The Lord Howe Island Signal

Rod Harding. It’s a funny thing, Christmas. Almost all of us celebrate Christmas in some fashion. For many, it’s a no-holds-barred occasion, with all the decorations, the food and presents, and all the family gathered together, maybe more than just once.

Sea urchin boom and bust

Stephen Sia, The Lord Howe Island Signal

6 January 2025

Land & environment

Sea urchins play an important ecological role on reefs in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park (LHIMP). They graze on seaweed, and sometimes completely clear it, creating unique habitats known as ‘barrens’ which are instead covered in encrusting algae and coral.

Earlier articles

Lord Howe Island businesses winning awards

Stephen Sia, The Lord Howe Island Signal

Agriculture

3 December 2024

Love Lord Howe. Recently won Gold at the NSW Tourism Awards. Benny’s Fish Truck. Recently awarded second-best fish and chips on offer nation wide. Thornleigh Farm Marmalade. Recently won Gold at the Australian Marmalade Awards.

What’s that fish?

Stephen Sia, The Lord Howe Island Signal

3 December 2024

Land & environment

Visiting photographers Brett Newmarch and Claire Greenwell, recently came across an unusual fish in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park (LHIMP) ... "After about 30 minutes, Brett came across an unusual looking fish hanging vertically in the water column. It was characterised by a silver body, approximately 6 cm in length, with spotted markings and appendages up to 40 cm long."

Qantas Media Release – Lord Howe Island flights

Stephen Sia, The Lord Howe Island Signal

Council

1 November 2024

Qantas customers will continue to be able to fly between Sydney and Lord Howe Island for years to come as part of an agreement with regional airline Skytrans. With the national carrier retiring the Q200 aircraft it currently operates on the route, Skytrans has been awarded the licence to fly to the island by the New South Wales Government exclusively from 26 February 2026.

NSW Government Media Release – Lord Howe Island Air Service

Stephen Sia, The Lord Howe Island Signal

1 November 2024

Business

The NSW Government has announced that licences have been issued to airline operators to provide flights from Sydney to Lord Howe Island and Sydney to Moree. These two routes are the only regulated routes in NSW that require licences under the Air Transport Act (NSW) 1964.

A long way to sail for a sausage

Stephen Sia, The Lord Howe Island Signal

Event

1 November 2024

The annual LHI Yachties BBQ Cruise is a rare example of the alternative outlasting the original. It owes its existence to the limited number of visitor moorings in the Lagoon. Two decades ago, when the annual Gosford-Lord Howe Yacht Race was at its peak of popularity, the Race Committee had to turn away many entrants every year simply because they could not be accommodated. In response, some of those excluded entrants decided to cruise over from the mainland a week or two after the race as an informal group.

Electricity charges

Stephen Sia, The Lord Howe Island Signal

2 October 2024

Council

Suzie Christensen. Operationally, based on those averages, electricity generation and supply for the Island is 43 per cent more expensive than prior to the solar installation, even with the grant from ARENA. The Board’s electricity charges have only increased 10 per cent from 2021 to 2024 in that time.