Perfection on Lord Howe Island

LURID green valleys, volcanic peaks, lagoons and reefs greet Phil Tripp on a wildlife-filled trip to the isolated gem.

Escape Lord Howe

I WAS in search of a Pacific Island paradise for a 10-day getaway. It had to be a lot closer than Hawaii, more modern than Second World territories near Australia, yet steeped in traditions of a clean environment and non-hustling or hassling natives.

I found it two hours by air from Sydney, billing itself as "The Last Paradise".

Merely 11km long by 2km at its widest, and with 250 permanent residents, Lord Howe restricts tourist numbers to 400 at a time and is a pristine environment on land and underwater. Lord Howe Island lives up to its billing and has been managed by its residents to avoid the economic and environmental problems of some of its isle counterparts.

It's a volcanic set of two peaks thrusting from the ocean and, on approach, lurid green valleys roll into a large lagoon of turquoise water rippled by colourful reefs. The main island and its surrounding smaller rockeries are already 95 per cent eroded with an expected 200,000 years before they completely submerge, giving you sufficient time to catch the sole QantasLink Dash 8, 33-passenger daily prop-jet services.

Though it appears similar from the air to Bora Bora and Tahitian atolls, it is Australian so no need for a passport or overseas travel insurance. OK, no duty free, but you don't need to convert to another currency and you'll find your favourite beer and wine brands. Accommodation options range from deluxe lodges and high-end apartments to more traditional Aussie properties with meals included. But no backpacker hostels, no arty vans on the beach verge and no camping allowed. It's perfect.

There are fewer than 20 places to stay on LHI and I was advised to book room nights before flights. To get a taste of them, I opted for five properties: Capella Lodge, the up-market tranquil bungalows of Earl's Anchorage; the newest hot spot Treehouse, which is a single cottage overlooking the ocean; Somerset Apartments, which are cozy, spotless, old-style and a stroll to town; and the beachfront classic Pinetrees Lodge, which has exceptional meals, fine wines, a variety of room styles and its own jazz festival in winter.

Drifting down to the tiny airstrip, it reminded me of what Hawaii was like in the 50s. Stress was left behind along with the mobile phone as there is no cellular service on Lord Howe. Fellow passengers couldn't update their Facebook pages on landing, nor could they tweet or text. They surrendered to the serenity of a space without digital distractions.

It also means that the resident teens and young people aren't thumbing their devices and speak face-to-face rather than screen to screen. Denied being tethered to a mobile, they have both hands free for sport, surfing, hiking, holding hands or bicycling, which are the activities I came for rather than vegetating in a hammock.

On the five-minute ride into the tiny town I noticed not a speck of graffiti anywhere and never saw a piece of trash on the streets, beaches or trails.

Though the first two days were mostly rainy where I stayed at the top-end cocoon of Capella Lodge on the South side, 875m Mt Gower loomed ahead through the mists and beckoned for an all-day climb in drier weather.

A series of shorter hikes during breaks in the drizzle took me to a cow paddock where I felt totally alone in the silence.

Deserted beaches are plentiful in Lord Howe due to the controlled number of tourists and the long strands of sand. Easily accessible by bicycle ($8 a day from Wilson's Rentals), Lagoon Beach stretches 1.5km from the town centre to the nine-hole golf club with snorkelling, glass-bottom boat tours and two scuba dive operators fronting it.

Ned's Beach is an easy cycle up the hill from town where wriggling schools of metre-long kingfish and trevally can be hand fed in knee-deep water. Snorkelling is spectacular with easy to reach coral bommies bursting with colour from soft and hard corals as well as waving sponges.

Lord Howe has the southernmost coral reefs in the world, nurturing over 500 species of fish and 90 different corals. The surrounding waters were declared a Marine Park in 1998 and it's been protected as a World Heritage property since 1982 when it was listed at the same time as the Galapagos Islands. From coastal grass plains to mossy rainforests, it is home to more than 130 species of birds, of which the woodhen has been rescued from extinction and 14 species of seabird breed here, more than anywhere in Australia.

So it's natural that birders with binoculars twitch away along trails or shuttle to nesting cliffs by boat, spotting rare breeds while divers plunge the lagoon and surrounding reefs at Balls Pyramid and the Admiralty Islands seeking pelagic creatures in wall dives or deep sea explorations. I opted to creep through the verdant forests alone and found that taking the four-hour bus tour of Chase 'n' Thyme (02 6563 2033) the second day initiated me into all the nooks and crannies of LHI.

Howea Divers (howea divers.com.au) and Pro Dive (prodivelordhoweisland.com.au) offer beginner dives and lessons as well as more adventurous one or two-tank packages from September to May from compact boats that are only 10-15 minutes from an array of easily accessible spots.

Bathed in the crossroads of five major ocean currents, Lord Howe's ocean ecosystem is a diverse mix of tropical, sub-tropical and temperate species found nowhere else in such abundance.

I had 30m of visibility on each of four dives, spectacular coral formations with schools of wrasse, kingfish and rainbow runners bussing by as well as gaudy angelfish, spanish dancers and harmless grey sharks riding the currents. Coming up over a coral head, I encountered a pair of green turtles and then a huge loggerhead basking in the dappled sun before they rose for a gulp of air.

For those less adventurous, coral viewing by glass-bottom boat can also be teamed with snorkelling off the back end at multiple stops by Marine Adventures (marineadventures.com.au) or Islander Cruises operated by Howea.

It's as if they have GPS devices on the turtles, knowing them by name and precisely where they hang out, with commentary in that dry Lord Howe humour.

Surprisingly, foodie options abound. No Maccas or fast food, rather an ocean of choice of which the kingfish is the local star. I took an engaging two-hour class at Greenback's Eatery which taught how to kill, cool and store fish properly before preparing in a variety of ways. Kingfish sashimi was the first taste, followed by carpaccio and then baked. And if you want, chef Dave is also skipper of a fishing vessel so you can catch and kill your own. For meeker souls, dinner starts at 6.

There is fine dining on LHI with the two top lodges Capella Lodge and Arajilla both featuring seafood-driven menus and accepting reservations from guests at other lodging. My fave find was Pandanus, a hilltop haven that features a Malaysian menu on the weekend, Italian and seafood during the week and superior service.

Thankfully the hiking, biking, swimming and diving worked off the kilojoules and the experience left me with the heavy desire to return and turn off my phone again soon.

Go2

LORD HOWE

- Getting there

QantasLink is the only airline connection with daily flight from Sydney. It also has a weekly service from Port Macquarie February to June and September to December.

- Staying there

Because there are only 400 tourist beds there, it's important you book your accommodation at the same time as flights.

Luxury Capella Lodge has ocean views and inspired cuisine. capellalodge.com.au, ph 9918 4355Pinetrees Lodge has ensuite rooms, one-bedroom garden cottages and three and four-bedroom family cottages with meals included. pinetrees.com.au, ph 1800 226 142

Earl's Anchorage features self-contained bungalows in a tranquil, private location. earlsanchorage.com.au, ph 6563 2029

The Treehouse is a spacious free-standing one-bedroom bungalow surrounded by lush vegetation. Ph 6563 2320Somerset Apartments are self-contained units nestled in subtropical palm groves. somersetlordhowe.com.au, ph 6563 2061

More: lordhoweisland.info