Churchill Island is a island in Western Port, Victoria,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is connected by a bridge to Phillip Island, which is in turn connected to the mainland by another bridge. It is the site of the first European garden in Victoria. It contains a working farm, cottages dating from the 1860s and a homestead dating from 1872, all fully restored and open to the public.www.penguins.org.au
/ref> The island adjoins the

Churchill Island Marine National Park The Churchill Island Marine National Park is a protected marine national park located in Western Port, Victoria, Australia. The marine park is located south of Rhyll, on the north-eastern shore of Phillip Island, in Western Port. The marine pa ...

.Parks Victoria: Churchill Island Marine National Park
The island is maintained by Phillip Island Nature Parks.

History

The Boonwurrong people may have visited Churchill Island for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. In 1801, during the course of a survey of Western Port, Lieutenant

James Grant James Grant may refer to: Politics and law *Sir James Grant, 1st Baronet (died 1695), Scottish lawyer *Sir James Grant, 6th Baronet (1679–1747), Scottish Whig politician *Sir James Grant, 8th Baronet (1738–1811), Scottish member of parliament * ...

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 Dawlish is an English seaside resort town and civil parish in Teignbridge on the south coast of Devon, from the county town of Exeter and from the larger resort of Torquay. Its 2011 population of 11,312 was estimated at 13,355 in 2019. It is t ...

in Devon, England. This was the first European garden and crop of wheat grown in Victoria. Samuel Amess, a former mayor of Melbourne, purchased the island in 1872 and built the substantial home that still stands today. Remains of stone foundations from two unknown buildings are also preserved on the island. 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 The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

Cape Barren geese The Cape Barren goose (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae'') is a large goose resident in southern Australia. Etymology The species' common name is derived from Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers. It is known ...

can be frequently observed on the island.

References

Islands of Victoria (Australia) Phillip Island Western Port Victorian Heritage Register Bass Coast Shire {{Gippsland-geo-stub