Lord Howe Island is one of Australia's best secrets, and locals prefer to keep it that way. You see, the luxurious island only allows 400 visitors at a time.
It's all in an attempt to prevent over-tourism and protect the islands' beaches and sea life. Located 372 miles off the coast of Australia, Lord Howe Island features rainforests, beaches, and plenty of exotic animals.
"It's what is not here that provides that experience - that is why it's so unique," said Lisa Makiiti, a sixth-generation islander who runs the boutique accommodation Bowker Beach House. "[There's] value of having somewhere in the world that works in the reverse to every other tourist destination. It's not bigger and better and more and more."
For more than 40 years, Lord Howe has put an artificial capper on how many visitors can come to the island. In fact, there's only enough beds for 400 visitors at any one time. So you have to book ahead. However, bookings for Lord Howe have already stretched into 2026. That makes it a very difficult island to visit unless you have a serious ability to look and plan ahead.
An Island Like No Other
Many locals are descended from original settlers from the 1800s. Getting a house on Lord Howe doesn't come easy as there's limited real estate. The island is seven miles long, featuring animals that you can't find anywhere else.
"Those families that have been here for those five, six, seven generations have always recognized how special their lifestyle is here," said Ian Hutton, a naturalist and photographer who has lived on the island since 1980. "There is that strong generational feeling of protecting their island."
Dean Hiscox, who runs Lord Howe Environmental Tours, says one of the joys of being on the island is how close you are to nature.
"You're only on a boat for five or 10 minutes, and you're already out to the main reefline. If you try and do that on the Great Barrier Reef, you might be on a boat for three or four hours and still not see nearly as much as you get to see here," Hiscox said. "We just simply elaborate. We tell the story about what is it that's special about Lord Howe Island. You have a captive audience who are already tuned into that philosophy and want to know about it. You're talking to the converted.
