Lord Howe Island

At the end of June we decided to take a short break and visit Lord Howe Island, approximately 600km off the east coast of Australia.  It is a beautiful spot in the Pacific Ocean, famous for its natural attractions and endemic wildlife.  There are only 350 permanent residents on LHI, and a maximum of 400 visitors at any one time, so you never feel too crowded.



Accommodation options are plentiful, and we stayed at the Capella Lodge, which I would highly recommend.  Libby and Mark are the managers, and are there to make your stay as relaxing as possible.  They'll pick you up from the airport, take you into town any time you want to go, organise a picnic for you to take to the beach, arrange a fishing trip if you want one; nothing is too much trouble.

We woke up to this view every day, which, as you can imagine, was pretty hard to take.



Meals were a highlight, and breakfast and dinner is included in the room rate. Friday night brings on the degustation menu, which I am not normally a fan of, but it was truly delicious and not too filling at all. The matched wines are always a danger but really not a worry when you don't have to drive home!

The Lord Howe Island Woodhen is a rare bird on the island, almost extinct a few years ago, but careful management has brought it back from the brink. They are not too worried about people getting up close and personal with a camera, either.



We took a boat ride out to see Ball's Pyramid, which is the largest single rock rising from the ocean anywhere in the world. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side, and out trip was aborted due to four metre swells.



Unless you live in Sydney, LHI is not the easiest place to get to but if you ever get the chance, I do suggest you go. It really is wonderful.