendants of Tahitians and the HMS Bounty mutineers, including those of Fletcher Christian, were resettled from the Pitcairn Islands, which had become too small for their growing population. On 3 May 1856, 193 people had left Pitcairn Islands aboard the Morayshire. On 8 June 194 people arrived, a baby having been born in transit. The Pitcairners occupied many of the buildings remaining from the penal settlements, and gradually established traditional farming and whaling industries on the island. Although some families decided to return to Pitcairn in 1858 and 1863, the island's population continued to grow. They accepted additional settlers, who often arrived on whaling vessels.

The island was a regular resort for whaling vessels in the age of sail. The first such ship was the Britannia in November 1793. The last on record was the Andrew Hicks in August-September 1907. They came for water, wood and provisions and sometimes they recruited islanders to serve as crewmen on their vessels.

Norfolk Island was the subject of several experiments in administration during the century. It began the nineteenth century as part of the Colony of New South Wales. On 29 September 1844, Norfolk Island was transferred from the Colony of New South Wales to the Colony of Van Diemen's Land. On 1 November 1856 Norfolk Island was separated from the Colony of Tasmania (formerly Van Diemen's Land) and constituted as a "distinct and separate Settlement, the affairs of which should until further Order in that behalf by Her Majesty be administered by a Governor to be for that purpose appointed". The Governor of New South Wales was constituted as the Governor of Norfolk Island.

On 19 March 1897 the office of the Governor of Norfolk Island was abolished and responsibility for the administration of Norfolk Island was vested in the Governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Yet, the island was not made a part of New South Wales and remained separate. The Colony of New South Wales ceased to exist upon the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901, and from that date responsibility for the administration of Norfolk Island was vested in the Governor of the State of New South Wales.:Recitals 7 and 8

The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia accepted the territory by the Norfolk Island Act 1913 (Cth), subject to British agreement; the Act received the assent on 19 December 1913. In preparation for the handover, a proclamation by the Governor of New South Wales on 23 December 1913 (in force when gazetted on 24 December) repealed "all laws heretofore in force in Norfolk Island" and replaced them by re-enacting a list of such laws. Among those laws was the Administration Law 1913 (NSW), which provided for appointment of an Administrator of Norfolk Island and of magistrates, and contained a code of criminal law.

British agreement was expressed on 30 March 1914, in a UK Order in Council made pursuant to the Australian Waste Lands Act 1855 (Imp). A proclamation by the Governor-General of Australia on 17 June 1914 gave effect to the Act and the Order as from 1 July 1914.

During World War II, the island became a key airbase and refuelling depot between Australia and New Zealand, and New Zealand and the Solomon Islands. The airstrip was constructed by Australian, New Zealand and the United States servicemen during 1942. Since Norfolk Island fell within New Zealand's area of responsibility, it was garrisoned by a New Zealand Army unit known as N Force at a large Army camp which had the capacity to house a 1500 strong force. N Force relieved a company of the Second Australian Imperial Force. The island proved too remote to come under attack during the war and N Force left the island in February 1944.

In 1979, Norfolk Island was granted limited self-government by Australia, under which the island elected a government that ran most of the island's affairs.

In 2006, a formal review process took place, in which the Australian government considered revising this model of government. The review was completed on 20 December 2006, when it was decided that there would be no changes in the governance of Norfolk Island.

Financial problems and a reduction in tourism led to Norfolk Island's administration appealing to the Australian federal government for assistance in 2010. In return, the islanders were to pay income tax for the first time but would be eligible for greater welfare benefits. However, by May 2013 agreement had not been reached and islanders were having to leave to find work and welfare. An agreement was finally signed in Canberra on 12 March 2015 to replace self-government with a local council but against the wishes of the Norfolk Island government. A majority of Norfolk Islanders objected to the Australian plan to make changes to Norfolk Island without first consulting them and allowing their say, with 68% of voters against forced changes.

On 4 October 2015, Norfolk Island changed its time zone from UTC+11:30 to UTC+11:00.

From that date, most Australian Commonwealth laws were extended to Norfolk Island. This means that taxation, social security, immigration, customs and health arrangements apply on the same basis as in mainland Australia. Travel between Norfolk Island and mainland Australia became domestic travel on 1 July 2016. For the 2016 Australian federal election, 328 people on Norfolk Island voted in the ACT electorate of Canberra, out of 117,248 total votes. For the 2019 Australian federal election Norfolk Island is covered by the electorate of Bean.

There is opposition to the reforms, led by Norfolk Island People for Democracy Inc., an association appealing to the United Nations to include the island on its list of " non-self-governing territories". There has also been movement to join New Zealand since the autonomy reforms.

The Territory of Norfolk Island is located in the South Pacific Ocean, east of the Australian mainland. Norfolk Island itself is the main island of the island group that the territory encompasses and is located at . It has an area of 34.6 square kilometres (13.4 sq mi), with no large-scale internal bodies of water and 32 km (20 mi) of coastline. Norfolk was formed from several volcanic eruptions between 3.1 and 2.3 million years ago.

The island's highest point is Mount Bates reaching 319 metres (1,047 feet) above sea level, located in the northwest quadrant of the island. The majority of the terrain is suitable for farming and other agricultural uses. Phillip Island, the second largest island of the territory, is located at , seven kilometres (4.3 miles) south of the main island.

The coastline of Norfolk Island consists, to varying degrees, of cliff faces. A downward slope exists towards Slaughter Bay and Emily Bay, the site of the original colonial settlement of Kingston. There are no safe harbour facilities on Norfolk Island, with loading jetties existing at Kingston and Cascade Bay. All goods not domestically produced are brought in by ship, usually to Cascade Bay. Emily Bay, protected from the Pacific Ocean by a small coral reef, is the only safe area for recreational swimming, although surfing waves can be found at Anson and Ball Bays.

The climate is subtropical and mild, with little seasonal differentiation. The island is the eroded remnant of a basaltic volcano active around 2.3 to 3 million years ago, with inland areas now consisting mainly of rolling plains. It forms the highest point on the Norfolk Ridge, part of the submerged continent Zealandia.

The area surrounding Mount Bates is preserved as the Norfolk Island National Park. The park, covering around 10% of the land of the island, contains remnants of the forests which originally covered the island, including stands of subtropical rainforest.

The major settlement on Norfolk Island is Burnt Pine, located predominantly along Taylors Road, where the shopping centre, post office, bottle shop, telephone exchange and community hall are located. The settlement also exists over much of the island, consisting largely of widely separated homesteads.

Government House, the official residence of the Administrator, is located on Quality Row in what was the penal settlement of Kingston. Other government buildings, including the court, Legislative Assembly and Administration, are also located there. Kingston's role is largely a ceremonial one, however, with most of the economic impetus coming from Burnt Pine.

Norfolk Island has a mid-latitude and marine subtropical climate ( Köppen: Cfa). The temperature almost never falls below 10 °C (50 °F) or rises above 28 °C (82 °F). The absolute maximum recorded temperature is 28.4 °C (83.1 °F), while the absolute minimum is 6.2 °C (43.2 °F). Average annual precipitation is 1,328 millimetres (52.3 in), with most rain falling from April to August. Other months receive significant amounts of precipitation as well.

Norfolk Island has 174 native plants; 51 of them are endemic. At least 18 of the endemic species are rare or threatened. The Norfolk Island palm (Rhopalostylis baueri) and the smooth tree-fern (Cyathea brownii), the tallest tree-fern in the world, are common in the Norfolk Island National Park but rare elsewhere on the island. Before European colonisation, most of Norfolk Island was covered with subtropical rain forest, the canopy of which was made of Araucaria heterophylla (Norfolk Island pine) in exposed areas, and the palm Rhopalostylis baueri and tree ferns Cyathea brownii and C. australis in moister protected areas. The understory was thick with lianas and ferns covering the forest floor. Only one small tract, 5 km ² (1.9 sq mi), of rainforest remains, which was declared as the Norfolk Island National Park in 1986.

This forest has been infested with several introduced plants. The cliffs and steep slopes of Mount Pitt supported a community of shrubs, herbaceous plants, and climbers. A few tracts of cliff top and seashore vegetation have been preserved. The rest of the island has been cleared for pasture and housing. Grazing and introduced weeds currently threaten the native flora, displacing it in some areas. In fact, there are more weed species than native species on Norfolk Island.

As a relatively small and isolated oceanic island, Norfolk has few land birds but a high degree of endemicity among them. Norfolk Island is home to a radiation of about 40 endemic snail species. Many of the endemic bird species and subspecies have become extinct as a result of massive clearance of the island's native vegetation of subtropical rainforest for agriculture, hunting and persecution as agricultural pests. The birds have also suffered from the introduction of mammals such as rats, cats, pigs and goats, as well as from introduced competitors such as common blackbirds and crimson rosellas. Although the island is politically part of Australia, many of Norfolk Island's native birds show affinities to those of neighbouring New Zealand, such as the Norfolk kaka, Norfolk pigeon, and Norfolk boobook.

Extinctions include that of the endemic Norfolk kaka, Norfolk ground dove and Norfolk pigeon, while of the endemic subspecies the starling, triller, thrush and boobook owl are extinct, although the latter's genes persist in a hybrid population descended from the last female. Other endemic birds are the white-chested white-eye, which may be extinct, the Norfolk parakeet, the Norfolk gerygone, the slender-billed white-eye and endemic subspecies of the Pacific robin and golden whistler. Subfossil bones indicate that a species of Coenocorypha snipe was also found on the island and is now extinct, but the taxonomic relationships of this are unclear and have not been scientifically described yet.

The Norfolk Island Group Nepean Island is also home to breeding seabirds. The providence petrel was hunted to local extinction by the beginning of the 19th century but has shown signs of returning to breed on Phillip Island. Other seabirds breeding there include the white-necked petrel, Kermadec petrel, wedge-tailed shearwater, Australasian gannet, red-tailed tropicbird and grey ternlet. The sooty tern (known locally as the whale bird) has traditionally been subject to seasonal egg harvesting by Norfolk Islanders.

