NORFOLK ISLE by Maev Hitch

Maev Hitch

Have you ever been to Norfolk Isle?

An island in a sea of opal blue

Have you ever met the folks who live there?

Descendants of the Bounty Mutineers.

Did you ever stand in awe upon the cliff tops

with ocean rollers crashing far below?

A sight that most people do not know.

There are fairy terns that dance among the pine trees

While noddies and boobies have gone fishing

And tropic birds with tails of slender red

Cheeky fantails flit – flirt along the road ways.

Ruined cottages and chimneys dot the paddocks

And mansions in historic Kingston town.

You can spend your time in shops or restaurants

Or walk the cliffs and forest tracks all day.

You can swim or snorkel in Emily or Slaughter Bay

I’ve seen basalt platforms where the ocean churns

Or volcanic boulders decked out with tiny ferns.

I have tramped the track from Mount Pitt

Right down to Duncombe Bay

And seen the Norfolk parrot green and now so rare.

Had an island fish fry on the cliff top

And breathed the sweet and spicy island air.

There’s one thing I must do again

Catch a fishing boat across to Philip Island

And catch a fish or two

And some more aatuti too!