Griffiths Island

Griffiths

The original mouth of the Moyne River, with the western end of Griffiths Island behind
Griffiths Location of Griffiths Island in Victoria
Etymology	Jonathan Griffiths
Geography
Location	Western District, Victoria
Coordinates	38°23′36″S 142°14′45″E / 38.39333°S 142.24583°E / -38.39333; 142.24583Coordinates: 38°23′36″S 142°14′45″E / 38.39333°S 142.24583°E / -38.39333; 142.24583
Adjacent bodies of water	Bass Strait, Southern Ocean
Total islands	3
Major islands	Griffiths Island
Area	31 ha (77 acres)
Length	1.5 km (0.93 mi)
Width	0.8 km (0.5 mi)
Administration
Australia

Griffiths Island Lighthouse

Location	Port Fairy Victoria Australia
Coordinates	38°23′06″S 142°15′04″E / 38.38500°S 142.25111°E / -38.38500; 142.25111
Year first lit	1859
Construction	bluestone tower
Tower shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern	white tower with red trim and lantern
Height	11 metres (36 feet)
Focal height	12.5 metres (41 feet)
Original lens	catadioptric lantern
Range	22 kilometres (14 miles)
Characteristic	Fl (2) W 10 s.
Admiralty number	K2146
NGA number	8028
ARLHS number	AUS-086
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Griffiths Island, sometimes incorrectly spelled as Griffith Island, lies at the mouth of the Moyne River next to, and within the bounds of, the town of Port Fairy, in the Western District of the state of Victoria in Australia. Griffiths now has no permanent inhabitants, but is connected to the mainland by a causeway and is accessible on foot. It forms part of the Port Fairy and Belfast Coastline Protection Reserve and, as well as being a tourist attraction, is an important site in the context of the history of European settlement of western Victoria. It is managed by the Moyne Shire Council.

There is little surviving evidence of Aboriginal use of the island, though it was visited by the local Gunditjmara people, who knew it as Moleen. Following commercial investigation of the western Victorian coast, it was named after John Griffiths, an entrepreneur and merchant from Launceston in northern Tasmania, who figures prominently in the early history of the area. From the mid 1830s until 1843 the island served as a base for a bay whaling station for Southern Right Whales, until the supply of whales was exhausted and the industry went into terminal decline. Some shipbuilding also took place during the 1840s. The abandoned whaling station buildings were later used until 1854 by Flora Dunlop, widow of Victorian politician Alexander Dunlop, as a ‘mission’ for young Aborigines. Because of its historic and archaeological significance, the island has been listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (H1659).