Norfolk Island, with neighbouring Nepean Island, has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because it supports the entire populations of white-chested and slender-billed white-eyes, Norfolk parakeets and Norfolk gerygones, as well as over 1% of the world populations of wedge-tailed shearwaters and red-tailed tropicbirds. Nearby Phillip Island is treated as a separate IBA.

Norfolk Island also has a botanical garden, which is home to a sizeable variety of plant species. However, the island has only one native mammal, Gould's wattled bat ( Chalinolobus gouldii). It is very rare, and may already be extinct on the island.

The Norfolk swallowtail ( Papilio amynthor) is a species of butterfly that is found on Norfolk Island and the Loyalty Islands.

Cetaceans were historically abundant around the island as commercial hunts on the island were operating until 1956. Today, numbers of larger whales have disappeared, but even today many species such humpback whale, minke whale, sei whale, and dolphins can be observed close to shore, and scientific surveys have been conducted regularly. Southern right whales were once regular migrants to Norfolk, but were severely depleted by historical hunts, and further by recent illegal Soviet and Japanese whaling, resulting in none or very few, if remnants still live, right whales in these regions along with Lord Howe Island.

Whale sharks can be encountered off the island, too.

Norfolk parakeet, Cyanoramphus cookii (endangered)

Norfolk kaka, Nestor productus (extinct)

Brown goshawk, Accipiter fasciatus (extirpated)

Norfolk pigeon, Hemiphaga novaseelandiae spadicea (extinct, subspecies of NZ pigeon)

Norfolk ground dove, Aloepecoenas norfolkensis (extinct)

Norfolk snipe, Coenocorypha spp. (extinct, undescribed)

Norfolk rail, Gallirallus spp. (extinct, undescribed)

Norfolk robin, Petroica multicolor (endangered)

Norfolk golden whistler, Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta (vulnerable, subspecies of golden whistler)

Norfolk triller, Lalage leucopyga leucopyga (extinct, nominate subspecies of long-tailed triller)

Norfolk Island thrush, Turdus poliocephalus poliocephalus (extinct, nominate subspecies of Island thrush)

Norfolk Island starling, Aplonis fusca fusca (extinct, nominate subspecies of extinct Tasman starling)

Norfolk boobook, Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata (extinct except for hybrids with nominate subspecies, subspecies of Morepork\Southern boobook)

White-chested white-eye, Zosterops albogularis (critically endangered, possibly extinct)

Slender-billed white-eye, Zosterops tenuirostris (near threatened)

Norfolk gerygone, Gerygone modesta (near threatened)

Norfolk grey fantail, Rhiphidura albiscapa pelzelni (least concern, subspecies of grey fantail)

Norfolk petrel, Pterodroma spp. (extinct, undescribed)

The population of Norfolk Island was 1,748 in the 2016 census, which had declined from a high of 2,601 in 2001.

In 2011, residents were 78% of the census count, with the remaining 22% being visitors. 16% of the population were 14 years and under, 54% were 15 to 64 years, and 24% were 65 years and over. The figures showed an ageing population, with many people aged 20-34 having moved away from the island.

Most islanders are of either European-only (mostly British) or combined European- Tahitian ancestry, being descendants of the Bounty mutineers as well as more recent arrivals from Australia and New Zealand. About half of the islanders can trace their roots back to Pitcairn Island.

This common heritage has led to a limited number of surnames among the Islanders - a limit constraining enough that the island's telephone directory also includes nicknames for many subscribers, such as Cane Toad, Dar Bizziebee, Lettuce Leaf, Goof, Paw Paw, Diddles, Rubber Duck, Carrots, and Tarzan.

Population

Population growth rate

Nationality

Norfolk Islander(s) (noun)

Norfolk Islander(s) (adjective)

Citizenship (as of the 2011 census)

The Roman Catholic Church began work in 1957 and in the late 1990s a group left the former Methodist (then Uniting Church) and formed a charismatic fellowship. In 2011, 34% of the ordinary residents identified as Anglican, 13% as Uniting Church, 12% as Roman Catholic and 3% as Seventh-day Adventist. 9% were from other religions. 24% had no religion, and 7% did not indicate a religion. Typical ordinary congregations in any church do not exceed 30 local residents as of 2010. The three older denominations have good facilities. Ministers are usually short-term visitors.

In 2004 an act of the Norfolk Island Assembly made it a co-official language of the island. The act is long-titled: "An Act to recognise the Norfolk Island Language (Norf'k) as an official language of Norfolk Island". The "language known as 'Norf'k'" is described as the language "that is spoken by descendants of the first free settlers of Norfolk Island who were descendants of the settlers of Pitcairn Island". The act recognises and protects use of the language but does not require it; in official use, it must be accompanied by an accurate translation into English. 32% of the total population reported speaking a language other than English in the 2011 census, and just under three-quarters of the ordinarily resident population could speak Norfuk.

English (official) 67.6%

Other 32.4% (includes Norfuk 23.7%, which is a mixture of eighteenth century English and ancient Tahitian)

The sole school on the island, Norfolk Island Central School, provides education from kindergarten through to Year 12. The school has a contractual arrangement referred to as a Memorandum of Understanding with the New South Wales Department of Education and Communities regarding the teaching staff of the school, the latest of which took effect in January 2015. In 2015 enrolment at the Norfolk Island Central School was 282 students.

No public tertiary education infrastructure exists on the Island. The Norfolk Island Central School works in partnership with Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and local employers to support students accessing Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses.

Literacy is not recorded officially, but can be assumed to be roughly at a par with Australia's literacy rate, as islanders attend a school which uses a New South Wales curriculum, before traditionally moving to the mainland for further study.

While there was no "indigenous" culture on the island at the time of settlement, the Tahitian influence of the Pitcairn settlers has resulted in some aspects of Polynesian culture being adapted to that of Norfolk, including the hula dance. Local cuisine also shows influences from the same region.

Islanders traditionally spend a lot of time outdoors, with fishing and other aquatic pursuits being common pastimes, an aspect which has become more noticeable as the island becomes more accessible to tourism. Most island families have at least one member involved in primary production in some form.

One of the island's residents was the novelist Colleen McCullough, whose works include The Thorn Birds and the Masters of Rome series as well as Morgan's Run, set, in large part, on Norfolk Island.

American novelist James A. Michener, who served in the United States Navy during World War II, set one of the chapters of his episodic novel Tales of the South Pacific on Norfolk Island.

Norfolk Island is the only non-mainland Australian territory to have had self-governance. The Norfolk Island Act 1979, passed by the Parliament of Australia in 1979, is the Act under which the island was governed until the passing of the Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Act 2015 (Cth). The Australian government maintains authority on the island through an Administrator, currently Eric Hutchinson. From 1979 to 2015, a Legislative Assembly was elected by popular vote for terms of not more than three years, although legislation passed by the Australian Parliament could extend its laws to the territory at will, including the power to override any laws made by the assembly.

All seats were held by independent candidates. Norfolk Island did not embrace party politics. In 2007 a branch of the Australian Labor Party was formed on Norfolk Island, with the aim of reforming the system of government.

Disagreements over the island's relationship with Australia were put in sharper relief by a 2006 review undertaken by the Australian government. Under the more radical of two models proposed in the review, the island's legislative assembly would have been reduced to the status of a local council. However, in December 2006, citing the "significant disruption" that changes to the governance would impose on the island's economy, the Australian government ended the review leaving the existing governance arrangements unaltered.

In a move that apparently surprised many islanders, the Chief Minister of Norfolk Island, David Buffett, announced on 6 November 2010 that the island would voluntarily surrender its self-government status in return for a financial bailout from the federal government to cover significant debts.

The Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly decided to hold a referendum on the proposal. On 8 May 2015, voters were asked if Norfolk Islanders should freely determine their political status and their economic, social and cultural development, and to "be consulted at referendum or plebiscite on the future model of governance for Norfolk Island before such changes are acted upon by the Australian parliament". 68% out of 912 voters voted in favour. The Norfolk Island Chief Minister, Lisle Snell, said that "the referendum results blow a hole in Canberra's assertion that the reforms introduced before the Australian Parliament that propose abolishing the Legislative Assembly and Norfolk Island Parliament were overwhelmingly supported by the people of Norfolk Island".

The Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Act 2015 passed the Australian Parliament on 14 May 2015 (assented on 26 May 2015), abolishing self-government on Norfolk Island and transferring Norfolk Island into a council as part of New South Wales law. From 1 July 2016 Norfolk Island legislation will be transferred to New South Wales and subject to NSW legislation.[needs update ]

The island's official capital is Kingston; it is, however, more a centre of government than a sizeable settlement. The largest settlement is at Burnt Pine.

The most important local holiday is Bounty Day, celebrated on 8 June, in memory of the arrival of the Pitcairn Islanders in 1856.

Local ordinances and acts apply on the island, where most laws are based on the Australian legal system. Australian common law applies when not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law. Suffrage is universal at age eighteen.

As a territory of Australia, Norfolk Island does not have diplomatic representation abroad, or within the territory, and is also not a participant in any international organisations, other than sporting organisations.

The flag is three vertical bands of green, white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centred in the slightly wider white band.

The Norfolk Island Regional Council was established in July 2016 to govern the territory at the local level in line with local governments in mainland Australia.

From 1788 until 1844 Norfolk Island was a part of the Colony of New South Wales. In 1844 it was severed from New South Wales and annexed to the Colony of Van Diemen's Land. With the demise of the third settlement and in contemplation that the inhabitants of Pitcairn Island would move to Norfolk Island, the Australian Waste Lands Act 1855 (Imp), gave the Queen in Council the power to "separate Norfolk Island from the Colony of Van Diemen's Land and to make such provision for the government of Norfolk Island as might seem expedient". In 1856 the Queen in Council ordered that Norfolk Island be a distinct and separate settlement, appointing the Governor of New South Wales to also be the Governor of Norfolk Island with "full power and authority to make laws for the order, peace, and good government" of the island. Under these arrangements Norfolk Island was effectively self-governing. Although Norfolk Island was a colony acquired by settlement, it was never within the British Settlements Act.

