The French Island, located in the south of Victoria, is the largest coastal island in Victoria, within the West Harbour (Western Port Bay), east of the Monington Peninsula (Mornington Peninsula).
The French scientist Jacques Khamelin (Jacques Hamelin) first surveyed the island in 1802 and named it French Island, and the first European settler in 1847 began to live on it.
Although the population of the island is estimated at about 60 people, the French Island does not have the necessary infrastructure for modern life, such as electricity, running water, the Internet, hospitals and so on. There is only a small grocery store and a post office, both in terms of the island's living and ecological environment. Some 70 per cent of the island is covered by French Island National Park (French Island National Park), which has a wide range of wildlife and diverse environments, including mangrove swamps, woodlands, etc. Besides, French Island is now the largest koala habitat in australia, and these furry little cuties are found everywhere in the large eucalyptus forest along the road. In addition to koalas, French Island have a rich variety of marine life, different depths, contours and orientations of the tidal channel system, forming a highly diverse habitat, including the surrounding waters of many sea grass beds. these seagrass beds multiply many commercially valuable species, such as the great stonehead fish (King George Whiting), black salmon (Black Bream) and yellow salmon (Yellow-eyed Mullet). Mudflats also breed a wide variety of benthos, such as worms and bivalve molluscs.
An isolated French Island, one of australia's most affected by the fires, broke out of control and late 2019 and early 2020 and gave emergency evacuation instructions to residents and tourists.
How to arrive:
- The Stonepoint (Stony Point) on the Monington Peninsula has a daily ferry to and from the French Island,wharf address: Stony Point Ferry Terminal;.
- Be aware that this is a passenger ferry, which can only take passengers, can not take cars, tourists in the French Island transport mainly rely on buses and bicycles (there are rents on the island);
- Ferry Company's official website: http://www.westernportferries.com.au/, please book in advance and pay close attention to the weather conditions before travel, the ferry may stop when the weather conditions deteriorate.
