Churchill Island is a 50.7 hectares (125.3 acres) island in Western Port, Victoria, Australia. It is connected by a bridge to Phillip Island. It is the site of the first European settlement in Victoria. It contains a working farm and a homestead, dating from 1872, which is open to the public.[1] The island adjoins the 670 hectares (1,656 acres) Churchill Island Marine National Park.[2] The island is maintained by Parks Victoria.
Churchill Island was first charted by Europeans in 1798 when George Bass and Matthew Flinders discovered the bay of Western Port and Phillip Island. In 1801, during the course of a survey of Western Port, Lieutenant James Grant built a cottage on the island, felled trees and planted seeds of wheat and corn there, naming the island for his friend John Churchill, who supplied the seeds.[1] This was the first European agricultral farm in Victoria. James Amess, a former mayor of Melbourne, purchased the island in 1872 and built the substantial home that still stands today.
From an Indigenous culture perspective Aborigianl middens and the remains of stone foundations are also preserved as the area of Western Port surrounding the island is listed under the Ramsar Convention.
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