The constitutional status of Norfolk Island was revisited in 1894 when the British Government appointed an inquiry into the administration of justice on the island. By this time there had been steps in Australia towards federation including the 1891 constitutional convention. There was a correspondence between the Governor of Norfolk Island, the British colonial office and the Governor of New Zealand as to how the island should be governed and by whom. Even within NSW it was felt that "the laws and system of government in the Colony of New South Wales would not prove suitable to the Island Community". In 1896 the Governor of New Zealand wrote "I am advised that, as far as my Ministers can ascertain, if any change is to take place in the government of Norfolk Island, the Islanders, while protesting against any change, would prefer to come under the control of New Zealand rather than that of New South Wales".

The British government decided not to annex Norfolk Island to the Colony of NSW and instead that the affairs of Norfolk Island would be administered by the Governor of NSW in that capacity rather than having a separate office as Governor of Norfolk Island. The order-in-council contemplated the future annexation of Norfolk Island to the Colony of NSW or to any federal body of which NSW form part. Norfolk Island was not a part of NSW and residents of Norfolk Island were not entitled to have their names placed on the NSW electoral roll. Norfolk Island was accepted as a territory of Australia, separate from any state, by the Norfolk Island Act 1913 (Cth), passed under the territories power, and made effective in 1914. Norfolk Island was given a limited form of self-government by the Norfolk Island Act 1979 (Cth).

There have been four challenges to the constitutional validity of the Australian Government's authority to administer Norfolk Island:

In 1939, Samuel Hadley argued that the only valid laws in Norfolk Island were those made under the 1856 Order in Council and that all subsequent laws were invalid; his case was rejected by the High Court.

In 1965, the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island rejected Henry Newbery's appeal against conviction for failing to apply to be enrolled to vote in Norfolk Island Council elections. He had argued that in 1857 Norfolk Island had a constitution and a legislature such that the Crown could not abolish the legislature nor place Norfolk Island under the authority of Australia. In the Supreme Court, Eggleston J considered the constitutional history of Norfolk Island and concluded that the Australian Waste Lands Act 1855 (Imp) authorised any form of government, representative or non-representative, and that this included placing Norfolk Island under the authority of Australia.

As a result of the Australian Government's decision in 1972 to prevent Norfolk Island from being used as a tax haven, Berwick Ltd claimed to be resident in Norfolk Island but was convicted of failing to lodge a tax return. One of the arguments for Berwick Ltd was that Norfolk Island, as an external territory, was not part of Australia in the constitutional sense. In 1976, the High Court unanimously rejected this argument, approving the Newbery decision and holding that Norfolk Island was a part of Australia.

In 2004 the Australian Government amended the Norfolk Island Act 1979 (Cth) to remove the right for non-Australian citizens to enrol and stand for election to the Legislative Assembly of Norfolk Island. The validity of the amendments was challenged in the High Court, arguing that as an external territory Norfolk Island was not part of Australia in the constitutional sense and that disenfranchising residents of Norfolk Island who were not Australian citizens was inconsistent with self-government. In 2007 the High Court of Australia rejected these arguments, again approving the Newbery decision and holding that Norfolk Island was part of Australia and that self-government did not require residency rather than citizenship to determine the entitlement to vote.

The Government of Australia thus holds that:

Norfolk Island has been an integral part of the Commonwealth of Australia since 1914 when it was accepted as an Australian territory under section 122 of the Constitution. The Island has no international status independent of Australia.

Much of the self-government under the 1979 legislation was repealed with effect from 2016. The reforms included, to the chagrin of some of the locals of Norfolk Island, a repeal of the preambular sections of the Act which originally were 3-4 pages recognising the particular circumstances in the history of Norfolk Island.

Consistent with the Australian position, the United Nations Decolonization Committee does not include Norfolk Island on its list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Following reforms to the status of Norfolk Island there were mass protests by the local population. In 2015 it was reported that Norfolk Island was taking its argument for self-governance to the United Nations. A campaign to preserve the island's autonomy was formed, named Norfolk's Choice. A formal petition was lodged with the United Nations by Geoffrey Robertson on behalf of the local population on 25 April 2016.

Various suggestions for retaining the island's self-government have been proposed. In 2006 a UK MP, Andrew Rosindell, raised the possibility of the island becoming a self-governing British Overseas Territory. In 2013 the island's last chief minister, Lisle Snell, suggested independence, to be supported by income from fishing, offshore banking and foreign aid.

The laws of Norfolk Island were in a transitional state, under the Norfolk Island Applied Laws Ordinance 2016 (Cth), from 2016 until 2018. Laws of New South Wales as applying in Norfolk Island were suspended (with five major exceptions, which the 2016 Ordinance itself amended) until the end of June 2018. From 1 July 2018, all laws of New South Wales apply in Norfolk Island and, as "applied laws", are subject to amendment, repeal or suspension by federal ordinance. The Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) has been amended for application to Norfolk Island.

Australian citizens and residents from other parts of the nation now have an automatic right of residence on the island after meeting these criteria (Immigration (Amendment No. 2) Act 2012). Australian citizens can carry either a passport or a form of photo identification to travel to Norfolk Island. The Document of Identity, which is no longer issued, is also acceptable within its validity period. Citizens of all other nations must carry a passport to travel to Norfolk Island even if arriving from other parts of Australia. Holders of Australian visas who travel to Norfolk Island have departed the Australian Migration Zone. Unless they hold a multiple-entry visa, the visa will have ceased; in which case they will require another visa to re-enter mainland Australia.

Non-Australian citizens who are permanent residents of Norfolk Island may apply for Australian citizenship after meeting normal residence requirements and are eligible to take up residence in mainland Australia at any time through the use of a Confirmatory (Residence) visa (subclass 808). Children born on Norfolk Island are Australian citizens as specified by Australian nationality law.

Non-Australian citizens who are Australian permanent residents should be aware that during their stay on Norfolk Island they are "outside of Australia" for the purposes of the Migration Act. This means that not only will they need a still-valid migrant visa or Resident return visa to return from Norfolk Island to the mainland, but also the time spent in Norfolk Island will not be counted for satisfying the residency requirement for obtaining a Resident return visa in the future. On the other hand, as far as Australian nationality law is concerned, Norfolk Island is a part of Australia, and any time spent by an Australian permanent resident on Norfolk Island will count as time spent in Australia for the purpose of applying for Australian citizenship.

Norfolk Island Hospital is the only medical centre on the island. From 1 July 2016, medical treatment on Norfolk Island was covered by Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as it is on mainland Australia. Emergency medical treatment is covered by Medicare or a private health insurer. Although the hospital can perform minor surgery, serious medical conditions are not permitted to be treated on the island and patients are flown back to mainland Australia. Air charter transport can cost as much as A$30,000, which is covered by the Australian Government. For serious emergencies, medical evacuations are provided by the Royal Australian Air Force. The island has one ambulance, staffed by St John Ambulance Australia volunteers.

The lack of medical facilities available in most remote communities has a major impact on the health care of Norfolk Islanders.[citation needed ] As is consistent with other extremely remote regions, many older residents find it impossible to remain on the island when their health falters, many have to leave their homes and live in New Zealand or Australia to get medical care.

Defence is the responsibility of the Australian Defence Force. There are no active military installations or defence personnel on Norfolk Island. The Administrator may request the assistance of the Australian Defence Force if required.

The Norfolk Island Court of Petty Sessions is the equivalent of a Magistrates Court and deals with minor criminal, civil or regulatory matters. The Chief Magistrate of Norfolk Island is usually the current Chief Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory. Three local Justices of the Peace have the powers of a Magistrate to deal with minor matters.

As stated by the Legal Profession Act 1993, "a resident practitioner must hold a Norfolk Island practising certificate." As of 2014, only one lawyer maintained a full-time legal practice on Norfolk Island.

Prior to 2016, the Norfolk Island Postal Service was responsible for mail receipt and delivery on the island and issued its own postage stamps. With the merger of Norfolk Island as a regional council, the Norfolk Island Postal Service ceased to exist and all postage is now handled by Australia Post. Australia Post sends and receives mail from Norfolk Island with the postcode 2899.

The Australian government controls the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and revenue from it extending 200 nautical miles (370 km) around Norfolk Island equating to roughly 428,000 km ² (165,000 sq mi), and territorial sea claims to 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) from the island. There is a strong belief on the island that some of the revenue generated from Norfolk's EEZ should be available to provide services such as health and infrastructure on the island, which the island has been responsible for, similar to how the Northern Territory is able to access revenue from their mineral resources. The exclusive economic zone provides the Islanders with fish, its only major natural resource. Norfolk Island has no direct control over any marine areas but has an agreement with the Commonwealth through the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) to fish "recreationally" in a small section of the EEZ known locally as "the Box". While there is speculation that the zone may include oil and gas deposits, this is not proven. There are no major arable lands or permanent farmlands, though about 25 percent of the island is a permanent pasture. There is no irrigated land. The island uses the Australian dollar as its currency.

Formerly, residents of Norfolk Island did not pay Australian federal taxes, which created a tax haven for locals and visitors alike. There was no income tax so the island's legislative assembly raised money through an import duty, fuel levy, medicare levy, goods and services tax of 12%, and local/international phone calls. The Chief Minister of Norfolk Island, David Buffett, announced on 6 November 2010 that the island would voluntarily surrender its tax-free status in return for a financial bailout from the federal government to cover significant debts. The introduction of income taxation came into effect on 1 July 2016. There is a variation of opinion on the island about these changes but with many understanding that for the island's governance to continue there is a need to pay into the commonwealth revenue pool in order for the island to have assistance in supporting its delivery of State government responsibilities such as health, education, Medicare, and infrastructure. Prior to these reforms, residents of Norfolk Island were not entitled to social services. It appears that the reforms do extend to companies and trustees and not only individuals.

As of 2004, 2532 telephone main lines are in use, a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits. Satellite communications services are planned. The island has a locally based radio station ( Radio Norfolk), broadcasting on both AM and FM frequencies. There is also one television station, Norfolk TV, featuring local programming, plus transmitters for Australian channels ABC, SBS, Imparja Television and Seven. The Internet country code top-level domain ( ccTLD) is .nf. A small GSM mobile network operates on the island across 3 towers, however no data transmission is available on this network. An 8-tower 4G/LTE 1800 MHz network has recently been installed improving Data service significantly on the island.

