Dramatic Lord Howe Island, Australia

Shhh! Don’t tell anybody about this island!

Oops, I did it again! I found another hidden gem in the middle of the ocean at the edge of the world.

Welcome to Lord Howe Island, the most dramatic and chill island I have ever visited in my life. I came across this island few years ago on the Internet while researching for a few long days islands around Australia with as much pure nature and as few people as possible... And when I saw Lord Howe, I simply fell in love with the photo and I knew immediately it's my island. I didn't want to think about any other island to visit during our first trip to Australia but this one! And oh my, I wasn't mistaken. I feel like it's my island, only mine.

So I really want to show you this piece of paradise but at the same time I am jealous about even showing it to you. The good thing is no matter how many people learn about this island, it will never get crowded. Yep, never! Lord Howe Island is still a relatively well kept secret and they allow only 400 tourists at a time. So, as you can imagine we felt pretty secluded on the island, enjoying its spectacular natural beaches with no witnesses. It was such a beautiful week of complete relaxation after 3 weeks of driving all around Australia.

Many of you know how addicted I am to the Islands that capture something in my imagination. I am attracted to them for their turquoise water, white sandy beaches and green lush surroundings, but none of the islands I have visited before possess the charm of Lord Howe Island. Trust me, Lord Howe Island offers so much more with its unique landscapes and dramatic beauty of spectacular volcanic cliffs, sea caves, pristine clear waters, exotic birds and marine life.

Ned's Beach

Ned's Beach became our beach from day one. First of all, our cottage was located almost right on that beach. It was a 10 minute hike down to the beach every morning but, oh goodness, we had the quietest mornings over there. So perfect for reading! The water was so warm and soft.

The uniqueness of Ned's Beach is not just in its spectacular coral reef but also the fish that hangs out next to the shore. Hungry fishes attack you as soon as your feet touch the water. Quite an outstanding experience! I have never felt eaten by fish before. It tickles. Even a lonely shark would come by every afternoon to say "hello" to the fishes and us. 

We visited basically all the beaches on the island, but our hearts were left on Ned's Beach.

A Hike To Malaber Hill

All week we did nothing but swimming, reading, and enjoying the silence. However, on our last day on Lord Howe Island, we finally were ready for a hike. The morning was cloudy and we thought it was a great reason, or sign if you will, to take a hike to Malabar Hill and Kims Lookout (class 5 hike, 5 hours return, 7 km of up and downs).

The trail starts right on Ned's Beach. Passing by Ned's Beach we thought at least twice about changing our minds and staying on the beach for the rest of the day, but I really wanted to see the island from a bird's eye view. So, we stuck to the plan. As we were hiking up, we could see our beloved Ned's Beach below still inviting us to stay and swim in its blue waters with the fishes. But we continued to go further up the path where we were treated to a beautiful view of the two mountains on the other end of the island, Mt Lidgbird and Mt Gower. Ah, what a view! What a beautiful island! Just for that view alone it was worth waking up early and climbing up in the tropical heat. Truly 'loved' the scary tree tunnels with dozens of large spiders above me. I still can't believe I didn't take pictures of it. Well... My head was always down and I was basically keeping my eyes on the ground, afraid of those nasty creatures jumping on me, biting my face and laying their nasty damn eggs in my nose.. Yeah... There was no room for thought about taking pictures at those moments.

We were very lucky as we timed our hike really well. The weather on the island changes from gorgeous sun to grey rain without warning. But rain didn't catch us until the end of our journey that gave us long way down along what seemed like hundreds of stairs.

The trail's end put us at Old Settlement Beach. The rain clouds were moving in so we rushed to a restaurant near Lagoon Beach to have some lunch. We still had our usual hike up ahead to our cottage. Bikes or walking, there is no other ways on the island to move around.

It was truly hard to leave the next day. The island is incredible and we can't wait to come back and see more of the nature and walk to Mt. Gover (the toughest hike on the island).

The thought of having one more night in Coogee before going home to San Francisco definitely made it easier (sort of) to say Goodbye to our new island home. But I must say coming back to Coogee for the last night felt like home as well. I would even say it felt too strongly like home. I think this place is in my future. Don't know yet in what way, but I know.