17 May George Town

Ascension island is the top 1% of an extinct volcano. The base of the volcano is at 3,200m below the sea surface. The uninhabited island was claimed as a Crown colony in 1815 as an advance defense post for St Helena, jail of Napoleon. A garrison was established and the island has continued to be a UK territory and a garrison ever since.

view towards Pier Head

Government House

original warehouses

Cricket pitch with St Mary's behind

Georgetown is the main settlement, the HQ of Ascension Island Government, site of the only hotel on the island which is now closed, police station, magistrates court, the hospital and a museum. It has a bar / club and a grocery store. The handful of other stores open limited hours. With only 740 people living here everyone knows everyone else. We were soon spotted as new arrivals.

One of the first things you notice is it is is how few people there are and the black volcanic gravel which gets in your sandals. You can come across one of the feral sheep and feral donkeys which roam the island. The sheep were once farmed, but when the only farm ceased twenty years ago the sheep went free and converted from easting grass to surviving on the sparse scrub. One islander told us the meat tastes sweet.

Obsidian Hotel now closed

The only hotel on the island closed when the air port in St Helena opened and the mail ship stop visiting the islands.

All the houses belong to the government and are allocated to employees; to live on Ascension you have to have a job. The house is part of the package. Commit a misdemeanour you loose your job, your house and are sent home.

feral donkeys wander the island

In this barren scape there were some colourful gardens (which the donkeys find delicious if permitted) watered with waste water delivered to each house once a week.

no traffic, or people,  to hinder feral sheep crossing the road

Beyond the last house and before the fuel silos is the human and the pet cemetery. Obviously not easy to dig a hole here so each grave is a pile of stones. It's adjacent to Dead Man's beach where the green turtles come to lay their eggs each night during the breeding season.

Once there was a storm so strong the waves washed up the beach and breached in to the cemetery where the waters plucked remains from the graves and deposited them back on the beach.

pet cemetery

19C rock graves at the cemetery