Norfolk Island Airport (Norfolk Island Airport)
Norfolk Island Airport, also referred to as Norfolk Island International Airport, is the only airport on Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia. The island is located in the Pacific Ocean between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. The airport is operated by the Administration of Norfolk Island, and is on the west side of the island.
In August 1942, the United States Army Air Forces requested that the Australian government construct an aerodrome on Norfolk Island for use by its heavy bombers. It was built by the Civil Constructional Corps, comprising volunteers from New South Wales government departments. The corps was assisted by island residents, with about 300 men employed in total. The first runway was completed in late 1942, with a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) plane landing on Christmas Day. The second runway was opened in February 1943, and the workers left the following month.
The construction of the runways necessitated the destruction of Pine Avenue, a local landmark consisting of about 500 Norfolk Island pines reaching up to 170 ft in height. As Norfolk Island did not have enough flat ground, in 1942 several bulldozers were used to knock the tops off several hills, and fill in the valleys between them. Steel mesh was then used to make a solid surface.
The airfield was never used as an operational base, but "was available to the Allies for use as a staging depot, a refuge for aircraft in distress, and a possible base for anti-submarine patrols". An RNZAF Radar Unit operated on the island as a navigational aid, and it became a stopover for aircraft travelling between Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand and the Solomon Islands. The RNZAF left the airfield in July 1946. At the airfield was an air-sea rescue unit, a servicing section and a radar unit installation at Mount Bates.
In August 1942, the United States Army Air Forces requested that the Australian government construct an aerodrome on Norfolk Island for use by its heavy bombers. It was built by the Civil Constructional Corps, comprising volunteers from New South Wales government departments. The corps was assisted by island residents, with about 300 men employed in total. The first runway was completed in late 1942, with a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) plane landing on Christmas Day. The second runway was opened in February 1943, and the workers left the following month.
The construction of the runways necessitated the destruction of Pine Avenue, a local landmark consisting of about 500 Norfolk Island pines reaching up to 170 ft in height. As Norfolk Island did not have enough flat ground, in 1942 several bulldozers were used to knock the tops off several hills, and fill in the valleys between them. Steel mesh was then used to make a solid surface.
The airfield was never used as an operational base, but "was available to the Allies for use as a staging depot, a refuge for aircraft in distress, and a possible base for anti-submarine patrols". An RNZAF Radar Unit operated on the island as a navigational aid, and it became a stopover for aircraft travelling between Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand and the Solomon Islands. The RNZAF left the airfield in July 1946. At the airfield was an air-sea rescue unit, a servicing section and a radar unit installation at Mount Bates.
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Map - Norfolk Island Airport (Norfolk Island Airport)
Map
Country - Norfolk_Island
The first known settlers in Norfolk Island were East Polynesians but they had already departed when Great Britain settled it as part of its 1788 settlement of Australia. The island served as a convict penal settlement from 6 March 1788 until 5 May 1855, except for an 11-year hiatus between 15 February 1814 and 6 June 1825, when it lay abandoned. On 8 June 1856, permanent civilian residence on the island began when descendants of the Bounty mutineers were relocated from Pitcairn Island. In 1914, the UK handed Norfolk Island over to Australia to administer as an external territory.
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AUD | Australian dollar | $ | 2 |
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