Anson Bay

Anson Bay sits on the north-western shore of Norfolk Island, its long pale beach backed by dunes and pandanus palms that lean consistently eastward under the pressure of the prevailing south-east trade winds. The bay is the product of the island geological architecture: the sea has carved a gentle arc into the soft volcanic tuff that forms much of the island northern coastline, creating a beach that shelves steeply enough for swimming at all tides but gently enough that small children can stand safely in the shallows. At low tide the beach extends nearly two hundred metres from the dune foot to the waterline, exposing a firm sand surface ideal for beachcombing. The drift line is rich with the usual Pacific flotsam — pumice, drifted seeds of the coconut palm, the occasional glass fishing float from South Pacific fisheries — and after storms the beach may hold quantities of this debris that take days to clear.

The water at Anson Bay is cooler and clearer than at Emily Bay because there is no reef to trap sediment and warm the shallows. The offshore drop-off is steeper here, and on days when the swell is running the sets can be powerful enough to make swimming inadvisable for inexperienced ocean swimmers. A patrolled area is marked when lifeguards are on duty during peak season, but outside school holidays swimmers are largely on their own and should respect the conditions. Surfers favour the point break at the northern end of the bay, where a lava flow has created a natural ledge that focuses the swell into a right-hand wave of considerable quality when the direction and size are right. The track down from the road to the beach passes through a stand of Norfolk Island pines that were planted in the early twentieth century as a timber plantation, their uniform spacing and straight boles visible evidence of deliberate forestry in a landscape that otherwise shows little human organisation.

The drive to Anson Bay from the island central area takes about fifteen minutes and follows a road that climbs to a high point with a view down the length of the beach before descending to the car park. This viewpoint is particularly striking at sunset, when the western sky turns pink and orange behind the pine silhouettes and the beach becomes a ribbon of brilliant white against the darkening green of the cliff vegetation. Photographers frequent this spot at the golden hour, and a bench has been placed at the viewpoint by the local council for visitors who want to sit and watch the light change. The beach has no facilities beyond a basic toilet block, and visitors should carry drinking water, particularly in summer when the heat and wind can quickly produce dehydration in anyone not acclimatised to the subtropics.

It is the most dramatic beach on Norfolk Island for coastal scenery, with a long arc of white sand, the steep volcanic headlands and the full force of the Pacific Ocean visible from the shore.

The sunset viewpoint on the approach road is one of the most photographed scenes on the island.

The point break at the northern end is a genuine quality surf wave, attracting visiting surfers when the swell is running.