28. Feb
2015

Phillip Island

History, Nature
 

If you look across the island from Castaway you can see Phillip Island, seven kilometres south of Norfolk.  It is a fascinating part of Norfolk Island history.

Three million years ago Norfolk Island was many times the size it is today and consisted of one enormous, and very active volcano. When it finally erupted, the force must have been felt half way across the globe. Much of the outer island sank beneath the sea and all that was left was a five by eight kilometre fragment and a tinier, two by three kilometre speck. These were named many millennia later, Norfolk Island and Phillip Island respectively. Read more

28. Feb
2015

Banyan tree Norfolk Island

Nature
 

Ficus Benghalis or the sacred Banyan tree is revered in its native India.  In Hindu mythology, the Banyan is the ‘wish fulfilling tree’ and symbolises eternal life because of its ever expanding canopy, supported by the aerial roots that strengthen into sturdy trunk-like structures.

Banyans feature in numerous Buddhist and Hindu myths and teachings.  It is a symbol of wisdom and it is said, “Under the protecting foliage of this king of the forests, the Gurus teach their pupils their first lessons on immortality and initiate them into the mysteries of life and death.”

Read more