There are no railways, waterways, ports or harbours on the island. Loading jetties are located at Kingston and Cascade, but ships cannot get close to either of them. When a supply ship arrives, it is emptied by whaleboats towed by launches, five tonnes at a time. A mobile crane picks up the freight using nets and straps and lifts the freight onto the pier. Which jetty is used depends on the prevailing weather of the day; the jetty on the leeward side of the island is often used. If the wind changes significantly during unloading/loading, the ship will move around to the other side. Visitors often gather to watch the activity when a supply ship arrives.[citation needed ] Norfolk Forwarding Services is the primary Freight Forwarding service for Norfolk Island handling both sea and airfreight. In 2017 Norfolk Forwarding Services shipped most of the freight for the Cascade Pier Project over a period of 18 months.[citation needed ]

There is one airport, Norfolk Island Airport. There are 80 kilometres (50 mi) of roads on the island, 53 km (33 mi) paved and 27 km (17 mi) unpaved. Local law gives cows the right of way. Speed limits are low: 50 km/h (31 mph) maximum in the territory, 40 km/h (25 mph) in town and 30 km/h (19 mph) near schools. There was formerly an airline, Norfolk Island Airlines, which connected Norfolk Island with Brisbane. As of March 2018, there are no direct flights from New Zealand to Norfolk Island, leaving only services via Sydney and Brisbane. In mid 2018, Air Chathams announced it was looking to re-establish flights between Auckland and Norfolk Island and in August 2019 announced a weekly service between Auckland and Norfolk Island would begin on 6 September using a Convair 580.

Teams that Norfolk Island players qualify for:

1. "Wayback Machine". 25 July 2008. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008.

2. ^ Roberts-Wray, Kenneth (1966). Commonwealth and Colonial Law. London: Stevens.

3. ^ Anderson, Atholl; White, Peter (2001). "Prehistoric Settlement on Norfolk Island and its Oceanic Context" (PDF). Records of the Australian Museum. 27 (Supplement 27): 135-141. doi:10.3853/j.0812-7387.27.2001.1348. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016.

4. ^ Lea-Scarlett, E. J. (1967). "Watson, Robert (1756-1819)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. 2. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538 - via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.

5. Causer, T. ^ '"The Worst Types of Sub-Human Beings": the Myth and Reality of the Convicts of the Norfolk Island Penal Settlement Archived 20 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, 1825-1855', Islands of History, Sydney, 2011, pp.8-31.

6. Langdon, Robert (ed.) (1984) ^ Where the whalers went: an index to the Pacific ports and islands visited by American whalers (and some other ships) in the 19th century, Canberra, Pacific Manuscripts Bureau, p.194-7. ISBN 086784471X

7. ^ "'We're not Australian': Norfolk Islanders adjust to shock of takeover by mainland". The Guardian. 21 May 2015. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017.

8. ^ Hardgrave, Gary (3 September 2015). "Norfolk Island standard time changes 4 October 2015" (Press release). Administrator of Norfolk Island. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015.

9. ^ Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development - Factsheet: Domestic travel between Norfolk Island and mainland Australia, website. Retrieved 12 November 2016

10. ^ Jones, J. G.; McDougall (1973). "Geological history of Norfolk and Philip Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean". Journal of the Geological Society of Australia. 20: 239-257.

11. "Climate statistics for Australian locations: Norfolk Island". Bureau of Meteorology. 31 March 2010. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014.

12. ^ Neuweger, D (2001). "Land Snails from Norfolk Island Sites". Records of the Australian Museum. Supplement 27: 115-122.

13. ^ Goldberg, Julia; Trewick, Steven A.; Powlesland, Ralph G. (2011). "Population structure and biogeography of Hemiphaga pigeons (Aves: Columbidae) on islands in the New Zealand region". Journal of Biogeography. 38 (2): 285-298. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02414.x. ISSN 1365-2699.

14. Nichols, Daphne (2006). Lord Howe Island Rising. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Tower Books. ^ ISBN 0-646-45419-6. Retrieved 20 November 2015

15. ^ "Battle for Norfolk Island". BBC. 18 May 2007. Archived from the original on 24 November 2006.

16. ^ "Ch 5 Historical outline" (PDF), Report of the Royal Commission into matters relating to Norfolk Island, Australian Government, October 1976, archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2018

17. Newbery v The Queen (1965) 7 FLR 34 (25 March 1965), Supreme Court of Norfolk Island.

18. ^ Kerr, A (2009). "Ch 6: Norfolk Island" (PDF). A Federation in These Seas: An account of the acquisition by Australia of its external territories. Australian Government.

19. ^ United Nations Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence of Colonial Countries and Peoples.

20. ^ "Norfolk Island residents petition UN over Australian 're-colonisation'". The Age. 27 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016.

21. ^ "Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) (NI)" (PDF). Australian Government: Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2019.

22. ^ Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth) Archived 6 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine sections 5(2(c), 21 and 22; Australian Citizenship Act 2007 - Determination under subsection 5(2) - Australian Citizenship (Permanent Resident Status) - June 2007 Archived 6 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine in ComLaw.

23. ^ Snell, Lisle (May 2014). "SUBMISSION TO PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION INQUIRY ACCESS TO JUSTICE ARRANGEMENTS By the Chief Minister of Norfolk Island as Minister for Justice and Minister responsible for the Legal Aid Act 1995 (Norfolk Island) and the Legal Profession Act 1993" (PDF). The Government of Norfolk Island. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 September 2017.

24. ^ Goldsmith and Secretary, Department of Social Services (Social services second review) [2015] AATA 613 (19 August 2015).

Andrew Kippis, The Life and Voyages of Captain James Cook, Westminster 1788, Reprint London and New York 1904, pp. 246 ff

Nobbs, Raymond, Norfolk Island and its Third Settlement: The First Hundred Years 1856-1956 Sydney, Library of Australian History, 2006.

History of penal settlements

Causer, Tim '"The Worst Types of Sub-Human Beings": the Myth and Reality of the Convicts of the Norfolk Island Penal Settlement, 1825-1855', Islands of History, Sydney, 2011, pp. 8-31. (ISBN 978-0-9803354-5-3).

Causer, Tim 'Norfolk Island's "Suicide Lotteries": Myth and Reality', Islands of History, Sydney, 2011, pp. 61-68. (ISBN 978-0-9803354-5-3).

Clark, Manning, A History of Australia, Vols. I-III, Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 1962, 1968, 1973.

Clarke, Marcus, For the Term of his Natural Life (novel).

Hazzard, Margaret, Punishment Short of Death: a history of the penal settlement at Norfolk Island, Melbourne, Hyland, 1984. (ISBN 0-908090-64-1).

Murray-Brown, David, Norfolk Island Cancellations and Postal Markings. London: Pacific Islands Study Circle, 3rd edition, 2012, 978-1-899833-20-7, 130pp; http://www.pisc.org.uk

Hughes, Robert, The Fatal Shore, London, Pan, 1988. (ISBN 0-330-29892-5).

Wright, R., The Forgotten Generation of Norfolk Island and Van Diemen's Land, Sydney, Library of Australian History, 1986.

Hoare, Merval. Norfolk Island, an outline of its history 1774-1987. 4th edition. St. Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 1988. ISBN 0-7022-2100-7

Government

General information

Archaeology and Polynesian settlement in prehistory

Others

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Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: Norf'k Ailen) is an Australian external territory located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, 1,412 kilometres (877 mi) directly east of mainland Australia's Evans Head and about 900 kilometres (560 mi) from Lord Howe Island.

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This was published 4 years ago

By Beau Donelly

Updated first published at

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Melbourne's most secretive Jewish sect, the ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel community, has opened its doors to the public for the first time.

Made up of about 200 families who live over a square kilometre block in Ripponlea, the conservative religious group honours ancient rituals dating back to biblical times and follows the strictest interpretation of the commandments in the Torah.

The men wear mink fur hats and black silk coats. Women cover their hair in public. Boys and girls are segregated from kindergarten. Arranged marriages are common. Children in some families number in the teens. During the Sabbath, they refrain from using electricity - no phones, cars, lights. They don't own televisions. Most shun the internet.

The insular community is almost self-sufficient - they have their own kindergartens, schools, shops, synagogue, cemetery and medical service - and despite living in Melbourne's inner south-east have little contact with the outside world and the wider Jewish community.

Rabbi Aryeh Goldman in Jerusalem. Credit:

But a new documentary by filmmakers Danny Ben-Moshe and Dan Goldberg follows the lives of three Adass members and gives a rare glimpse into this reclusive group.

"Getting in the door officially was really the easy part," director Ben-Moshe said. "Then it was a just a constant juggle of executing the filming. Some people were supportive and helpful and some were hostile."

Ben-Moshe said there were many scenes he would have liked to have filmed but was not allowed to, such as at the school or the group's charity work.

"This community regards Jewish law as paramount and they interpret and practise that law in the most orthodox and conservative way," he said. "Anything that distracts from that is basically not welcome. The community is not monolithic and the media is something that is quite foreign."

But there are many places where the cameras were welcome. Filmmakers followed rabbi Aryeh Goldman,who grew up as a secular Jew in Greensborough, to his eight-day-old baby boy's circumcision and on an emotional trip to the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem.

During the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot, Goldman builds a sukkah - a temporary hut topped with branches - in his carport. While most orthodox Jews eat and spend time in their sukkahs, the rabbi sleeps there, using earplugs to drown out the Melbourne traffic and leaving a light on to deter the possums.

Grandmother and businesswoman Raizel Fogel is also profiled in the film. Fogel was born into the Adass community and with her husband runs the well-known kosher catering company and deli, Eshel. She has 37 grandchildren and one great-grandchild and works as a doula in her spare time.

"One of our principal beliefs is to be fruitful and multiply," she says. "Adass families are generally ... large."

The documentary briefly touches on the child sex-abuse scandal that has in recent years plagued the ultra-orthodox community's reputation.

A court last year ordered the Adass Israel Girls School in Elsternwick to pay more than $1 million to a woman abused by former principal Malka Leifer, who fled overseas with the help of school authorities after allegations against her first surfaced.

