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Lord Howe Island - A
Remote Island Paradise
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Lord Howe island is a little known paradise to many
visitors to Australia and to many Australians also. Rising
out of the sea off the NSW coast is one of Australia's tiniest
treasures – the dreamy, crescent-shaped Lord Howe Island.
Just 11 kms long and 2 kms wide curved round an aquamarine
lagoon, the island was World Heritage listed in 1982 for its
unique beauty and rare collection of flora, fauna and marine
life.
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| Lord
Howe Island |
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| Lord Howe
Island - Hiking |
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The island is located approximately 700km north-east of Sydney
and 550km east of Port Macquarie. It's a two-hour flight from
Sydney. Holidays and short-breaks can be booked direct to
properties, to the Island's Visitor Centre or through travel
agents.
Forests cover two thirds of its landmass, while its many
beaches are safe, pristine and tranquil. At the southern end
the towering mountains of Mt. Lidgbird and Mt. Gower stand
sentinel over this land of perpetual spring – a sanctuary
for all who visit.
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Lord Howe Island has some of the best diving in the world
with 490 species of fish, 93 coral species, 4% of which
are unique to Lord Howe and two accredited Diving Schools.
The submerged plateau of Lord Howe is 1,000 metres deep
with the opportunity to dive walls, caves, swim-throughs
and pinnacles, reefs, gutters and craters.
Consequently, watersports such as diving and snorkelling
are popular on Lord Howe, as is deepsea fishing. There are
also regular sightings of whales and dolphins.
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| Fish - Ned's
Beach |
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Take the chance to get up close and personal with the fish at
Ned's Beach – they love to be hand fed! Or head to Settlement
Beach to see if you can spot a large Green Turtle – they
live in a deep waterhole called the Sylph Hole.
In an effort to maintin and protect this pristine environment,
Lord Howe's tourist intake is strictly controlled, with 400 visitors
allowed at any one time. Just 10,000 tourists visit the island
each year. Additionally, residents on Lord Howe are not permitted
to own cats and with the island's vast collection of wildlife
and birds, it's easy to see why. There are 130 species of birds,
24 butterfly species and 14 species of seabirds which breed in
colonies on the island. The island is also home to 14 species
of land bird, including the once endangered Lord Howe Island Woodhen.
Temperatures range from around 28 Celsius (82°F) in summer
to about 10 Celsius (50°F) in winter. July, August and September
sometimes attract winds off the southern ocean.
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