The South Pacific’s Paradise...

Could Be

Norfolk Island, Australia

View across to Nepean Island (foreground)

and Phillip Island from Norfolk Island

It’s a small (13.3 sq. miles / 34.6 sq. km’s) island in the Pacific Ocean located east of Australia; although it has been considered part of the Commonwealth of Australia since 1901, it enjoys a large degree of self-governance.

It is believed that Norfolk Island was first settled by East Polynesian seafarers from New Zealand. They are thought to have arrived in the fourteenth or fifteenth century, and survived for a few generations before vanishing.

The first European known to have sighted the un-inhabited island was British explorer, Captain James Cook, in 1774, on his second voyage to the South Pacific. He named the island in honor of the Duchess of Norfolk.

The island came to be of particular interest to the British for three primary reasons:

        
           1) it was un-inhabited ...

         

          2) it was quite remote ...

                    
          3) and perhaps most important, the plant Flax grew there ...

At the time, the flax plant and the hemp plant were the major sources if raw material / fibers used for making fabric, cordage, and sailcloth.  In addition the flax seed was used to make an editable vegetable oil commonly called linseed oil.  In fact, the plant was used for a number of things beyond fiber and oil, a few of which included: dye, paper, medicines, fishing nets, hair gels, and soap as well as bread made from ground flax seeds.

Add the fact that Empress Catherine of Russia had recently decided to restrict the sale of hemp (which was Britain’s primary supplier) to foreign countries and the benefits to the empire for a new flax plant source is clearly a no brainer.

In light of the fact that the island was both remote as well as un-inhabited, someone decided it would make a perfect place for a penal colony, so from 1788 until 1794 it was used for just that, at which time it was abandoned for the next 62 years.

Beginning in 1856, permanent re-settlement on the island for civilians began. Finally in 1901 along with the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia, Norfolk Island was placed under the authority of the new Commonwealth government to be administered as an external territory.  In 1979, Norfolk was granted limited self-government by Australia, so now the island elects a government that runs most of the island's affairs.

The climate on Norfolk Island is subtropical, which is best characterized as mild. The temperature almost never falls below 50° Fahrenheit   (10° C) or rises beyond 79° Fahrenheit (26° C).  The absolute warmest recorded temperature currently stands at 83.1° F (28.4° C), and the coldest recorded temperature is only 43.2 degrees Fahrenheit or 6.2 °C Celsius.

The island is the eroded remains of a volcano which was active around 2.3 to 3 million years ago and is part of the submerged continent called Zealandia that sank after breaking away from Australia 60–85 million years ago. The scenic costal areas, consists in primarily of cliff faces while the inland areas are mainly made up of rolling plains which are quite suitable for agricultural purposes (particularly animal husbandry) such as productivity of beef, poultry and eggs. Some other agricultural products include pine seed, cereals, vegetables and fruit.

The population of Norfolk Island was estimated in July 2010 to be 2,151, with an annual population growth rate of only 0.006%. Islanders speak both English and a creole language known as “Norfuk” which is also spelled Norfolk.

Sounds about perfect, right? Before you decide to relocate, you probably want to know that all goods / supplies that are not domestically produced are brought in by ship and if a serious medical condition arises, a trip to the Australian main land is necessary. Plus residency requires sponsorship by an existing resident of Norfolk Island or a business operating on the island.

But then, they have absolutely no Federal taxes, Australian or other wise, and hurricanes or cyclones rarely hit the Island.

Sources ...

http://www.discovernorfolkisland.com/norfolk-island-weather.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Island                                   http://themoneyconverter.com/USD/AUD.aspx