A Different Kind of Tour

Tourists go on a half day orientation tour of the island when they arrive. Perhaps all new residents should be encouraged to participate in a 'Living on a Remote Island' educational class. It could go something a little like this:

Good morning. Welcome to Norfolk Island, my name is Cherie and I will be taking you on our very special ‘Getting to know where you live’ orientation tour. We will be travelling to certain spots on the island so I can give you a little background on what is expected of you and what you can expect from your island home. Please climb onto the bus and we will get started.

First stop: Mt Pitt.

From this vantage point, you can see 360° of nothing but sea. There is no extra power grid we can plug into. There is no extra water supply, what we have comes from the sky above or the water table below. We heave learned to be predominantly self-sufficient and to live a simpler life. Norfolk Island is unique in its own right and we love it that way. We also made it, over generations, this amazing place to be. It didn’t happen by chance. As custodians of this mini paradise, we have nurtured and maintained it to the best of our ability and I hope you will embrace the lifestyle and become an integral part of our community.

Next stop: Where you will live.

This water tank (and bore, if you are lucky) is your main source of water. It is filled with rain water that flows off your roof. It is important to look after your guttering, so you don't waste any of this precious commodity. While we are on the subject of wasting water, it is important to be frugal with your personal water catchment. Although you can get water delivered for a cost, the more we all do that, the more chance we have of draining our water table. For those of you that have bores, be mindful of the finite-ness of the water under the surface of our island. If we overuse it and deplete it, we run the danger of contaminating it with salt water as the bores are dug deeper. Now that is a problem we would prefer not to encounter.

During a drought, we do not use precious water to maintain lawns, wash driveways or water gardens that are not producing food. Instead, we recycle our washing up water and our laundry water. Some of us have a bucket in the shower to catch the initial water until it has warmed up sufficiently for us to step in. This water can also be used to flush the toilet.

Speaking of toilets, let's go to our Next stop: The sewerage plant.

Our infrastructure, as far as sewerage goes, is struggling. The amount of people using this system is far greater than it was designed for, so we need to ensure that we treat it kindly until it is upgraded. The ramifications of a septic system that has failed is a nightmare we really don't want to encounter. We don't have the same kind of system as you would find in large countries. I was taught we don’t flush 'extras' down the toilet for this very reason. Our system doesn't have any way to process or 'dissolve' anything that isn't created by the human body. At present this means that, on a daily basis, workers have to sift out tampons, pads, wipes, condoms and sometimes other forms of rubbish. They have to place it on a drying table and then scoop it up to take it to waste management to be disposed of. Personally, I can think of few things that are worse than this, one of them would be being the person responsible for someone having to do this job.

We do not throw dog or cat poo on our toilets because it hardens differently and can block the toilet resulting in costly repair works or small floods. This is why there are signs discouraging this practise in the public facilities.

While we are talking about dogs, let's go to our Next stop: Cemetery Bay.

This beach has always been a place to take our furry friends. There are less people to worry about and the dogs love it. Dogs are not allowed on Emily Bay as this is a major swimming place for humans, and as such, they should be able to swim here undisturbed and free from doggy landlines. On the subject of doggies ‘doos’, let me remind you all it is not cool to let your pets do their business and leave it lying in situ. Norfolk Island is no different to any place in the world, if you have a dog, you are responsible for what goes in or comes out of your dog. It's all about respecting our island and everyone else who chooses to live here.

Obviously this is not the only place where 'deposits' are found, but I am sure you get the general idea of what is the right thing to do.

Next stop: The Cemetery.

Now I know you will be relieved to know that we are only having a short stop here, ha ha! I would just like to touch on funeral etiquette with you. When someone passes or there is to be a funeral, our flags are put at half-mast as a sign of respect. If you happen to be driving on the road when a funeral procession goes past, it is best to park on the side of the road and maybe even stand as they pass by. Shops close their doors at this time also. Please do not walk your dogs through the cemetery during a funeral. It has always been traditional not to drive past the cemetery either.

Our Next stop: The rubbish bins.

We love our island and part of this retained beauty is due to our belief that rubbish belongs in the bin. We don't believe, as some places seem too, that throwing it out of your car as you are driving so it settles on the side of the road will add to the pride we feel for our island. These rubbish bins, and the ones you have in your home are important as they retain the tidiness and safety of our island.

Our Next stop: A drive up the road and through town.

You will notice that, as I drive, I am smiling and waving to other drivers. A lot of people find this tradition endearing. I personally don't believe it is relevant whether the person is a stranger, a friend or even someone I dislike immensely. I wave anyway, because this is a tradition and without these, we become like everywhere else in the world. As we disembark from the bus in Foodies carpark, we smile and greet those we meet. We treat them with respect, or should I say, we treat them as we wish to be treated. We all put our pants on one leg at a time. No one is better than anyone else, and waving, smiling and greeting others is about connecting as a community, which is one of the reasons Norfolk Island is such an amazing place to be. If you are going to live here, it is important to be a part of the magic of our home.

Let's go to our Next stop: Foodies.

You will notice that some of the shelves are not as full as they are where you used to live. This is due to supply and demand. Supplies come on ships, barges and planes. Demanding that you require an item doesn't make it magically appear. Norfolk Islanders now how to mek du (make do) and you will learn that sometimes a substitute or a different way of approaching your meal is required. 'Thinking outside the box' is just not about being innovative, it can sometimes mean you need to make something from scratch instead of buying a box or a jar of instant food. Keep in mind that fresh grown vegetables and fruit are not only seasonal and extremely tasty, but they are good for you. We are indeed fortunate that our soil is so fertile and that we have such talented farmers who look after us. If you can manage it and have the space, start a garden of your own. The thrill of eating something you grew yourself is something to be experienced.

There are many other stops to be made on our tour, but we will leave this for another day. I hope you have enjoyed learning the very basics of living on our amazing island, and yes, I am a little biased.... Do come along to some of our other tours if you would like to further integrate into our wonderful community. Please be careful as you disembark and be sure to have a beautiful day...it shouldn't be too hard, after all you are now living in paradise. Thanks for me!