Life as an agent on Norfolk Island

For many Australians, Norfolk Island is a place that many have heard of but few have visited; a distant name that conjures misty images of ocean and tall pines.

But for many of the island’s 2,000 permanent residents, Norfolk Island has been home for over a century.

“There is a lot of family land that has been passed down through generations,” said Rose Evans, agency manager of Norfolk Island Real Estate.

“I’ve never been anywhere where the history is so well-documented, and the local community pride in their culture and their history is second to none.”

In 1856, 400 years after the last Polynesian seafarers left the island for good, 200 Pitcairners of English and Tahitian descent arrived on Norfolk Island’s shores for the first time. Each was a direct descendent of nine British sailors who had mutineered on the HMS Bounty some 60 years earlier and the 18 Tahitian men and women whom they had forcibly brought with them.

Many years have passed since then, but life on Norfolk Island has changed little.

“We don’t have any traffic lights, we only have three roundabouts on the island, and the cows roam free on the roads,” said Ms Evans. “It’s like a country town surrounded by water.”

Originally born in Australia, Ms Evans first came to Norfolk Island 17 years ago, and instantly fell in love. Three months later, she had made a permanent move, and now she and her islander husband call Norfolk Island home.

“I love remote living, and I love the natural environment,” said Ms Evans. “It’s a lovely small community, so it’s very close-knit; everyone looks after each other.”

Despite being a longtime Norfolk Island resident, Ms Evans is a relative newcomer to real estate.

“I’ve only been doing it for a year,” Ms Evans said. “I had my own business in retail trade, and while on Norfolk I applied for a position with council and I became the head of tourism and economic development on the island.”

During COVID-19, however, the island’s tourism industry took a massive hit, and the immense strain Ms Evans was under soon led to burnout.

“I was looking for alternatives and an opportunity came up to get into real estate,” she said. “It’s a big shift, but to be honest it’s really no different to retail. I went from selling objects in a shop to selling pieces of the island.”

While COVID-19 decimated the island’s tourism industry, Norfolk Island property skyrocketed during the pandemic.

At only 5 kilometres by 8 kilometres, Norfolk Island never had an abundance of listings, but the pandemic sparked interest from buyers in Australia and New Zealand seeking a sea change, and caused prices to spike.

“You can get a lot of bang for your buck here,” explained Ms Evans. “To buy a flat in Sydney, you’re probably looking at $1–$1.5 million. But on Norfolk for $1.5 million you do get a lot – at the moment I have a listing, it’s a magnificent homestead which has eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms. It’s on 6 acres, has a 12-metre pool, and it’s right near the national park.”

Purchasing property on Norfolk Island is incredibly cheap, but building property is less so.

With all building materials needing to be shipped in by freight, or purchased from the island’s two independent hardware stores, renovations are expensive and islanders have become adept at using local pine for everything, from walls to foundations.

There are other unique features of Norfolk Island property too: 99 per cent of island homes are sold fully furnished.

“It’s not just the furniture and white goods, but often it’s all the kitchenware and appliances in the kitchen,” said Ms Evans.

“When I bought my house, there were even toothbrushes in one of the drawers.”

Life on Norfolk Island is idyllic, but Ms Evans warns that it is not for everyone. She noted: “We don’t have fast food outlets like McDonald’s or big supermarkets like Woolworths; everything is on a small scale.”

“It’s like a small community town with quirky little shops and farmer’s markets on the weekend where you go and buy your veggies,” she said. “We often suggest people come and rent for a while and then decide if it’s the place that you want to live, and then you can buy your forever home.”

For Ms Evans, however, life on Norfolk Island is perfect. In her day-to-day worklife, she has the opportunity to travel to every corner of the island, taking in bucolic views of rolling hills, towering pines and vast expanse of ocean.

“Because the island was a volcano formation, we’re quite high above sea level so there are a lot of hills and valleys,” she said.

“That’s what is so appealing – it’s the clean air and the pure water,” Ms Evans said. “It is a really picturesque island.”

To find out more about how agents are operating across Australia and beyond, check out REB’s previous articles in the Life as an Agent series.

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