Untold Norfolk Island Travel Podcast

Celebrating 52 weeks of our Norfolk Island Sound Heritage -  After an incredible journey spanning an entire year, I’ve now reached the end of Season 1. What began as a simple idea has blossomed into 52 extraordinary episodes where we've explored countless topics, shared old audios from my archival collection, and created a library of conversations that I hope will continue to provide curiosit...

Our Norf'k language as spoken in 1957 -  In a couple of my earlier podcast episodes, I have shared some of the recordings as captured in 1957, by linguist and fieldworker, Elwyn Flint from the University of Queensland. His visit to the island involved his capturing in sound recordings some of the first in-depth documentation into the Norf’k language. Upon delving into the old typewritten copi...

A tribute to historians of Norfolk Island's penal colonies -  Norfolk Island stands as one of the most significant penal settlements in the British Empire's history. The stories of those who endured transportation, forced labour, and brutal punishment might have been lost to time were it not for the dedicated historians who committed themselves to documenting, preserving, and interpretin...

History, heritage & conservation - an audio lens! -  In the 1980s, filmmaker John Anderson embarked on a remarkable endeavour to document Norfolk Island's rich tapestry of history, conservation, and heritage through the emerging medium of documentary film. Working with limited resources but boundless vision, John recognised that our remote South Pacific island held stories that deserved p...

Voices of 1970 in speech and song - In the late 1960s, when the world was changing rapidly around them, one visionary man on Norfolk Island recognised that something precious was slipping away. Armed with pioneering sound recording equipment—a rarity in those days and costly to acquire for such a remote location—he embarked on a mission that would prove invaluable to future generations. John Ander...

Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area (KAVHA) & stewardship -   Step into a world where heritage conservation meets hands-on craftsmanship and where the reverence for traditional tools and hand-worked mastery defined every restoration project in KAVHA.  This KAVHA area is deeply seeped in a layered history—from early Polynesian occupation and navigation pathways, through successive Bri...

Norfolk Porpay Jelly & a Jam! -  What is porpay? Seasonally, Norfolk bestows a delicious gift, the red guava fruit. They grow in thickets in many parts of the island.  We call them "porpay" in the Norf’k language and they grow wild here. To look at, the porpay grow about as round as a ten cent piece, and when they are ripe they are a very deep, dark burgundy colour and they have a gl...

The Pitcairn-Norfolk connection -  Nestled in the vast expanse of the South Pacific, two remarkable islands share extraordinary histories whilst maintaining their own unique identities. Norfolk Island and Pitcairn Island, separated by thousands of kilometres of ocean, tell stories of human perseverance in some of the world's most remote locations, where small communities have carved out disti...

Norfolk Island's Centenarian Legacy -   Since the arrival of the Pitcairners in 1856, Norfolk Island has celebrated seven residents who reached the remarkable milestone of 100 years. Unlike many modern societies where the elderly are sometimes marginalised, Norfolk Island continues to value and honour its older people in meaningful ways. When someone reaches their centenary on Norfolk Island,...

The Pitcairn Register -  The Pitcairn Register stands as a most significant historical document for the people of Norfolk Island, representing our unique heritage. Created by John Buffett on Pitcairn Island in the early 19th century, this meticulous record chronicles the births, deaths, and marriages of the community from January 1790 until 1854. Here, on Norfolk Island as we prepare to celebrate...

Why Norfolk Island's Governance History Matters -  Norfolk Island's governance history since 1856 offers visitors far more than academic interest—it provides essential context for a deeper, more meaningful engagement with this remarkable place and our people. Understanding this history transforms a holiday visit from one layer of experience of scenic beauty to a deeper dive and encounter...

The World of Norfolk -   In this episode let’s discuss a few of the reasons that Norfolk Island is described as being a world apart. What makes Norfolk Island truly unique is not just its natural beauty or historical significance, but the way it often exists as a complete world unto itself—with its own distinct character, customs, and contradictions that set it apart from other destinations. Trave...

'Te Wa Kainga' & a Rawson Hall performance -  In this episode let’s step into the rich tapestry of Norfolk Island's sound heritage through the vibrant community performances held at our iconic Rawson Hall with a special focus this week, on the Maori performance group 'Te Wa Kainga'. Rawson Hall has long served as a cultural epicentre of our small Pacific community.  Ph...

