Lord Howe Island Escape

Departing from our private business lounge at Brisbane (Archerfield) airport, or the Gold Coast Airport, we fly directly to the World Heritage Listed Lord Howe Island. The island only allows 400 visitors at a time, so it is certainly not overcrowded. It is paradise as far as the eye can see, with its crystal-clear waters to majestic mountains.

Our local guide will share the rich history of this unique island group and you will learn why 300 locals call this island paradise home. Its history dates back to March 1788, when Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball claimed the Island as a British possession. June 1834 saw the first permanent settlement of the island.

Your accommodation is at Earl’s Anchorage, a nautical village of freestanding bungalows set among the island’s native Kentia palms, just a short stroll from Ned’s Beach. Each bungalow is named after one of owner Jack Earl’s famous yachts and is architecturally designed to make the most of its sunny northern aspect, with handcrafted Australian timber furniture and its own private indoor and outdoor living space. Your bungalow features a separate bedroom, large kitchen and lounge area, as well as a deck nestled between the palm trees. Relax in simple luxury with the silence of the forest surrounding you. (Solo accommodation details are listed at the bottom of this page).

After settling in, take the afternoon to acclimatise to island time, whether that’s a walk down to the beach, a wander through the village, or simply relaxing on your deck before dinner.

Overnight Earls Anchorage – Bungalow

Rise this morning to the sound of the island waking around you, before we set off on a cruise around Lord Howe, tracing the coastline from the water for a perspective few visitors ever get to experience. As we glide across the sheltered lagoon and out along the island’s edge, you’ll take in the towering volcanic peaks of Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird rising sheer from the sea, the sweep of untouched beaches, and the clear turquoise water that makes this the world’s southernmost coral reef.

Keep an eye out along the way for the island’s abundant marine life and seabirds, many found nowhere else on earth, as our guide points out the landmarks and tells the stories behind them. It’s a slow, scenic morning designed to show you Lord Howe from an angle the island tour on land simply can’t.

With the cruise behind you, the rest of the day is yours. Swim or snorkel in the lagoon, walk the beach at your own pace, or simply relax at your bungalow with a book and the sound of the palms overhead. There is nothing on the agenda this afternoon by design, because slowing down is very much the point of this Escape.

This evening, dinner can include some of the freshest seafood on offer, with local kingfish a regular feature on the island’s tables, often caught that very day.

(Please note that all tours are weather dependant and may need to be either moved around or cancelled due to the conditions on the day).

Overnight Earls Anchorage – Bungalow

Today’s tour includes an easy stroll in the shade, starting at the new solar farm, through the Banyan forest to the Clear Place. You will learn more of the island’s geology, bird and plant life, and history.

If you’re a plant lover then you will be amazed to learn that the island has recorded 241 species of indigenous plants, of which 47% are found nowhere else in the world! Lord Howe hosts four species of palms, the most famous of which is the Kentia Palm. For the entomophiles (those with a keen interest in insects), Lord Howe hosts more than 1,600 terrestrial insect species, of which approximately 60% are found nowhere else in the world. One of the most spectacular insects is the Lord Howe Island Phasmid, a large stick insect, thought to be extinct, but rediscovered in recent years on Balls Pyramid.

The afternoon is yours, and on Lord Howe that is very much part of the experience rather than a gap in it. Take a slow walk through the township and get a feel for how island life moves at its own pace, spend a few hours on the beach with nothing to do but watch the water, or head back to your bungalow and simply sit with the quiet, something rarely on offer at home. However you choose to spend it, this is time built into the tour on purpose, a chance to properly rest rather than rush from one activity to the next.

Overnight Earls Anchorage – Bungalow

This morning we head down to the boatshed for a cruise across the lagoon to North Bay aboard a glass bottom boat. As we glide over the reef, you’ll look straight down through the clear water to the coral gardens, reef fish and resident Green and Hawksbill turtles below, an easy, close up view of Lord Howe’s marine life without needing to get in the water. These aren’t a rare sighting either, the lagoon is home to a resident population of both species year round, so you can expect multiple turtles surfacing to breathe or grazing on the reef below as you pass over.

Green turtles are the larger of the two, grazing mostly on seagrass and algae, while Hawksbills are known for the raptor-like, pointed shell pattern that gives them their name and a diet that leans toward sponges found in the reef. Both species use Lord Howe’s lagoon as a feeding ground as part of a much wider migration across the Pacific, and your guide will share more about their habits and how the island’s marine team keeps track of them as we cruise.

At North Bay, the boat pulls in for a guided walk along the beach, taking in views from Mount Eliza, a stop at the Old Gulch, and a look at the seabird rookery, with your guide sharing the history and ecology of this part of the island as you go. Those who want to get in the water have the option to snorkel over a nearby wreck, home to its own patch of coral and fish life and a good chance of a closer turtle encounter.

The afternoon is yours to fill as you choose. Take a round at the island’s golf course, one of the most scenically set courses anywhere, with fairways running out toward the mountains and the sea, or set off on one of the self guided walking tracks that wind through the island’s forest and coastline, at whatever pace suits you.

Overnight Earls Anchorage – Bungalow

This morning’s tour takes in five of the island’s best photo spots, an easy paced run to Sea Breeze Bluff, Lovers Bay, Blinky Beach, Lone Pine and Old Settlement Point, with short walks at each stop along the way.

Blinky Beach, on the island’s eastern side near the airport, is one of the most photographed spots on Lord Howe and a favourite at sunrise, with birds wheeling above the track down to the sand. From there the tour winds through the island’s quieter corners at Sea Breeze Bluff and Lovers Bay, before finishing at Old Settlement Point, where the island’s earliest settlers first made their home in 1834.

It’s here that you’ll also hear the story of the RAAF Catalina flying boat crash of 1948. On a stormy night, the flying boat clipped the ridge above Old Settlement while attempting an emergency landing on the lagoon, killing seven of the nine crew. A memorial now stands at the site, and the wreckage itself is still visible on the hillside above the beach, a striking piece of the island’s wartime history to end the tour on.

Suitable for most fitness levels, this is a relaxed way to fill your final morning with the views and stories you may not have reached on your earlier days.

After a leisurely lunch in town, it is time to return to the airport for your short flight back to the mainland with a camera full of memories of this island paradise. Lord Howe Island should be on every person’s “must visit” list, at least once in your lifetime.