Where in Australia can you find a remote island with a resembling mix of Hawaii, Tahiti and Jurassic Park? A place where isolated beaches are joined only by turtles and fishes centimetres from shore and your best mode of transport is by foot or push-bike? With no mobile reception, no crowds and no worries, your hardest decision each day is deciding which activity to do first…
Feeling like you need to sign up? well we did, so we were off to Lord Howe Island!
This world-heritage listed island is hidden roughly 2 hours by plane from Sydney flying Qantas. It won’t be long before your first view of Balls Pyramid appears in the distance followed by views of turquoise-lagoon waters lapping the white sandy shores of Lord Howe Island below. Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird take up the remainder of your view from the plane (and your whole week for that matter) as you come into landing on this beautiful Australian island oasis.
There is so much to do and explore on this majestic island. The activities are endless especially for the lovers of landscapes, hiking, great food & photography (so everyone?)
Day Hikes
Day hikes is what Lord Howe island is well-known for and of course the views you get along the way. We were spoiled as our accommodation was located in a perfect spot for hiking the north tracks. The hill at the back of our stay (Ocean View Apartments) gave a short climb to a beautiful spanning view of the island.
Kims Lookout & Malabar Hill Walk
It was also the start of the Kims Lookout & Malabar Hill walk which was our favourite walk of the week. Showcasing the most incredible views the island is famous for, the track takes approx. 2 hours depending on ones fitness levels but is a must for everyone who visits…. even if you need to take your time! We found starting at Ocean View Apartments and finishing at Old Settlement Beach the best way. The reason being? the end of the track will have you walking down hundreds of steps (instead of up) and you’ll finish at Old Settlement Beach so you can jump into the beautiful clear waters to help you cool down after you efforts.
North Bay, Mt Eliza & Old Gulch
We had planned on hiring a kayak and exploring the northern end of Lord Howe from the water but the wind had picked up. Instead, we decided to hike to North Bay, Mt Eliza and Old Gulch. We ascended and descended hundreds of stairs from Old Settlement beach to North Bay. From here, a further 200m got us to Old Gulch, a beautiful bay surrounded by huge pebbles on the shore, but nesting season left our visit short as birds started to swoop. We made the trek back for that well deserved swim at the deserted beach where we started. Noticing a moving ‘rock’ in the water, we grabbed our snorkel and soon realised it was a friendly residential Lord Howe turtle.
Transit Hill
We started the 500m climb to the lookout from the path left of Blinky Beach. The views from this look out were incredible but again it was bird nesting season so we had to watch out for swooping birds.
Intermediate Hill
Intermediate Hill was a bit harder to climb than Transit Hill but the views were absolutely worth it.
Other walks we missed out on but recommend checking out if you have the time are Mount Gower (we were booked in to do the climb ourselves but cancelled due to the weather being really rainy & windy that day), Goat House Cave and The Valley of the Shadows.
The Island By Pushbike
The rest of the island was explored by push-bike which was perfect as bike hire was included in our weeks accomodation. We tried to explore every inch of our Lord Howe Island map, including the many beaches and walks although that proved difficult with only 7 days.
Neds Beach
Pristine and picture perfect, we found ourselves to be the only ones on Neds Beach although there was plenty waiting to greet us in the water.
Neds is popular for its fish feeding and the fish know it too. At the beach shed, you’ll find a food dispenser filled with fish pellets. A gold coin will give you a cup of food to feed the mix of mullet, garfish, silver drummer and king fish who are eagerly awaiting your arrival in the oceans shores – so crazy they even tried to bite our camera. The beach shed, as well as a number of places on Lord Howe have a great honesty system where you can hire things like snorkels, masks and fins for a small honest donation.
Above: Lovers Bay & Salmon Beach
Above: Golf Course. Below: Plane Wreck & Lord Howe Island Cow
Above: Drone view from Old Settlement Beach
Balls Pyramid
The large shard formation you could see sticking out from the middle of the ocean that the pilot pointed out on your flight into Lord Howe? It’s Balls Pyramid and the tallest volcanic stack in the world at 562 metres high. It’s a main attraction for most and there are a few ways to see it up close – a fishing charter, dive or scenic boat trip. We opted for the fishing charter on M V Carina with Ocean Beach Apartments as Balls Pyramid is one of the best fishing spots for King Fish & Trevally and the trip did not disappoint! We were able to keep what portion of the King Fish we wanted and ate it fresh sashimi style, as well as cooked in on the BBQ that we shared with our neighbours.
Where To Stay
Lord Howe Island limits the amount of visitors on the island at any one time, keeping the island pristine and crowd free. They allow no more than 400 tourists at one time so you can be guaranteed a fairly quiet stay most times of the year.
We stayed at Ocean View Apartments (3. on the map below) which was actually in the perfect position to explore the island; a 2 minute stroll to the main jetty, 3 minutes from the CBD and a shortcut track to the lovely Neds Beach and the many lovely walks nearby.
Capella Lodge would be an absolute dream to stay! It’s an all inclusive luxury retreat with the most amazing views, beautiful food and of course a day spa to suit.
Above: the view from outside Capella Lodge
Anywhere on the island would be great (you’re on Lord Howe!) but do keep in mind that some of the accommodation (around 8. Beachcomber Lodge) is on a hill and some travellers we bumped into mentioned that getting around was a little more difficult as walking took longer or they had to wait for transport.
Lord Howe Island is one of New South Wales best kept secrets that’s for sure!
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 