From a Whaling Ship to the Methodist Church -  The story of Methodism on Norfolk Island begins with an extraordinary twist of fate in 1879. Alfred H. Phelps, serving as a ship's cook aboard the American whaling vessel 'Canton', fell gravely ill whilst the ship was in the Friendly Islands. The captain, recognising the severity of Phelps' condition, made the practical decision to...

Mapping placenames & language anecdotes! -   Welcome to Episode 38 of the Untold Norfolk Island travel podcast series. My name is Jodie Williams and as a Norfolk Islander & Churchill Fellow, I am your ‘on island’ podcast host. Audio - A snippet of ‘Don’t Fence Me In’ - captured at a 2011 singalong at an island home. In this episode we are going to delve a little deeper into the place names...

Our Norfolk Island Hansard and Youth Assembly insights -  In this episode, let’s discuss the role of ‘Hansard’ as the official, substantially verbatim report of parliamentary proceedings. Named after Thomas Curson Hansard, who first published debates of the British Parliament in the early 19th century, Hansard serves as the authoritative record of what is said in parliamentary chambers. For Norfol...

The strength of our Norfolk community in fundraising, volunteering and radio! -   In isolated island communities such as our Norfolk Island, local initiatives form the backbone of development and sustainability.  In this episode, it is with much appreciation to a beautiful lady, affectionately called 'Truk'. Lorraine Walker (nee Hayde) was recently back here on the island and she generou...

Norfolk Notes & MBE honours on the island! - In this episode we pay tribute to the late Kathy Lecren who hosted a weekly VL2NI radio program entitled Norfolk Notes in 1985. Have a listen to the following excerpts read by Kathy from the books written by historian and author, Merval Hoare. You’ll hear a snippet about Allan Cunningham, a botanist on the island in 1830, Bishop Selwyn and the Melan...

The traditional art of plaiting and a cabaret! -  In this episode we are going to explore two distinctive traditions that have shaped the island's identity - the traditional craft of plaiting and the vibrant musical cabarets of the 1970/80s. The Traditional Plaiting of Island hats Learning to plait traditionally occurs within family settings, with knowledge passed from elders to younger gener...

Country music in festival, a Buffett concert and a tree of knowledge! -  The Norfolk Island Country Music Festival was born in 1993 from the creative vision of its Patron, Gayleen Snell, who gathered a dedicated group of volunteers around her kitchen table to discuss an ambitious idea: staging a country music festival that would bring performers and enthusiasts together for a week-long celebration...

Building Homes, Digging Wells & Communal Gardens -  Discover how Norfolk Islanders maintained our way of life through resourcefulness and cooperation.  Establishing homes on the island when the Pitcairners arrived, presented immediate challenges. Chief among these was securing a reliable water source, a necessity that shaped the settlement patterns and community development for generations to...

Bounty Day Celebration: A Norfolk Island Tradition -   Bounty Day is a significant annual celebration on Norfolk Island, commemorating the arrival of the Pitcairn Islanders on June 8, 1856. The festivities showcase our distinctive cultural identity where this living tradition brings together Norfolk Island families in period costume for a day filled with ceremonies, processions and feasting. Bount...

Cattle, a taxi driver and the right of way! -   This podcast episode introduces you to another one of the most charming and unexpected aspects of life on our unique South Pacific island. Welcome to Norfolk Island, where cows have the right of way! One of the biggest surprises for visitors arriving in Norfolk Island is encountering a herd of cattle wandering the roads with no farmer in sight.  Whil...

Mutiny on the Bounty: Films, a band and a legacy -  The factual foundation beneath the Hollywood glamour begins in 1787, when Britain's Royal Society dispatched Lieutenant William Bligh to Tahiti on what seemed a straightforward botanical mission. His orders were to collect breadfruit plants and transport them to the Caribbean, where they would provide an inexpensive food source for enslaved...

Polyphonic singing and our connection to Polynesia -   Let’s explore the rich tradition of polyphonic singing in Polynesia, particularly focusing on the historical encounter between Hugh Carleton and the Pitcairn Islanders in 1850.  Hugh Carleton, a trader, newspaper editor, politician, and writer with no formal musical qualifications beyond his self-proclaimed talent, found himself accidentally m...