In the film, retired importer and Adass elder Shlomo Abeles defends the community's handling of the Leifer case, saying she was removed "the second we found out about it".

"Whatever way we got rid of her, it's correct or not so correct, but we got her away from the kids," he said. "We didn't want her in the community trying to abuse any more kids."

Leifer is under house arrest in Israel while Australian authorities try to extradite her on more than 70 counts of sexual assault.

Strictly Jewish is the third and final instalment of a three-part documentary series about hidden subcultures in Australia airing on SBS this month. It airs on April 27.

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Melbourne's most reclusive Jewish sect lets cameras in

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This was published 4 years ago By Beau Donelly Updated first published at Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Melbourne's most secretive Jewish sect, the ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel community, has opened its doors to the public for the first time.

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Manchester United's prime summer transfer target Jadon Sancho is in a WhatsApp group with a selection of Red Devils players who he keeps in regular contact with.

The Borussia Dortmund winger is being hotly pursued by United as they bid to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

But Dortmund are currently playing hard to get, reportedly holding out for €120m and setting a Monday deadline for the Red Devils to match their valuation.

However, according to the Transfer Window Podcast's Ian McGarry, United remain confident that they will land Sancho, with the 20-year-old making his eagerness to join the club clear by staying in regular contact with a number of United players.

This was backed up by Jesse Lingard, who told 90min in July that Sancho was one of a number of footballers that he plays Call of Duty: Warzone with. Interestingly, the Dortmund man was the only non-Manchester United player named in his gaming squad.

"I play [Call of Duty] with Brandon Williams, Marcus [Rashford]," Lingard said. "Dan James plays it, [Paul] Pogba plays it, Victor [Lindelöf] plays it. Normally I play with Brandon, Rashy, Pogs, [Jadon] Sancho plays now and again. I mix it about."

"Brandon, Rashy, Pogs... Sancho." ?

Jesse Lingard talked to @benhainess about who the regular squad is when playing Warzone...@CallofDuty | #Warzone pic.twitter.com/rkt1vrmSZN
- 90min (@90min_Football) July 17, 2020

McGarry added to this, telling the Transfer Window Podcast that Sancho regularly chats to many of his England teammates who are currently at United.

"He [Sancho] has been in constant touch with England international colleagues who currently play for Manchester United and indeed in daily contact with them," McGarry said. "It's even believed he's on a WhatsApp group with some of the Manchester United players as well.

"Therefore United are very comfortable with their position, they believe that Dortmund will come round to the structure that they've suggested."

Sancho finished the season with 17 goals and 17 assists in the Bundesliga, and is expected to travel to Switzerland with Dortmund as they continue their preparations for the 2020/21 campaign.

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Transfer Target Is in Manchester United WhatsApp Group & Has Daily Contact With Players

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Manchester United's prime summer transfer target Jadon Sancho is in a WhatsApp group with a selection of Red Devils players who he keeps in regular contact with. The Borussia Dortmund winger is being hotly pursued by United as they bid to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

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One of the oldest and largest neo-nazi sites on the internet, the white supremacist chatroom Stormfront, has been thrown off the open web by its domain registrar.

Stormfront has been described by the anti-hate group Southern Poverty Law Center as the " murder capital of the internet ". The group pointed out that "registered Stormfront users have been disproportionately responsible for some of the most lethal hate crimes and mass killings since the site was put up in 1995. In the past five years alone, Stormfront members have murdered close to 100 people."

As of Tuesday morning, Stormfront.org was unavailable, with the site's domain registry recording that its domain registrar Network Solutions had issued a "hold" on the address.

Stormfront's removal comes a week after a letter, informing Network Solution's parent company Web.com of the neo-nazi site's infractions of the its usage policy, was sent by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a civil rights organisation formed at the request of John F Kennedy in 1963.

The group, which has been writing to Web.com repeatedly since early July, repeated its request of the company to take "immediate action" against Stormfront.

Becky Monroe, the director of the group's Stop Hate project said: "Since its creation, Stormfront has been consistently recognised as a site for racial hatred ... a representative sample of posts on the site refer to interracial couples by slurs, share racist caricatures, or otherwise dehumanises minorities by referring to them as 'creatures' or 'ethnics'.

"It is clear that Stormfront's reason for existing is to advance hateful racist ideologies in undeniable persistent violation of the acceptable use policy of Web.com."

The letter closes by giving a deadline of August 28, the same day Stormfront lost its site.

"Especially in the wake of tragic events in Charlottesville and the spike in hate crimes across the country, Stormfront crossed the line of permissible speech and incited and promoted violence," said Kristen Clarke, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

The move follows the downfall of the Daily Stormer, a far-right news site which was dropped by multiple service providers after it published an article smearing the victim of a far-right terrorist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia. Eventually, the site was forced to move to the so-called dark web due to the lack of companies willing to work with it publicly.

As with the withdrawal of the Daily Stormer's domain by GoDaddy, the decision of Web.com to pull its support for Stormfront will likely prompt a game of cat and mouse for the site, as it attempts to re-register its domain name with new registrars, many of whom will also choose to refuse to serve the forum.

Don Black, a former Ku Klux Klan leader who has operated stormfront.org since 1995 said that he was seeking counsel and that: "I can switch to another domain, but it might wind up the same way."

It will also prompt a new round of debate over just how critical private companies are to free speech on the internet - even when the free speech is on the part of white supremacists and neo-nazis.

"This is a really terrible time to be a free speech advocate," Jillian York, director for international freedom of expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation told the Guardian on Monday.

Web.com did not reply to a request for comment.

* This article was amended on 30 August 2017. Network Solutions was Stormfront's domain registrar, not its hosting provider as we said in an earlier version.

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Stormfront: 'murder capital of internet' pulled offline after civil rights action

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One of the oldest and largest neo-nazi sites on the internet, the white supremacist chatroom Stormfront, has been thrown off the open web by its domain registrar. Stormfront has been described by the anti-hate group Southern Poverty Law Center as the " murder capital of the internet ".

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Senator Fiona Nash is Minister for Regional Development, which includes Norfolk Island. Credit:Andrew Meares

"Norfolk Island council requested $15 million from the federal government for a spur to connect to the undersea cable, but did not provide a business case nor offer to invest any of its own money," a spokesman for the Minister for Regional Development, Fiona Nash, said.

The spokesman added that the cost equates to $23,000 per connection and does not include the cost of upgrading the local island network.

The island is already set to receive about $130 million over the next four years for infrastructure, hospitals and schools.

And while Sky Muster - NBN Co's satellite service - is faster and cheaper than existing services, not everyone is happy.

The Australian government took on responsibility for Norfolk Island on July 1, 2016. Credit:Getty Images

IT consultant Ben Howard has been sending out press releases arguing the island needs cable, not "a satellite dish on every rooftop". He is acting on behalf of the community and peak bodies.

"The total costs of a cable connection would be less than satellite alternatives over time, while offering far superior latency, capacity and speed," Mr Howard said.

"A cable connection would transform the island's underdog economic and social situation for decades to come, while maximising the value of the island's existing telecommunications assets."

Norfolk already has a fixed copper and cable network and cable-landing station left over from the analog ANZCAN cable laid in 1984, he said.

A cable connection would transform the island's underdog economic and social situation for decades to come
IT consultant Ben Howard

Norfolk Island Regional Council mayor Robin Adams said a cable connection would lift the island's economic dependency on tourism.

"Access to high-speed broadband internet can provide access to e-education, tele-medicine, research centres and call centres, just to mention a few of the economic possibilities connection to the cable would bring to our remote and isolated community in the Pacific," Ms Adams told Fairfax Media.

A spokesman for Hawaiki Submarine Cable confirmed it had provided Norfolk with quotes for "several connectivity options, including a branching unit and a full branch from Hawaiki trunk cable to Norfolk Island".

The new cable will run from Oregon through Hawaii and on to Australia and New Zealand. A spur is planned for American Samoa, and Fiji, Tonga and New Caledonia will also be connected. It is due to be completed in 2018.

Until Sky Muster came along, Norfolk residents relied on broadband from an O3B satellite set up in mid-2014, which feeds into Norfolk Telecom's infrastructure.

Internet speeds are about 5 megabits per second and Telecom, which is owned by the island's governing council, recently increased data allowances so residents get at least 3 gigabytes of data per month for $30 instead of just 1.5 gigabytes. It was charging up to $230 a month for 28 gigabytes.

Mr Howard believes residents will drop their Telecom landline once connected to Sky Muster and drive it out of business, leaving the island with no fixed communications.

Norfolk Telecom is not receiving compensation for each NBN connection, like Telstra in mainland cities, because customers in satellite zones can keep their telephone line.

The island's 2014-15 annual report noted the existing telephone and mobile switches are "obsolete" and need to be replaced.

Norfolk Telecom has been putting its modest profits straight into the island's general revenue instead of being reinvested in telecommunications infrastructure.

Asked if NBN Co had considered hooking into the Hawaiki Cable, the spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the concept. The solution we have available for Norfolk Island residents is Sky Muster."

There are 1400 landline connections and 816 ADSL connections on the island, according to its annual report. So far 165 premises have connected to Sky Muster. Prices start at about $35 per month for 15 GB.

And Sky Muster won't provide any upgrade options for the existing 2G mobile network, which has nine base stations, one micro cell and about 1530 active SIMs.

A spokesman for Gai Brodtmann, the federal Member for Canberra and also Norfolk Island, said she had not been briefed by advocates on the fibre-to-the-island plan.

"I am looking forward to speaking with the community to find out more about their NBN experience provided by the Sky Muster satellite service when I'm on Norfolk Island in early 2017," she told BusinessDay.

Lucy Battersby has covered trends, technology and telecommunications since joining The Age in 2008.

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Norfolk wants a fibre-to-the-island connection

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"Norfolk Island council requested $15 million from the federal government for a spur to connect to the undersea cable, but did not provide a business case nor offer to invest any of its own money," a spokesman for the Minister for Regional Development, Fiona Nash, said.

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Norfolk Island Community has 512 members. This is a bulletin board for the Norfolk Island community. Free to publish and or share articles, opinions, comments, concerns etc. provided they are...

