View looking over the waterfront of Kingston, Norfolk Island. The uninhabited island was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1774 and was settled in 1788 as a secondary penal settlement for the just established settlement at Sydney. It was designed to grow food and supply timber from the majestic Norfolk Island pines. It went on to become the most notorious penal settlements in Australian history, a site for second offenders and place of numerous floggings, hangings, riots and misery. The last convicts left in 1855 to be replaced by the 200 descendants of the Bounty mutineers who were transferred 6000 km from Pitcairn Island and whose descendants today make up the bulk of the 2300 islanders. The island was a 'gift' from Queen Victoria and some islanders still contest sovereignty against control from Australia. The 35 km2 island is composed of basalt with predominately a rugged cliffed shoreline with boulder beaches occupying some embayed areas, together with a few sandy carbonate beaches. Dune and beach calcarenite encrusts some of the coast and is most prevalent in the Kingston area in view.

This view of Kingston shows from right Kingston Cove and jetty where lighters still manually transfer goods from ships moored offshore and the harbour buildings (now museums and cafe). Surf breaks over beachrock (calcarenite) reefs off Slaughter Bay while the walls of the old goal sits atop a low 100 m wide barrier backed by a now drained backbarrier wetland, known in 18th century English as a 'slaughter', hence the name of the bay. In the background, Norfolk Island pines rim Emily Bay beach. Dune calcarenite was quarried at Emily Bay to construct all the main buildings including the goal. Today Norfolk Island is an Australian external territory and a major tourist destination, with tourism as the main industry. (Photograph taken by Andrew D. Short, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, Australia, November, 2011.)