Friends of French Island National Park

22/10/2026

FoFI Wildflower Activity - SAT 17TH October

16 of us were very fortunate to have a lovely sunny day for our wildflower exploration and most fortunate to have Mitch Burrows from Parks Victoria to lead our activity. His expert knowledge in local flora and ability to convey this was great. We also had along with us Lexi who has just compiled her Masters in Botany. So we were well served with expertise. Mitch chose 3 fire break areas for us to explore, around the swamp marshes. Driving to the locations we saw massive amounts of flowering Tee Tree, they covered the whole vista like a winter wonderland.

At the fire breaks we saw lots of purple orchids, numerous Blue Star and others included the Purple Wax Lips, Pink Fingers and Pink Fairies. The Purple Flag Lillies were also out and the delicate Milkmaids. There were many other types of Lillies and Orchids that can be seen in the photos. At our last stop, Yellow Paper Daisies were abundant. Just when we were about to return to Tankerton, Lexi spotted a lovely Fying Duck Orchid topping off a great day in the field.

With thanks to Mitch for his leadership and Kay for co-ordinating the day.

Ann

27/09/2026

FoFI Wildflower walk and Habitat Restoration- 19 Sept 2026

Our group of 10, including Sophie, our Parks Victoria ranger, found ourselves out and about French Island on a gloriously sunny day. Our activity involved monitoring the presence of the South African Orchid w**d (DISA) along the Coast Road and Red Bill Break, with careful hand removal of the few plants remaining. The scarcity of the w**d is testimony to the vigilant work of Parks Victoria rangers over the past decade, and monitoring is paramount to its future management and containment.

Determined volunteers also worked with great perseverance on a patch of Bridal Creeper that was deceptively well developed underground, unearthing some monstrous bulbs.

As we travelled along the roads and tracks we kept a keen lookout for all flowering plants - always a delight to see the varied flowers of Tea-trees, Melaleucas, Pimeleas, Leucopogon, Epacris and Acacias in their varying stages of bloom. Clematis climbers running riot and various plants budding up such as the Tufted Blue Lily and grasses Xanthorrea and Austrostipa. The odd Donkey Orchid flicking its ears.

We popped up to The Pinnacles to check out the expansive view of Western Port Bay and the planting of indigenous tube stock done around Meredith's Platform just over a year ago. The plant guards and stakes were removed with a high survival rate noted.

The day was tinged with both sadness and optimism as our ranger Sophie is planning to continue her work with Parks Victoria on the mainland. She will be dearly missed for her hands on approach to field work, her resulting knowledge of what's going on out there in the National Park, and her friendly competent leadership on our FOFI activities over the past few years.

As we sat having lunch (and cake!) out in the middle of nowhere/everywhere, it was an apt last hurrah and tribute to farewell Sophie.

Thanks to Sophie for leading the day and to Kay for co-ordinating the event and to the volunteers for all their efforts on the day.

18/08/2026

FoFI Habitat Restoration - 15 August 2026
Calm and fine weather was perfect for our activity, eight FoFI members joined ranger Dave at Tankerton. Dave gave an informative run down of our activity, which was to remove Sweet Pittosporum, which is not native to French Island. With map in hand Dave indicated the area we were to work which was along the north side of the Coastal Rd near the Pinnacles Track. The larger Pittosporums had previously been removed, so the focus of the day was to search and pull out any smaller Pittosporum that remained. This was no easy task as the area is covered in dense tall bracken. We formed a line, with the more nimble members on the the slop and others on the flat. It was slow going making our way through the bracken searching for the small hidden seedlings. Along the way we came across a number of beautiful plants in flower.

We had lunch on the beach and on the muddy track to the beach, Martin pointed out the Long-nosed Potoroo foot prints that had completed covered the track. They must have had a very busy night and good signs for the Potoroo population. After lunch we worked in the opposite direction along the Coastal Rd to complete the work within the area that had been marked out for us. Dave estimated that we removed around 200 of the buggers. Thanks to Ranger Dave we had a productive day. And to Christine for organising the FoFI members.

Ann

29/07/2026

H5 Bird Flu

You may be aware that the H5 bird flu has reached the shores of Australia. It has not yet reached Victoria or French Island. But it is likely that sometime in the future we will see incidents of it here.

As of 9.00 am AEST, 29 July 2026, the Australian Government says
Australia has 27 confirmed detections of H5 bird flu in wild seabirds.
10 in Western Australia (WA)
14 in South Australia (SA)
2 in New South Wales (NSW)
1 in Queensland (QLD).
https://www.agriculture.gov.au/campaigns/birdflu

This is the serious H5 bird flu strain that has been circulating globally.

