Lord Howe Island

Why visit

Located 600km east of Port Macquarie, Lord Howe Island boasts the most southerly – and some of the most spectacular – coral reefs in the world. The island is also relatively small, which makes it easy to see most of the key areas in less than a week.

Much of it is high ground covered with relatively untouched forest. In the south are two volcanic mountains, Mount Lidgbird (777 metres) and Mount Gower, which rises to 875 metres and is the highest point on the island.

Kentia palms originated on the island and occupy much of the forests. There are also 240 other species of indigenous plants, roughly half of which are found nowhere else in the world. They exist in situations ranging from valleys, to ridges, plains and misty mountain tops. The only native mammal is the large forest bat. There are