Churchill Island, Victoria

Churchill Island
Churchill Island is located in Victoria
Churchill Island
Churchill Island
Location of Churchill Island within the Australian State of Victoria
Geography
Coordinates38°30′S 145°20′E / 38.500°S 145.333°E / -38.500; 145.333
Administration
Australia

Churchill Island is a 50.7-hectare (125.3-acre) island in Western Port, Victoria, Australia. The island is named after John Churchill, Esquire of Dawlish.[1] The island is linked to Phillip Island by a bridge, with Phillip Island itself connected to the mainland via another bridge. Notably, Churchill Island was the site of Victoria’s first European garden and wheat crop.[2] The island features a working farm, fully restored cottages from the 1860s, and a homestead dating back to 1872, all accessible to visitors.[3] Adjacent to the 670-hectare (1,656-acre) Churchill Island Marine National Park the island is managed by Phillip Island Nature Parks and is listed on the Victorian heritage register.[4]

History

Boonwurrung people visited Churchill Island for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.

In 1801, during the course of a survey of Western Port, Lieutenant James Grant had some of his convict crew fell some trees and build a blockhouse on Churchill Island. They cultivated a patch of soil and Grant planted seeds of wheat, corn, potatoes, peas, coffee berries, apples, peaches and nectarines given to him for the purpose of creating a garden "for the future benefit of our fellow men be they Countrymen, Europeans or Savages" by John Churchill of Dawlish in Devon, England.[5] This was the first European garden and crop of wheat grown in Victoria.[6]

Samuel Amess, a former mayor of Melbourne, purchased the island in 1872 and built the substantial home that still stands today.[6]

Remains of stone foundations from two unknown buildings are also preserved on the island.[6]

Churchill Island and the area around it served as the location for the 1977 Australian film Summerfield.

Natural environment

The Churchill Island Marine National Park adjoins the island's western shore, and Western Port bay, in which the island is located, is listed under the Ramsar Convention. Cape Barren geese can be frequently observed on the island.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Churchill Island.
  1. ^ "About Churchill Island – Friends of Churchill Island Society Inc". focis.org.au. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  2. ^ "200th Anniversary of the Naming of Churchill Island | Monument Australia". monumentaustralia.org.au. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  3. ^ www.penguins.org.au
  4. ^ Parks Victoria: Churchill Island Marine National Park Archived 2008-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Grant, James (1803). The narrative of a voyage of discovery, performed in His Majesty's vessel the Lady Nelson, of sixty tons burthen: with sliding keels, in the years 1800, 1801, and 1802, to New South Wales. Printed by C. Roworth for T. Egerton. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-7243-0036-5.
  6. ^ a b c Amess Family Era- 1872 -1929, Friends of Churchill Island, archived from the original on 4 March 2015, retrieved 25 January 2012