The Agriculture Victoria website advises that:
‘Overseas, the highly contagious H5 strain has caused severe disease and high death rates in poultry, wild birds and other wildlife species. Human cases are rare and not easily transmitted between people, and there are currently no detections in Victoria.’
https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/animal-diseases/poultry-diseases/H5N1-avian-influenza-H5-bird-flu

The Biodiversity Council in conjunction with Birdlife Australia recently published a webinar on the implications of H5 bird flu in Australia. Here is the link:
https://biodiversitycouncil.org.au/news/webinar-h5n1-bird-flu-and-australian-wildlife

Initially the bird flu arrived on Australian shores via sea birds from Sub Antarctic. In the last few days a number of Crested Terns in SA have been infected with bird flu. This suggests that H5 bird flu has entered the local population of native birds.

We don’t know yet exactly how the H5 bird flu will affect French Island. However, based on the unfolding spread of the virus so far in Australia, and the information currently available, it is possible that up to 41 species of native waterbirds, 2 species of exotic waterbirds, 2 species of Neophema’s (Orange-bellied and Blue-winged Parrots) and 5 species of birds of prey, recorded in Western Port, could be affected on French Island.

Wildlife Health Australia along with BirdLife Australia and other government agencies are advising that if you see a sick or dead bird around you are asked to:

AVOID contact with sick or dead wildlife and their environment.
Observe from a distance and keep pets away.
RECORD what you see, the location the animal was found,
and take photos or video if it is safe to do so.
REPORT any unusual sickness or mass mortality events in wildlife
via the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
https://wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Resource-Centre/H5-bird-flu

Experts unpack the potential impacts of bird flu on at-risk species and ecosystems, and identify urgent actions needed today to improve Australia's response.

25/07/2026

Habitat Restoration - French Island - 18 July 2026

Last weekend, Nine FOFI members met at Tankerton to commence the walk along the Coastal Walking track to Scott’s Beach. We were led by Alison, the new Ranger-Team Leader for French Island National Park. Many of the members had not had the pleasure of this delightful bush walk which is a most pleasant alternative to walking along Coast Road.

Once we reached Scott’s Beach the group divided with some going left, and others to the right with the aim of pulling out Sea Spurge as well as pick up rubbish along the beach. It was an extremely low tide and we filled the ranger’s tray with rubbish but very little spurge was located.

After lunch at Fairhaven Camping Ground more rubbish was collected. It was such a glorious sunny day with virtually no wind, so it was a great way to spend an afternoon which was topped off by a visit to Mick’s Lookout with its fabulous coastal views - again a first for many of the group.
A successful and relaxing day.

Report by Christine

16/07/2026

FoFI Bird Survey - Rams Island and West Coast of French Island - 27 June 2026

While Richard and his team headed off to Tortoise Head on 27 June, and Martin and his team headed off to The Duck Splash, our group consisting of Kath, Andrée, Antionette, Jo and myself made our way to Rams Island and then to a number of places along the west coast of French Island. In all a high calibre wader survey team!

Rams Island was encapsulated with fog and with a little guesswork we found what we assumed were Double-banded Plovers and several Pied Oystercatchers. We made sure not to get to close to the Rams Island so as not to disturb any birds there. We did spy one medium sized wader which I initially thought could have been a Ruddy Turnstone but the fog increased bringing visibility to zero. Then at Bird Rock, it could have been towed out to sea for all we knew. “Fair is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air.” That’s Macbeth if you were wondering.

The aforementioned fog did indeed lift, bursts of sunshine, three cheers! First stop Scotts Beach, many birds including some Red-capped Plover and overwintering Red-necked Stints and whilst on the beach some 30 Yellow-tailed Cockatoos alighted briefly but noisily back at the Scott homestead. What a racket and what a great sound they make.

On to Chilcott Rocks where by now the tide was receding at a rate of knots, with some more Red Caps, Red-necked Stints and many other species in attendance. It was here we detected a lone Eastern Curlew way off on the mud flats.

If a more idyllic and peaceful spot than the Fairhaven camp ground could be found, I’d like to know about it (mozzies were near on zero). It is here where we indulged in our humble fare, although Andrée’s sourdough starter biscuits were next level and Antoinette’s cake, well, it was not baked with the masses in mind.

An adorable little Swamp Rat was so confiding near our lunch spot we thought he was someone’s pet, acrobatic little chap jumping around and entertaining us. Another great day appreciating the beauty of Nature on French Island.

With thanks to our amazing team and to Kath for organising the FoFI day.

Report by Des Palmer

11/07/2026

Bird Survey - Duck Splash - 27 June 2026

While Richard and his team headed off to Tortoise Head on 27 June, our group, consisting of Scott, Gerard, Anita and myself, traveled to the distant, extensive saltmarsh and wetland habitat at Duck Splash on French Island’s north coast.

Passing Tankerton saltmarsh before the bridge, we noted numerous little upside down ‘tents’ in the fog-laden grass and ground vegetation. These were the webs of Tent Spiders, tiny invertebrates that are rarely seen until fine moisture droplets highlight their delicate webs.

