Lord Howe Island can make you forget the rest of the world

This island in the Pacific is secluded, safe, gloriously beautiful, packed with wildlife and adventure – and now there is a place to stay that ­rivals its natural wonders.

Mount Lidgbird and Gower rise over Lord Howe Island, New South Wales. Picture: Getty Images

One of the questions people Google about Lord Howe Island is what currency the island uses. Which seems absurd, considering it is just off the coast of NSW and wholly a part of the state. That is, until you are there. Because once you are on island time it’s easy to forget simple and logical things like money. And time.

“What timezone are we on?” I ask my friend repeatedly over three days on Lord Howe. “Is it a good time to call home? What’s the time there?”

We are, in fact, in the same time zone, in the same country and even in the same state as Sydney. And yet in this internet-free place that some call the Galapagos of the South Pacific, it feels we have become detached from the mainland, and the real world and reality, cast adrift somewhere on the globe.

I blame the colours.

You first notice them as the plane begins the approach to the island, which rises suddenly out of the Pacific, a speck in the vast empty ocean. The island appears at once looking very much like the leftover peak of a some ancient volcano, and as you circle to land, the azure waters of the sheltered lagoon begin to dazzle.

“Look at that,” the passengers on the little plane say as one as they look out over waters that range in hue from turquoise to electric blue.

On the land, meanwhile, mountains rise steeply, covered with verdant forest and palm groves of the deepest emerald. All this against a sky so blue it’s almost hard to process.

It’s immediately obvious that this place is otherworldly. One of those rare places on earth that feels totally off the grid.

Paradise found.

Fish life abounds at Ned’s Beach, Lord Howe Island.

 For many travellers to Lord Howe Island, the accommodation of choice over recent years has been Capella Lodge, the luxurious nine-room hotel at the southern end of the island. The lodge is extremely nice, and with its knockout views of striking Mount Gower and its near neighbour, Mount Lidgbird, is a beautiful location to while away days absorbing all this colour.

But a new option in the luxury space quietly opened over the Covid period, offering an even more exclusive experience.

Island House is the creation of Tim Maxwell, an islander and ex-Sydneysider who has created a property of unparalleled luxury and seclusion from which visitors can make the most of the island.

The property is a collection of three stunning standalone but ­interconnected houses, and something of a minor miracle given the restrictive rules that apply to land ownership and development on Lord Howe. In 1953, with astonishing foresight, the NSW government declared the island a wilderness retreat and designated it crown land. In 1982, it became a World Heritage Site.

There are restrictive rules around population and growth, with only 400 people permitted to live on the island, plus 200 itinerant workers, plus 400 tourists.

But Maxwell is a man blessed with good fortune. His (investment banker) father Michael Maxwell bought a beach shack here in 2000, and was agreeable to his son converting the property into a sort of quixotic Grand Designs-esque temple to architecture and art. It took years to achieve.

For visitors, Island House has two, two-bedroom abodes available for stays (you can take one or the other, or both), each unique and filled with art, furniture and collectibles. We stay in South House, a property that abounds with interest, from the kitchen bench designed by Thomas Jacobsen to the Paul Kjaerholm PK31 lounge chairs and kitchen table by Sydney craftsman John Duffecy.

Island House’s South House. Picture: Anson Smart

The art, too, is brilliant, especially the pieces from Indigenous artists Sarah (Katjarra) Butler and Regina Pilawuk Wilson, plus Danish artist Tine Holscher.

In the bedroom there’s a super kingsize bed with In the Sac linen (divine). Grown Alchemist amenities are in a bathroom that has two rainwater showers (inside and outside, obviously).

It’s a kind of place where billionaires and celebrities (Chris Hemsworth has been a guest), as well as regular mortals (if they have the funds for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure), can come to sink headfirst into island life. One room on the property is stocked with equipment to make the most of time here, including goggles and snorkels, wetsuits, rash vests, sunscreen, cameras, underwater cameras, hats, towels, whatever you need. Also on hand is house manager Anna, always ready to transport guests to organised ­activities or to drive them to the beach where she will set up a picnic or a beach trip complete with umbrellas and buckets of drinks, and pick you up again at the end.

The island itself is a place that suits both the sedentary and the adventurous. Those who come to relax can visit the beaches; try ­Lagoon Beach with its views of the mountains, Neds Beach where you can swim with an aquarium’s worth of tropical fish, or Lovers Bay, a scenic spot for a picnic.

The Maxwell’s outstanding Island House. Picture: Anson Smart

Lord Howe is home to 241 species of indigenous plants, of which 113 are found nowhere else in the world. Picture: Elizabeth Meryment

For those wanting more, Lord Howe has been declared the southernmost coral reef in the world, with coral as good as you can find in the Great Barrier Reef. The island also abounds in walks and hikes (see the checklist). Or you can stay at the house to ­unwind. We find South House so peaceful, so quiet and so amiably populated with unique wildlife including the island’s quirky woodhens that you could comfortably spend days here without wanting to go out at all.

But you must. Lord Howe is home to 241 species of indigenous plants, of which 113 are found nowhere else in the world plus 207 bird species (look for golden whistlers and sacred kingfishers).

Lord Howe Island is one of Australia’s greatest treasures. ­Secluded, safe, gloriously beautiful, packed with wildlife and adventure, it leaves better-known rivals Fiji and Tahiti for dust. And now there is a place to stay that ­rivals its natural wonders. It’s a place that can make you forget the rest of the world, for the better.

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Checklist

Getting there: Lord Howe Island is two hours due east of Port Macquarie, NSW. Qantas flies from Sydney daily, and there are also flights from Brisbane, Newcastle and Port Macquarie.

Stay: At capacity, the two houses sleep eight. But you can split the houses, taking one or the other, for two or four. There’s no view of the water but the aspect over the rainforest of kentia palms, unique to the island, is lovely. From $4200 per couple per night, inclusive of accommodation, one chef meal a day, stocked pantry, transfers and activities (islandhouse.com.au).

Eat: Island House’s private chef, Kimie Uemoto, provides the sort of food high-end travellers want to eat. She prepares very fresh Japanese dishes, from locally caught trevally sashimi to poke bowls, but will also do a barbecue, grill, Mediterranean salad or whatever you feel like. Meals can be had on the property, which has a beautiful dining room, or taken to the beach, where house manager Anna will set up a picnic in a scenic spot. In the little town, which feels very much like a cute country town, there’s a fish and chip shop, a Thai takeaway and a cafe selling good coffee. And call into the Lord Howe Island Brewery, also owned by the Maxwells, which makes beer onsite and serves pizza in a lovely setting.

Private chef Kimie Uemoto. Picture: Anson Smart

Take a picnic to the beach. Picture: Anson Smart

Do: Neds Beach is part of the Admiralty Islands protection zone where fishing is banned and as such a large population of huge tropical fish live in the shallow beach waters, hassling tourists for food. Have an incredible experience thigh-deep in the water here as the fish, including massive wrasse and parrot fish in shades of electric blue and purple, swim around your legs. It’s amazing. But all of the beaches here are next level. We take a hike through Malabar Hill to Soldiers Cap where there is a secluded beach that looks as though it hasn’t seen another soul in years. The adventurous can scale the 875m Mount Gower where the mists that swirl around the summit have created a unique ecosystem. The hike is said to be tough but I would do it if I returned. Worth the effort, I’d say.