Lorde Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is part of New South Wales and located 600km east of Port Macquarie. The Island is on the World Heritage list and is a truly unique hiking and travelling destination with some species on the island not found anywhere else in the world.
When it comes to hiking and Lord Howe Island only two words comes to mind being Mount Gower. At 875m its Lord Howe’s highest mountain and is rated as one of Australia’s best day hikes. This hike is a challenging 14kms, being roughly 8hrs return with rope assisted cliff edges where hard hats are needed to be worn to steep rope climbs you’ll wish you packed some light gloves for. You’re going to need a good overall fitness level for this hike but once you’ve reached the top you’ll be rewarded with amazing 360 degree views of the whole island. It’s not easy to get a clear view from Mount Gower as the clouds tend to hover around its peaks.
" IT’S ALSO A GUIDED HIKE WITH ONLY ONE WAY UP AND BACK AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET JACK SHICK WHO IS AN EXTREMELY EXPERIENCED LOCAL MOUNTAIN GUIDE AND A BIT OF A LOCAL CELEBRITY ON LORD HOWE. REMEMBER TO BOOK AHEAD AS IT HAS LIMITED NUMBERS " @MARK_HIKEAU
The island also has a network of well marked hikes classified from Class 1-easy to Class 5 very hard with Mt Gower rated as a 5. Some other great hikes are Mt Eliza and Malabar Hill at 208m providing great views over the Admiralty islands. Other walks include Transit Hill, Max Nicholls Memorial Track to North Bay, Malabar to Dawsons Point Ridge Track, Goat House and the Coastal track to Boat Harbour via Mutton Bird Point Lookout and Rocky Run.
Snorkellling is also very popular on the island with the protected lagoon on the west side of the island providing the perfect spot including the popular Erscott’s Hole. Neds beach which was another essential spot to visit on the island where you can hand feed the fish and have hundreds of fish sliding and splashing around your legs. There are food pellets there to buy and you won’t have any problems seeing a multitude of colourful fish which is a special treat for child and adults alike.
Scuba diving is another popular sport on the island and Balls Pyramid is Australia’s largest sea stack standing at 551m and has great caves to dive in. The Admiralty islands provides amazing visability and vibrant sea life and offer divers a choice of over 25 dive sites ranging between 15-40metres. I loved seeing the large pinnacles, coral reefs and large schools of fish which are common sights on these dives.
I wouldn’t classify myself as a Fisherman but jumped at the chance to join a deep sea fishing trip also ran by Jack Schick . Within minutes of stopping at our first location another Fisherman pulled in a large Wahoo. Jack then relocated the boat nearby and the tuna fun began.
" Having never caught a fish much larger 30-40cm this was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to score some big tuna. I managed to catch three yellow fin and one kingfish which my back paid for the next day as I couldn’t believe the fight these tuna put on! " @MARK_HIKEAU
One of the best things about Lord Howe Island is the lack of cars. Cars are rarely seen and bicycles are the best way to get around the island other than walking. For hiking, scuba diving, deep sea fishing and a relaxed overall holiday Lord Howe is one of my favourite Australian picks.