Step into paradise, that is, Lord Howe Island as you find yourself surrounded by lush mountains and pristine sandy beaches. Less than a two-hour flight from Sydney or Brisbane, this tiny island sits in the Tasman Sea just east of Port Macquarie. The island caps its tourism at 400 visitors at any one time to maintain its natural existence and is home to colonies of seabirds and coral-rich waters.
Lord Howe Island brings you the chance to reconnect with nature, and a taste of the simple life, where bikes are the preferred mode of transport and locals are indeed on island time. With no mobile phone reception, it's clear why its gentle pace and unspoilt beauty has been preserved for so many years and is sort after by so many.
Listed as a World Heritage site in 1982, Lord Howe Island showcases a rare collection of marine life, fauna and flora. The island is about 11km long and 2km wide and its shape has been slowly carved out from the eroded remnants of a seven-million-year-old volcano. Interestingly enough, Lord Howe Island has always remained as its own stretch of land, never part of a continent, with half the islands native plants unique to the island. Due to this, the island acts as an essential breeding ground for sea and land species found in the waters surrounding the island.
Spend your days snorkelling the coral reef or hiking across the vast terrain and completely indulge in the choice of activities on offer. For those who prefer land, enjoy an eight-hour hike up Mt Gower; however, the trek needs to be taken with a registered guide, with only two on the island. If eight hours sounds too long for you, the island has a variety of walking tracks catering to all abilities. For more moderate hikes, Kims Lookout and Malabar Hill are both a great choice. Then finish up at Neds Beach where you can cool off and hand feed fish like wrasse, silver drummer, garfish, and metre-long kingfish in the Neds Beach Sanctuary Zone.
For incredible views across the island walk to Transit Hill, otherwise, for some waves, Blinky Beach has the cleanest breaks on the island and is never, ever crowded. Amongst locals it’s known for its ‘champagne surf’; either hire a board on the island, or bring your own (but who are we kidding, if you’re here for the surf update your boards probably already packed anyway).
Between 11 sandy beaches, you’ll be able to swim at a new beach per day or snorkel over colourful coral reefs. With divers coming from all over the world to experience the dive sites due to its abundant marine life and crystal clear waters, Lord Howe Island has more than 50 sites to discover.
For an escape to nature and the chance to truly disconnect, why not discover Lord Howe Island's incredible mix of pristine waters, sweeping views and extensive wildlife all tucked into this quiet little island?
