French Island is located in Western Port, Victoria, Australia, 61 km southeast of Melbourne. Western Port, sometimes referred to as Western Port Bay, is an inlet on the southern coast of Australia from Bass Strait and the Pacific Ocean For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 In 1997 about 70 per cent of the island was declared the French Island National Park, and is listed in the register of the National Estate. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar French Island National Park is located on French Island in Western Port, Victoria, Australia.
French Island is relatively isolated and undeveloped. There are no mains water, mains electricity, or medical services on the island. There is one small general store and post office located on Tankerton Road about 3km from Tankerton Jetty. Many of the locals actively promote environmental tourism. There is a range of accommodation from camping, Bed and Breakfast, Guesthouse, to McLeod Eco Farm (former prison farm).
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Access
There is easy access to the island by suburban train and ferry. Catch a train on the Frankston railway line to Frankston station; change trains to catch a diesel locomotive service on the Stony Point railway line to Stony Point, where it is a short walk along the jetty to catch the passenger ferry to Tankerton jetty on French Island. The Frankston railway line is a bay-side Suburban electrified railway in Melbourne, Australia. Frankston is a Railway station located on Young Street in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. The Stony Point line is a greater-metropolitan railway line in Melbourne, Australia. Stony Point is a Railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Crib Point, and the terminus of It is also possible to catch a passenger ferry from Cowes on Phillip Island. Cowes is the main township on Phillip Island in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Phillip Island is located about 140km away from Melbourne Named after Governor Arthur Phillip, Phillip Island in Victoria
Population
As of 2007 there are about 60 permanent residents on the Island with eleven children attending the Perseverance Primary School.
Natural Environment
Habitats range from coastal mangroves, swamps, heath, grasslands and blue gum forests. Most koala populations on the mainland of Australia are affected by the chlamydia disease. The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus is a thickset Arboreal Marsupial herbivore native to Australia, and the only extant French Island provides the world's most dense and disease free population of koalas, with regular transfer of excess koalas to repopulate diseased areas on the mainland. Shelter is provided for more than 100 species of bush orchids, and 260 species of birds. Significant species on the island include: King Quail, the Critically Endangered Orange-bellied Parrot, Fairy Tern, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Swamp Skink, Long-nosed Potoroo. The Asian Blue Quail, Coturnix chinensis also known as Chinese Painted Quail, King Quail or Blue-breasted Quail is in the same family Organisms with a conservation status of critically endangered have an extremely high risk of becoming extinct The Orange-bellied Parrot ( Neophema chrysogaster) is a small Broad-tailed parrot endemic to Australia. The Fairy Tern ( Sterna nereis) is a small Tern which occurs in the southwestern Pacific. The White-bellied Sea-eagle ( Haliaeetus leucogaster) and also known as the White-bellied Fish-eagle or White-breasted Sea Eagle, is a large The Long-nosed Potoroo ( Potorous tridactylus * is a species of Australian Potoroo. The island is one of only two places in Victoria where the invasive red fox is not present, which has enabled the island to maintain a variety of indigenous species which have been devastated by the predator elsewhere including Phillip Island. Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions The Red Fox ( Vulpes vulpes) is a Mammal of the order Carnivora. However rabbits, feral cats, feral goats, feral pigs, Indian Mynahs and starlings pose a threat to the island's biodiversity. Rabbits are small Mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times The Common Myna ( Acridotheres tristis) is a member of the Starling family Starlings are small to medium-sized Passerine Birds in the family Sturnidae.
Transport
As the only cars used on the island are by residents, the network of more than 40km of gravel roads and tracks are quiet and ideal for cycling. The island is generally flat or mildly undulating with the highest point being Mt Wellington (96 metres). Bicycles can be hired from the General Store, Macleod Eco Farm and Bayview. There is an abundance of walking tracks. Active pursuits include bushwalking, bird watching, horse riding, cycling, and as a base for deep sea fishing.
Two local tour companies, French Island Tours and French Island Eco Tours, can provide bus tours of the island by arrangement.
Camping
There is one free camping site in the National Park at Fairhaven, 4km up the coast road from Tankerton Jetty, where the ferry arrives from Stony Point. The camp site is set among trees near the beach, with one public toilet and a water tank. Other camping is available at "private sites" at Bayview and McLeod Eco Farm by arrangement.
History
- According to Aboriginal tribal songs, the Bunarong Tribe lived and hunted on French Island, until they were massacred by a warring Gippsland tribe
- April 1802 First discovered by Europeans when a French expedition from the ship La Naturaliste explored the area, naming it Île de Françoise, since anglicised as French Island. Western Port, sometimes referred to as Western Port Bay, is an inlet on the southern coast of Australia from Bass Strait and the Pacific Ocean The Mornington Peninsula is a Peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Western Year 1802 ( MDCCCII) was a Common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting on Wednesday of the
- 1847 First settled by William and John Gardner. Year 1847 ( MDCCCXLVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common
- 1880s Koalas introduced to the island. Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of Electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered
- 1890s Establishment of several village settlements, under Government settlement programs. The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the " Mauve Decade" because William Henry Perkin 's aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that Planting of chicory and establishment of some 30 chicory kilns.
- July 17, 1916 McLeod Prison Farm opens
- 1975 McLeod Prison Farm closes
- July 1997 about 70 per cent of the island declared as part of the French Island National Park. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar
- May 2002 waters directly north of French Island declared as French Island Marine National Park
External links
- French Island Ferry Service
- National Park page at Parks Victoria
- French Island Tourist Association(this link has expired) *French Island Eco Tours
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