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The tiny subtropical island, which is part of Australia but maintains a fiercely separate identity, including a different flag and national anthem, is determined that the language should not become extinct.

A Norfolk government spokesman, Peter Maywald, said the Unesco listing would enable the island to apply for funds to encourage the teaching of Norfuk. "It gives us more clout in terms of protecting the language," he said.

Nursery rhymes and word games are used to teach the language to the 310 children in Norfolk's only school. In the past, children were punished for speaking Norfuk, which was regarded as a backward patois.

"It's now undergoing a renaissance. People are more interested in their culture and historical roots than they were before," Mr Maywald said.

A few pages of the island's newspaper are translated from English into Norfuk and there are plans to build a cultural centre that will showcase the language.

"The advice from Unesco is a significant step in building recognition of the unique language and culture of Norfolk Island," said the chief minister, Andre Nobbs. "It is one of the rarest languages in the world."

The creole evolved between the Bounty mutineers and the Tahitians. After rebelling against Captain William Bligh, the mutineers settled in 1790 on Pitcairn Island. But by 1856 the island was overcrowded and the population was relocated to Norfolk. Today about half Norfolk Island's 2000 inhabitants are descended from the Pitcairners and speak Norfuk.

Its broad burr evokes West Country English, but it is peppered with Tahitian and other Polynesian words incomprehensible to English speakers.

Norfolk Island was uninhabited when it was first sighted by Captain Cook in 1774, although it had previously been settled. Until 1855 it was used by the British as a South Seas gulag for the most recalcitrant convicts, notorious for its cruelty.
Telegraph, London
NATTERING IN NORFOLK

Watawieh

How are you all?/ All yorlye gwen?

I'm in a lazy mood/ I gut ar hillie

Why are you behaving that way/ Fut you ally comey diffy and do daffy?

Did you put out a piece of cake for Beryl?/ Yu bin pat aut wan piis a' kiek f' Berel?

Not good enough even for a dog's meal/ Car do far dorg et

How good the island handicrafts are in this year's show!/ Orl em ailan haendikraaft iin a' shoe hau gud des iya!

My brother's cow has escaped/ Wan kau f' mais bradhas s' orf aut

Cut across the paddock after tea and come for a singsong/ Kat krors aa paedak aafta tii en wi gu sing

Source: Speak Norfolk Today, by Alice Buffett, 1999

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My brother speaks Norfuk, but his cow just moos

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The tiny subtropical island, which is part of Australia but maintains a fiercely separate identity, including a different flag and national anthem, is determined that the language should not become extinct. A Norfolk government spokesman, Peter Maywald, said the Unesco listing would enable the island to apply for funds to encourage the teaching of Norfuk.

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A GAY descendant of Bounty mutineer Fletcher Christian says he's excited he may soon be able to wed his partner, as one of Australia's smallest territories pushes forward with plans to make same-sex marriage legal.

REBELLION is once again in the air on Norfolk Island, as the self-governing territory of 2000 people halfway between Australia and New Zealand prepares to vote on the law in coming weeks.

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A GAY descendant of Bounty mutineer Fletcher Christian says he's excited he may soon be able to wed his partner, as one of Australia's smallest territories pushes forward with plans to make same-sex marriage legal.

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When Amna Karra-Hassan started the first women's AFL club in Western Sydney in 2011, she didn't realise what it would become. She speaks to Cathy Jacobs.
I was motivated to start the footy team for two reasons. One: I think that all girls should play whatever sport they want.

Two: as an Australian, Muslim, Lebanese woman who lives in Western Sydney, everyone had an opinion on the politics of my identity. It was my way of reclaiming that conversation.

I am that post September 11 generation and I hate to frame it that way, but it's true. It overshadowed my teen years, in terms of what was happening in the world and what people were saying about me. Then there was also my lived experience at home and at school having to navigate being bi-cultural.

It felt like communities that I belong to, even western Sydney as a region, were constantly under scrutiny and constantly reported in a way that was negative - where all the problems are. All of my identities were associated with problems.

I'm very passionate about talking about how we create a sense of place for people that is positive.

If I get the opportunity to go to a school and talk to girls, or if I get to do it through coaching, or if there's some other space for that connection, then I'm definitely going to be the first person to step up and lead from the front.

We've come a long way from novices

When we started as the Tigers, none of us knew how to play footy. We didn't have a sponsor, we didn't have a coach, we were figuring it out every week and just having fun as a group of girls.

As time went on I recognised that we needed to professionalise it with organised sponsorship and a good committee who understood governance. I had a conversation with GWS Giants and we adopted their brand.

That was probably a very smart move because it led to so many other things that we didn't forecast, like the AFLW competition. We were positioned really well to be part of that change movement for women.

We made the shift from participation to high performance. There are now a lot of highly competitive athletes pursuing their dream.

They are very focused.

I've never been paid for the work with the club. It's not why I started and not why I still do it seven years later. When something is fulfilling and enjoyable, I don't think the money matters.

I have a very high level of commitment as chief of operations, coach and player. Every week I am at all the trainings for juniors and the seniors. I do everything from cleaning our sheds to helping write a CV or listening when someone needs support.

I love coaching. For me it's giving back. What can I give those kids who lack the self confidence, like I once did? How do I demand more of them and say "I want you to have fun, but I want you to take yourself seriously"?

Change takes a while

With the girls who are aspiring for the AFLW, I make sure they have the right coaches, physiotherapists, whatever physical and psychological support they need to achieve their goal.

The fact that I play footy at a community level is as elite as it gets for me. But it's my dream to make elite competition come true for the girls in our club, if that's what they want.

The change process actually takes a long while. It could be decades before we see the outcomes we are pursuing in the AFLW to ensure the best possible standards.

While there is room for criticism that this is not being reflected equally across men and women's football, we also need to be realistic about the nature of change. It takes time.

What helps me know that I'm effective is seeing the little wins.

I might not get the big win right now, I might have to wait 10 years, but the little wins are young girls playing footy; playing any sport they like.

You don't need to shrink yourself

I definitely had a defiant spirit when I was young but I felt like I needed to silence that voice.

As I've gotten older I've just owned the fact that my skin is a little bit rebellious, passionate driven. It wants more.

But it took me a long time to believe you don't need to shrink yourself; you don't need to downplay what you're feeling because people expect you to be a good girl or more passive. Coming into my skin has been such an empowering experience.

Girls and women email me all the time to tell me I inspire them.

I've realised that I am that person who, when I was young, I'd look at the tele and think: "where is she? I can't see her because these women don't look like me."

I am that woman who tells young women who look like me, and who don't, that it doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter if all the odds are stacked against you, that you are capable beyond your wildest dreams.

Helping others to heal my heart

I'm currently on a year's unpaid leave from the Australian Federal Police where I've been in community engagement for eight years.

I needed the time to heal after losing my younger brother Fathi in a road accident.

He was a tradie by day and a personal trainer by night and when he wasn't doing those things he was in the gym with my younger sister. We're a very active family; we've always supported each other. His death was heartbreaking.

The community response was unbelievable. Thousands of people came through the mosque for prayers, to the cemetery, to our home.

People were giving us a lot of money to do good work to honour his life. We built a deep water well in Somalia but we felt that was not enough because he was such a larger than life, generous person.

So we decided to build a school, in his memory, on a little island called Tanna in Vanuatu. We have teamed up with Muslim Aid Australia to help this remote community which was hit badly by Cyclone Pam.

We're half way with the fundraising to finish that school and we're hoping to do some other things to help the Tanna community become sustainable with good facilities.

This is my consistent way of being committed to honouring Fathi's life and healing my heart.

The power of volunteering

Don't worry if you don't know where to start. Start somewhere. Just start.

Volunteering and that mindset of giving back is where I learnt everything. It's what equipped me for the workforce and what has taught me important life lessons.

I hold a strong value of compassion, but compassion can't be dormant.

We can't say we care about our society then sit on our hands and be armchair critics.

I am a public speaker and I sit on two boards, the Council for Australian Arab Relations and a not-for-profit women's health initiative called Go Active. I live and breathe the stuff around active, healthy lifestyles.

I recognise that we can influence change at many levels, from the grassroots to contributing to policy and strategy on boards.

I struggled for a long time with imposter syndrome but I spent a good amount of time working through issues that made me want to be less visible.

Now I claim words like "boss".
Watch the ABC Women's Work series every Sunday on Weekend Breakfast at 8:45 or catch up on Iview. Join the discussion on the ABC Women's Work Facebook group.

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'Now I claim words like boss': how Amna started a football team that hit the big time

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When Amna Karra-Hassan started the first women's AFL club in Western Sydney in 2011, she didn't realise what it would become. She speaks to Cathy Jacobs. I was motivated to start the footy team for two reasons. One: I think that all girls should play whatever sport they want.

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"You'll see the island to the right shortly, so prepare yourself for an enchanting view," the pilot advises over the audio system as we begin our descent 1600 kilometres north-east of Sydney. "Oh, and folks please drive carefully as this is a place where the cows have right of way, not you."

Approaching Norfolk Island by air, it's the shades of green that are startling; the emerald grass and rainforest, the bottle green pines and sage kentia palms. Then there's the surrounding teal bays that seep into turquoise, and then into the deep blue of the South Pacific Ocean. This is a place that is immediately dramatic, pristine and, as the cow comment suggests, wonderfully quirky.

An external territory of Australia since 1914, with a population of approximately 2000, this is one of the only places in the world to have a 50-kilometre speed limit. It's also the only place in the country to have five-digit phone numbers and a phone book searchable by nicknames. Cane Toad, Diddles and the rest are joined by Spud, the general manager at Norfolk Island Tourism, otherwise known as Glen Buffett.

"Have you got the hang of the Norfolk wave yet?" asks Spud, referring to the friendly gesture made by every passing driver. Spud recently returned home to Norfolk Island with his young family after spending nearly 15 years living in Brisbane. "We wanted our boys to experience the childhood I had, with that same sense of freedom and safety," explains Spud. "It's also the sense of community that drew us back here - it's like nowhere else."

