The first farm in Victoria – Churchill Island
Churchill Island
Churchill Island is where you can experience life on a working Australian farm. Meet some Aussie farmers who will put on a whip cracking display, watch the working dogs in action and discover how to shear a sheep.
Located just off Phillip Island, a couple of hours drive from Melbourne, Churchill Island offers a chance to step back in time. From the mid-1800’s European settlers came to set up farms in areas around Melbourne, and this was the first place that was used for agricultural activities.
The property was purchased by former Melbourne mayor Samuel Amess in the 1870’s. The holiday home that he built on the island still stands today and you can step inside to go back in time and imagine what life used to be like in those times.
Churchill Island is an easy drive across the bridge from Phillip Island – so on our day trip from Melbourne we stop in to see the farm animals including horses, cows and sheep. We also get to see the working farm dogs in action rounding up the sheep in the paddock under the watchful direction of the farmers. There’s also a display of sheep shearing in the sheds and we watch the farmers show off their skills at cracking the whip.