If you're looking for a holiday destination far off the beaten track, where few have gone before, a place that has an interesting history and culture, and where the locals speak English, you might consider Norfolk Island (far right). This semi-autonomous Australian speck in the ocean is located in the South Pacific, 1,400 kilometres east of the mainland. From the late 18th to mid-19th centuries, the island was used as a British penal colony, and then as a new, ready-made home for the families of the mutineers of the Bounty fame after they outgrew their original home, Pitcairn Island. About a quarter returned to Pitcairn within a few years, but the ancestors of those who stayed comprise roughly half the island's population of about 2,400. It's a fascinating place of dramatic natural beauty, with almost no crime, a friendly population and intriguing 19th-century buildings. A visit to www.norfolkisland.com.au should whet the appetite of even the most jaded traveller. Accommodation can be booked at www.discovernorfolkisland.com, or you can book a flight and accommodation package from Australia at www.oxleytravel.com.au. The only flights to Norfolk Island are operated by Air New Zealand from Sydney, Brisbane (both twice a week) and Auckland (Sundays only). Through-flights via these cities from Hong Kong cannot be booked online, but you can book individual flights for separate sectors at www.airnewzealand.com.hk.