This gentle pace and familial spirit has long been recognised by residents and visitors alike, along with the island's extraordinary penal history. Gaining increasing attention, however, is the Polynesian island culture and burgeoning food scene, with a beguiling fusion of Tahitian and British traditions. "A lot of visitors are surprised at the level of Polynesian influence here, as they're expecting it to be more Australian than it really is," says Spud. "Modern life on Norfolk owes a lot to our heritage, and the way we live, speak and eat is increasingly being appreciated as unique."

Watawieh yorli means "Hello, how are you all?" and is the island greeting that's delivered sincerely and often. There's also frequent chat about wetls (food). Both of these terms are expressed in Norf'k (also known as Norfuk), the local dialect that is a fusion of 18th-century English and Tahitian, and the legacy of two groups of people merging to become descendants of Norfolk Islanders.

Before they arrived, though, the island was a temporary home - and sometimes a final resting place - to many other nationalities. "Norfolk Island was actually inhabited by Polynesians, who abandoned it at some stage in the centuries before it was discovered by Cook," explains Jeanine Snell, a guide at the Norfolk Island museum in Kingston. Described by Captain James Cook as 'paradise' upon his arrival in 1774, this new territory for the Empire was finally colonised in 1788 by a small group of First Fleeters, which included 15 convicts. Prison quarters were soon erected, crops instigated and, for a time, Norfolk Island became a lifeline for famished Sydney Town.

The island gradually transformed from a remote, unpopulated utopia to an agricultural jewel and unforgiving penal colony (known as the 'Hell of the Pacific') over two settlements. It was the final, so-called third settlement that was to determine Norfolk's future. On June 8, 1856, after a brutal five-week journey crossing 6080 kilometres by sea, the entire population of Pitcairn Island landed, having been gifted Norfolk Island by the reigning Queen Victoria.

These 194 men, women and children were the direct descendants of legendary British seaman Fletcher Christian (who led the infamous mutiny on the British Royal Navy ship, HMS Bounty), his fellow mutineers and their Tahitian wives. They had lived in almost complete isolation from the world for 66 years, and were rapidly outgrowing rocky Pitcairn Island. The group resettled on the 35-square kilometre Norfolk Island, where each family was given land.

"You just need to take a look at the 2013 phone book - it's still like the rollcall of the Bounty," says Spud. The surnames Christian, Adams, McCoy, Quintal and Young, plus those of the three other outsiders to have settled on Pitcairn Island before the move - Buffett, Evans and Nobbs - all still dominate. "The nicknames were another way to differentiate who was who," Spud laughs. They are joined, in print and in person, by the many newcomers who arrived and stayed, choosing a life of symbiosis with the land and fellow islanders.

One of these 'newcomers' is 26-year-old PJ Wilson, who moved to Norfolk with his mother when he was just 10 months old. Despite stints on the mainland for study and work, as well as frequent overseas holidays, he just can't imagine wanting to live anywhere else. A landscaper and gardener, PJ is also the passionate co-host of the 'culinary journey' evenings held regularly at the Bounty Lodge in Burnt Pine, Norfolk's commercial precinct. Like PJ, most islanders work in some capacity for the tourism industry - the lifeblood of Norfolk Island. "There's a really strong connection between the history of the island and its cuisine, and sharing food is such an engaging way to share our story," says PJ.

The culinary journey begins at the dot awen (an underground dirt oven), where pork, chicken, carrots and yam have been cooking over coals for four hours. "This is the food and cooking method of our Tahitian foremothers and it's still used for special occasions," PJ announces, pulling back the smoking ti leaves covering the mound.

PJ and his co-host, local writer Natalie Grube, then prepare the island's favourite traditional dish - Tahitian fish salad. This is made by dicing raw fish marinated in lemon juice and coconut milk, then combining it with finely chopped fresh herbs and local vegetables. "This dish came over with the Pitcairners, who made sure nothing was ever wasted - the lemon ensured a longer life without refrigeration for the fish. Now every family makes their own version of it," says Natalie.

Other Pitcairn recipes that are still staples 150 years on include mudda (green banana dumplings), a dish created out of necessity to make use of the unripened fruit, and kumara pilhi, "a savoury, sweet vegetable slice that extended the quantity of the vegetable," explains PJ. These join a spread of other typically Norf'k dishes, including American-style chopped salads and sumptuous fruit pies, both of which are legacies of the American whalers who were frequent visitors to Norfolk Island for more than a century.

With some of the world's strictest quarantine regulations in place to protect the island's fragile ecosystem, no fresh fruit can be imported onto Norfolk Island at all, so "it's different pies for different seasons here," quips Natalie. As for enjoying a range of fresh vegetables, the only ones allowed to be shipped in are standard potatoes (known as 'Irish tatties'), plus onions, garlic and ginger. "Almost everyone grows their own produce here, even some of the restaurants, and whatever you have in excess, you preserve or share," says PJ. "Yep, it's food metres here on Norfolk, not food miles," confirms Nat, "It's slow food heaven."

From the Saturday Farmers' Market to roadside honesty boxes, a bounty of tropical fruit including Hawaiian passionfruit, pawpaw and pepinos (melons with a flavour resembling a combination of honeydew and cucumber) are on offer at every turn. "Rose apples are my favourite," says Shari Bates, an internationally experienced chef who runs the boho-style cafe, Sublime Lounge, alongside a highly regarded private catering business. "They're endemic on Pitcairn, but rarer here on Norfolk -- I'm lucky to have a bush at home," she adds.

"Over the last decade or so, a fresh energy and passion has begun to emerge around our food here. This not only offers another angle of discovery for visitors to the island, but it has also been embraced by the locals as well," says Natalie.

Robyn Menghetti of award-winning Norfolk Blue Restaurant Grill & Bar agrees. "It's so fashionable now to be all about paddock-to-plate and fresh seasonal produce. But that's just what Norfolk is and always has been." Robyn arrived from the Gold Coast 13 years ago to take up a contract job. Within weeks, she had met her now-husband Paul and soon the pair began breeding their free-range Norfolk Blue cattle (a unique heritage herd) on-site at 100-Acre Farm. The original homestead is now the restaurant and their distinct Norfolk Blue beef is renowned internationally. Robyn is part of a band of business people who are passionate about the island and its produce, and who continue to shape Norfolk's growing epicurean credentials.

"We were here for a week's holiday in 2009 and, within five days, my husband and I had bought a block of land and a business!" exclaims Kim Wilson, who heads up popular Hilli Restaurant and Cafe. With the help of a full-time gardener, the Wilsons have created a vast kitchen garden in the spectacular grounds of their new home, which also accommodates their popular new Mastering Taste cooking school. Kim's wine list at Hilli (and home) includes local wine label Two Chimneys, which was established by Rod and Noelene McAlpine (nee Buffett) in 2003. Located on original Buffett family land in a picturesque valley at Steeles Point, the Two Chimneys vineyard is now home to five varietals, as well as Noelene's exquisite lunch platters.

Another widely lauded restaurant, Dino's at Bumboras (only open in the evenings) is housed in Kiwi chef Dean Bosley and partner Helen Bartholomew's glorious old pine home. "We moved here for the lifestyle, so decided to only work hours that would allow us to enjoy the things we love most about island life; the beach and our feral garden," says Helen with a grin.

As Helen reveals, there is much to adore about Norfolk, which naturally presents a transcendent 'time out' from the rest of the world. "Every aspect of life here has been shaped by extreme isolation, as well as an extraordinary past, but this has resulted in old-fashioned ways and values not only enduring, but thriving," adds Spud.

In addition to its magnetic history and majestic beauty, word is spreading of the enticing food scene - one that embraces its roots as well as its naturally defined limitations. Living on Norfolk Island today is the good life realised, strikingly green in every way.
The hit list
Visit
Kingston
Allow several days to spend at the island's World Heritage-listed Kingston area. Visit the various museums and public research centre, as well as the penal ruins. There's also a scenic nine-hole golf course, plus snorkelling opportunities in protected Emily Bay. The ocean-side cemetery makes for an interesting stroll.

Farmers' Market
This is held every Saturday morning. Buy fresh fruit and vegetables, preserves and local pork, as well as takeaway coffee from Anson Bay coffee farmer Fred Wong. Next door to the island's Tourism & Visitor Information Centre at Burnt Pine.

Two Chimneys Vineyard & Winery
Enjoy a wine-tasting session at Norfolk Island's picturesque vineyard with affable owners Rod and Noelene McAlpine. You will need to book ahead if you want to enjoy their delectable brunch, lunch or afternoon tea platters. Two Chimneys Rd, Steeles Point, +6723 24410, twochimneywines.nlk.nf.

Cyclorama
This impressive, circular mural depicts the origins and journey of the original Norfolk Islanders. Afterwards, enjoy a snack or meal at the adjoining Hilli Restaurant & Wine Bar. Queen Elizabeth Ave, www.norfolkcyclorama.nlk.nf.

Do
Culinary Journey
Learn about the food history of Norfolk Islanders through a delicious, interactive buffet dinner. Bounty Lodge, Ferny Lane, +6723 50888.

Progressive Dinner
Take part in a three-course dinner hosted by three local families at their homes. Transport included.
+6723 22232; pinetreetours.com.

Mastering Taste Chef School and Garden Tour
Wander through Hilli's inspiring restaurant garden and learn to cook four classic dishes using hand-picked ingredients. Prince Phillip Drive, +6723 24270.

Ocean Fishing
Darren Bates is a sixth-generation descendant of Fletcher Christian and he's never returned from a day at sea without a catch. The waters of Norfolk Island are abundant with fish, and feeding the bronze whaler sharks while cleaning the catch at Cascade Pier is an occasion in itself. +6723 23363, advancefishingnorfolk.com.

Eat
Dino's at Bumboras
This restaurant offers exceptional, modern-style local cuisine that's served in an historic island home. 89 Bumbora Rd, +6723 24225.

Norfolk Blue Restaurant Grill & Bar
Specialising in Norfolk Blue beef, this award-winning restaurant clocks up less than a kilometre from paddock to plate. New Farm Rd, +6723 22068, norfolkblue.com.

