You’ll often hear that much of Norfolk Island was built with convict blood, sweat and tears, and it’s no exaggeration. Legend has it that during the construction of Bloody Bridge, a tyrannical overseer pushed his work gang to breaking point and ended up with a pickaxe imbedded in his skull.

Fearing a punishment even worse than their overseer’s grizzly fate, the convicts swiftly walled their tormentor into the bridge’s stonework. Feigning ignorance when questioned about the sudden disappearance, all went well for the work gang, until the replacement overseer noticed blood oozing from the still-wet mortar!