Along the way we stopped at Mini Inlet on the west coast. Arriving at Mini Inlet the foggy conditions had lifted a bit and the soft sounds of waterbirds rippled thru to our ears, Black Swans with their bugle-like calls, Chestnut Teal (and some Grey Teal) gave their humorous, laughing calls, while further up the beach a large flock of noisy Masked Lapwings took to the air by an unknown disturbance. As is often the case here, a sizeable flock of Australian Pied Oystercatchers was in the saltmarsh just back from the beach. A flock of White-faced Heron took of from the saltmarsh, while the honking of a pair of Australasian Shelduck added to the nature sounds around us.

Unfortunately, as we tried to get access to The Ducks Splash, we were unable to get through the locked gate. So we decided to explore the French Island’s south coast near Peck’s Point via The Anchorage road as these locations provided good options for coastal views of waterbirds. However on our way there, we got bogged in The Anchorage, which was quite wet with deep puddles. Scott’s islander status and knowledge came to the fore and with some neighbourly help it wasn’t long before the vehicle was out of the potholes and ready to transport our group east along the coast.

This delay was fortuitous, for while Scott sorted the vehicle, we walked west along the saltmarsh/mangrove margin, spying a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles that was in one of Sea-Eagles Guard Roost trees. Then back in the car on the way to Peck’s Point, we sighted an Eastern Osprey, a new species for the island.

The day didn’t turn out as expected, yet we experienced a deep richness in Nature. Our wader count day had become a bird-of-prey day, with seven species observed: Swamp Harrier, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Eastern Osprey, Brown Falcon, Whistling Kite, Nankeen Kestral and Collared Sparrowhawk.

A big thanks to Scott for his French Island knowledge, navigation and dealing with our bogged car on The Anchorage. And to Kath Shain for organising the FoFI Bird Survey day.

Report by Martin O’Brien

01/07/2026

FoFI Bird Survey - Tortoise Head - Saturday, 27 June 2026

We conducted the winter bird survey to Tortoise Head on French Island on Saturday. With an outgoing tide and thick foggy conditions, our intrepid team set off for Tortoise Head. Our lineup consisted of Richard (team leader), Madeleine, Bill, Christine, and Sue.

As we ventured between Tankerton Road and the saltmarsh, we spotted various birds, including Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Caspian Tern, Little Black and Little Pied Cormorants, Mistletoebird, White-faced Heron, and Great Egret.

On the coastal saltmarsh, water levels in the pools and channels were unusually high, requiring a slower and more cautious approach. None of us were keen on an unscheduled swim with all our gear!

As the fog lifted, the weather transformed into glorious conditions. Scores of Chestnut Teal (including fledglings), Black Swans, and Australian Shelducks, were observed. Three loudly calling Whistling Kites circled above them, while Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos flew along the conifer tree line. A White-bellied Sea-Eagle was perched near the old landmark eagles’ nest. Other recorded species included Grey Currawong, Australian Pipit, White-fronted Chat, White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Thornbill, and Cape Barren Geese.

By the time we reached the beach section before Tortoise Head, the tide had dropped significantly. Small waders were scattered across the exposed rocks, with 8 Double-banded Plover, fourteen Red-capped Plover, and 6 Red-necked Stint recorded. A single Sooty Oystercatcher and more Pied Oystercatchers watched us warily from the shoreline.

As we trudged towards Tortoise Head, we spotted a Nankeen Kestrel, two Swamp Harriers, and a surprise of the day – a Little Eagle gliding effortlessly above us. We also noticed a Golden-headed Cisticola and sambar deer tracks in the damp sand.

Our favourite target species, Eastern curlews, were nowhere to be found. Instead, a mob of Pied and Little Pied Cormorants commanded positions on the rocky spur, while four Australian Pelicans flew by.

A beautiful day out and thank you to Kath Shain and FoFI for organising this event.

Tortoise Head Team Report by Sue Keirnan

Attached photos are by Sue Keirnan:

30/06/2026

On Saturday, 27 June, the FoFI team set off in three different directions on French Island for the winter bird survey. Here is the team. The reports of each team will follow soon.

11/06/2026

Parks Victoria - New Arrangement for Volunteers - 2026

Parks Victoria recently announced new arrangements for volunteers wanting to assist in the National Parks. Here are the relevent changes:

# Only volunteers legally deemed to require a Working with Children Check (WWCC) under the Worker Screening Act 2020 need one.
# Everyday volunteers will no longer be required to hold a ParkConnect account, unless requested to by their group.
# Duration of Volunteer Activity Plans (VAPs) will be extended from 1 year to as long as 3 years to allow for longer-term planning.
# A new dedicated Volunteer Resource Hub is now available on the Parks Victoria website with resources for group leaders, current volunteers, and people interested in volunteering for the first time.

This will mean it will now be easier to become a member of the Friends of French Island (FoFI)and volunteer on our various activities. As an everyday member of FoFI you will no longer have to register with Park Connect. And you will no longer have to provide a working with children’s check.

So if you interested in taking part in the Friends of French Island activities, contact me for a membership application form at: [email protected]

Helen Lucas - FoFI Secretary