Bedrock Tea Gardens
Located at Byron and Heidi Adams's glorious cliff-top property, this is the place to experience a traditional Norfolk fish feast with local beers. You can even book in for a massage. Bullocks Hut Rd, Duncombe Bay, +6723 56996.

The Golden Orb
A quaint bookshop cafe set in tropical gardens. Try the BLT with local pine-cured bacon. Taylors Rd, +6723 24295.

The Olive Café
The locals come here to catch up over relaxed brekkies and lunches. The Village, Burnt Pine, +6723 24406.

Stay
By The Bay
This three-bedroom luxury cottage is a beautiful timber home perched in seclusion above striking Ball Bay. With an expansive deck, dramatic view and luxurious amenities, it's a magnificent place to unwind or entertain. A hire car is included in the tariff. Martins Rd, +6723 24410, bythebay.nf.

Ponderosa
Set among 30 acres of lush gardens at Longridge, take your pick from a small group of cottages, apartments and houses. There is also a saltwater pool, day spa and barbecue areas on-site. A hire car is included in the tariff. +6723 22466, ponderosa-apartments.com.

Photography by Sean Fennessey.

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"You'll see the island to the right shortly, so prepare yourself for an enchanting view," the pilot advises over the audio system as we begin our descent 1600 kilometres north-east of Sydney. "Oh, and folks please drive carefully as this is a place where the cows have right of way, not you."

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This was published 4 years ago

By Beau Donelly

Updated first published at

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Melbourne's most secretive Jewish sect, the ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel community, has opened its doors to the public for the first time.

Made up of about 200 families who live over a square kilometre block in Ripponlea, the conservative religious group honours ancient rituals dating back to biblical times and follows the strictest interpretation of the commandments in the Torah.

The men wear mink fur hats and black silk coats. Women cover their hair in public. Boys and girls are segregated from kindergarten. Arranged marriages are common. Children in some families number in the teens. During the Sabbath, they refrain from using electricity - no phones, cars, lights. They don't own televisions. Most shun the internet.

The insular community is almost self-sufficient - they have their own kindergartens, schools, shops, synagogue, cemetery and medical service - and despite living in Melbourne's inner south-east have little contact with the outside world and the wider Jewish community.

Rabbi Aryeh Goldman in Jerusalem. Credit:

But a new documentary by filmmakers Danny Ben-Moshe and Dan Goldberg follows the lives of three Adass members and gives a rare glimpse into this reclusive group.

"Getting in the door officially was really the easy part," director Ben-Moshe said. "Then it was a just a constant juggle of executing the filming. Some people were supportive and helpful and some were hostile."

Ben-Moshe said there were many scenes he would have liked to have filmed but was not allowed to, such as at the school or the group's charity work.

"This community regards Jewish law as paramount and they interpret and practise that law in the most orthodox and conservative way," he said. "Anything that distracts from that is basically not welcome. The community is not monolithic and the media is something that is quite foreign."

But there are many places where the cameras were welcome. Filmmakers followed rabbi Aryeh Goldman,who grew up as a secular Jew in Greensborough, to his eight-day-old baby boy's circumcision and on an emotional trip to the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem.

During the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot, Goldman builds a sukkah - a temporary hut topped with branches - in his carport. While most orthodox Jews eat and spend time in their sukkahs, the rabbi sleeps there, using earplugs to drown out the Melbourne traffic and leaving a light on to deter the possums.

Grandmother and businesswoman Raizel Fogel is also profiled in the film. Fogel was born into the Adass community and with her husband runs the well-known kosher catering company and deli, Eshel. She has 37 grandchildren and one great-grandchild and works as a doula in her spare time.

"One of our principal beliefs is to be fruitful and multiply," she says. "Adass families are generally ... large."

The documentary briefly touches on the child sex-abuse scandal that has in recent years plagued the ultra-orthodox community's reputation.

A court last year ordered the Adass Israel Girls School in Elsternwick to pay more than $1 million to a woman abused by former principal Malka Leifer, who fled overseas with the help of school authorities after allegations against her first surfaced.

In the film, retired importer and Adass elder Shlomo Abeles defends the community's handling of the Leifer case, saying she was removed "the second we found out about it".

"Whatever way we got rid of her, it's correct or not so correct, but we got her away from the kids," he said. "We didn't want her in the community trying to abuse any more kids."

Leifer is under house arrest in Israel while Australian authorities try to extradite her on more than 70 counts of sexual assault.

Strictly Jewish is the third and final instalment of a three-part documentary series about hidden subcultures in Australia airing on SBS this month. It airs on April 27.

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Melbourne's most reclusive Jewish sect lets cameras in

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This was published 4 years ago By Beau Donelly Updated first published at Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Melbourne's most secretive Jewish sect, the ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel community, has opened its doors to the public for the first time.

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A record number of participants descended on Richmond's Punt Road Oval for the fifth season of the Bachar Houli Cup, which came to a close on Wednesday.

The Cup is the brainchild of Tigers' rebounding defender Bachar Houli, who was the first practicing Muslim to play AFL.

The Bachar Houli Cup was introduced to provide Islamic based schools and students with an opportunity to participate in an interschool sport competition.

This year a record number of participants laced up their boots, growing from 300 players in 2015, to 450 players in 2016.

Wednesday's grand finals did not disappoint, with Al Taqwa taking out the Year 7/8 competition and Australian International Academy (AIA) finishing in top spot in the Year 9/10 event.

Houli, an AFL Multicultural Ambassador, was proud to see this year's program grow to include 10 Islamic schools.

"It's great to see all the schools buying in and most importantly enjoying it," Houli said.

"That's what football's about, coming out and enjoying kicking the footy around and hopefully these young men can move into local football.

"You see these boys coming from African and Asian backgrounds who have never played football in their life, so that's what the program is about - having fun and making it a game for everyone.

"It is an inclusive game so we're trying to offer that to these young boys."

Standout performers from Wednesday's finals had the chance to be selected for The Bachar Houli Academy, a high performance football talent camp held for emerging junior players aged 14 to 17 years from an Islamic background.

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A record number of participants descended on Richmond's Punt Road Oval for the fifth season of the Bachar Houli Cup, which came to a close on Wednesday. The Cup is the brainchild of Tigers' rebounding defender Bachar Houli, who was the first practicing Muslim to play AFL.

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A capacity crowd of 24,500 packed into Princes Park tonight to watch history in the making, as the inaugural AFL women's league got off to a thrilling start.

Many football fans were forced to stand throughout the match, while others sat on the stadium's concrete steps, as old rivals Carlton and Collingwood clashed.

A lockout was imposed at quarter-time to avoid overcrowding, with those still lining up warned by officials they were "very unlikely to get in".

But that did not deter them, and at half time people were still queuing.

Entry to the match was free and AFL chief Gillon McLachlan apologised to disappointed fans who were unable to get in.

Blues forward Darcy Vescio said the turnout was amazing.

"I think every girl who was out there tonight will just cherish that moment for the rest of their lives," she said.

Long-time fans of both clubs were impressed by the talent on show.

A dream come true for football fans

The game marks the beginning of a 28-match competition, which will be played at suburban centres in seven states and territories over seven weeks.

Eight teams are competing for the inaugural premiership - Carlton, Collingwood, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Fremantle, Adelaide, Greater Western Sydney (GWS) and the Brisbane Lions.

Amateur footballer Brigitte Crouch got back into the game a few years ago and is now training four days a week with an academy.

She said being drafted into the league was "the dream".

"I played Auskick when I was five years old and then had to stop playing footy because there was just nowhere to go with it," she said.

"For a few years I played netball, I played tennis, I played a lot of different sport.

"To get back into it now and see that there's actually somewhere to go with it, it's incredible."

She said watching the women would be inspiring.

"To see that these women had these dreams as well and are living it, oh it's incredible, makes you think you can do it as well."

Magpies star Moana Hope flips Carlton supporter

Carlton supporter Janelle Irvine had rooted for the Pies.

She said she switched sides because of Pies player Moana Hope's inspirational story of caring for her disabled sister.

"I loved the fact she cared for her sister ... and her family values," she said.

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Hope spearheaded the movement for a national women's AFL competition, with former Western Bulldogs vice-president Susan Alberti.

Ms Irvine said she was expecting a free-flowing contest.

"I watched the Bulldogs [versus] Melbourne game and the skills were fantastic and I thought they're really really good, were going to go to the first one," she said.

Collingwood supporter Jaron Lamaro said the atmosphere was incredible.

"The turnout in itself is getting me to cheer every goal, every kick, it's amazing," he said.

"It reminds me of the days back at Vic Park, suburban ground, everyone's there, everyone's happy, yeah it's great."

Amateur AFL footballer Brigitte Crouch (left) hopes to play at the elite level in the future.(ABC News: James Hancock)

'They're hitting as hard as the men hit each other'

He said while not yet at the same standard as the men's competition, the play was still impressive.

"They're hitting as hard as the men hit each other, they're going as tough, as rough, they want the ball as much as the men do there's no doubt about that," he said.

"Obviously the kicks are dropping short a bit, kicks are floating in the air, you're not getting deliveries to the full forwards like the men do, but the skills are great."

Some very passionate fans show up at the game for Carlton midfielder Shae Audley.(ABC News: James Hancock)

Julie Leister said the Blues' spirit was strong.

"I think they were a bit shaky at the start, but then they warmed up," she said.

"They have aspired for this since they were little girls and this is their opportunity to shine and they're absolutely shining."

Her friend and fellow Carlton fan Wendy Walters admitted she was surprised at the advanced skills on display.

"I think it is higher than what I thought because they do work full time, they've got jobs," she said.

"You can see they're really giving 110 per cent.

"It's like the old days, we used to sit here as Carlton members and the seats haven't changed really, the atmosphere takes us back."

Carlton fans and footy mates Wendy Walter and Julie Leister.(ABC News: James Hancock)
More on this story:

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Maiden AFL Women's match thrills packed house in Melbourne

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A capacity crowd of 24,500 packed into Princes Park tonight to watch history in the making, as the inaugural AFL women's league got off to a thrilling start. Many football fans were forced to stand throughout the match, while others sat on the stadium's concrete steps, as old rivals Carlton and Collingwood clashed.