Friends of Griffiths Island

Learn More
https://www.facebook.com/FOGIPF

Address
Railway Place
Port Fairy, VIC 3284

Contact Information
fogipf@gmail.com
0409428832

About Us

Griffiths Island is a sanctuary for plants, birds and animals with a large breeding colony of short-tailed shearwaters.
Friends of Griffith Island (FOGI) focuses on protecting the ecology of Griffiths Island and supporting it as a major tourist attraction.
The Friends of Griffiths Island aims to protect and enhance the natural and cultural environment of Griffiths Island and its environs.

https://www.griffithsisland.org/
  • protect indigenous flora, fauna and migratory bird species.
  • protect its geological features.
  • revegetate it with native flora 
  • control introduced wildlife predators.
  • enhance visitor experience with minimal impact on its ecology.
  • utilise Griffiths it as a place of community education.

Description

Griffiths Island is a beautiful island adjoining the Moyne River close to the town of Port Fairy about 280 km South West of Melbourne. It boasts stunning coastal views and is a wildlife reserve for plants, birds and animals. It is about 37 hectares in size and 1.5 km x 1 km and takes about 1 hour to walk the 2.9km path around it. However, parts of the walk are quite difficult to negotiate. 

 

History

Griffiths Island was originally 3 separate islands. Little is known of the time before the arrival of whalers on the island. Whaling was conducted from Griffiths Island from 1835 to 1845. In 1859 the lighthouse was built and a lighthouse keeper’s cottage was constructed with a keeper in residence till 1954. Infill from the construction of the training walls designed to keep the Moyne River open for shipping resulted in the joining of the 3 islands.

Revegetation 

Griffiths Island is inundated with feral weeds. Our goal is to provide habitat for a greater range of birds and animals by planting suitable species and reduce introduced species such as sea spurge. A  revegetation plot of indigenous plants has been established with a fence to keep out the wallabies that live on the island.

Switch off for Shearwaters :

Every year, Short-tailed Shearwaters embark on an extraordinary migration, travelling over 15,000 km to return to their nesting grounds on Griffiths Island in September. In April the adults migrate to the Aleutian Islands leaving their chicks behind to learn to fly, learn to fish and find their own way to the Aleutian Islands.

During April, help us by: Switching off external house lighting; Shielding bright external lights; Keeping an eye out for the young Shearwaters landing in unusual places, in and around town.

Donate to Support FOGI’s work

Contact FOGI to find out how you can be involved

 

Areas of Interest