Just 70km from Melbourne yet only accessible by ferry, French Island in Western Port Bay remains a remote haven hidden in plain sight. With a population of just 139, residents live entirely off-grid, and most prefer it that way. The island’s isolation is both its greatest appeal and its biggest drawback.
Unlike nearby Phillip Island, which boasts a bridge, a motorcycle grand prix, and nearly 14,000 residents, French Island is twice the size but reachable only by an expensive, intermittent two-car barge from Corinella or a passenger ferry from Stony Point. There is no public transport, no pub, no police station, no town water, mains power, or waste collection. The closest doctor is on the mainland.
“We feel we’ve got the best of both worlds,” says Lois Airs, a fourth-generation local. “We’ve got the quiet country life, we’ve got the mainland to go to, it just takes all the organising to have your nights out and your days away.”
The island’s history includes being traditional land of the Boon Wurrung people, used as a hunting and foraging ground. Colonists named it French Island after the Baudin expedition’s ship Naturaliste stopped there in 1802. Early non-Aboriginal residents were pastoralists, and later a prison farm operated from 1915 to 1976. The prison site, now heritage-listed, was sold in 2018 to a Chinese consortium for a resort, but the project stalled due to community opposition.
Tourists visit for wildlife, including ibis, royal spoonbills, and tiger snakes. Most get around by bicycle, hired from the island’s only general store, which also serves as a post office and accommodation provider. The island is an unincorporated territory with no local council, and residents value their self-governance.
