Norfolk Island, an isolated group of three small islands in the western Pacific Ocean under the administration of the Australian Government, has a storied history. From a Polynesian occupation dating from between about 1150 and 1450 through two colonial settlements then the arrival of settlers from Pitcairn Island in 1856 to the present, the Island has yielded artefacts, books, reports, photographs, magazine articles, films, a distinctive language – and a living culture!
However, to date there has been no centralised digital repository of the captured knowledge. Bits and pieces are discoverable here and there, but discovering them takes time and effort and, for much material, some skills in research.
This website aims to store records of this unique cultural heritage securely and also to make them available to successive generations of Islanders, and the world.
A general overview into the remarkable story of Norfolk Island can be gained from a table of significant events in Norfolk Island and the Pacific compiled by Society member and historian Russell Francis.
The first European settlement on Norfolk Island began on 6 March 1788. A re-enactment takes place every year.
The Norfolk Island Historical Society usually meets on the first Friday of each month (except January), at 5.30pm at Christian’s Cave, driveway situated between the Cyclorama and the Paradise Resort. All welcome.
Click on our News and Events page for both recurrent annual celebrations and also special events.