South Channel Fort, also known as South Channel Island, is a 0.7 ha artificial island in southern Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north-east of the town of Sorrento. It was part of a network of fortifications protecting the narrow entrance to Port Phillip. It is 122 m long, 76 m wide, and is 6.4 m above sea-level, and was built on a shoal, close to the main shipping channel of the bay, with 14,000 tonnes of bluestone boulders, concrete and sand. It was constructed during the 1880s as part of a defensive strategy to protect and control access by sea to Port Phillip and the cities of Melbourne and

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

. Its principal purpose was to illuminate the main shipping channel at night, and to explode mines under attacking ships which had breached the defences at

Port Phillip Heads The Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park is a marine protected area located in the vicinity of the bay of Port Phillip, between the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas, in Victoria, Australia. The marine national park comprises six separate s ...

. The fort still contains remnants of its original military equipment, including disappearing guns.

Construction

South Channel Fort was built with a protective ring of bluestone rocks which also provided a foundation. Concrete cylinders were then sunk through to the sandstone base rock below. Resting on these is a thick table of concrete and brick with atop the concrete structure of the fort. Sand was then placed on top of the gun emplacements to absorb impact from any projectiles.South Channel Fort - Visitors Guide
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Occupants

Between 1890 and 1916 over 100 officers and men lived on the island, serving as mechanics, artillery-men and maintenance. Gradually, the increased range, rapidity of fire and efficiency of coastal defence guns allowed the entrance to Port Phillip to be protected by guns at Fort Nepean and Queenscliff. This led to South Channel Fort becoming redundant and it was deserted by the military.

Layout

Gun emplacements

There are a number of gun emplacements whose function was for artillery defence of the shipping channel, artillery protection and defence against enemy landings.

Underground "Keep"

The layout of the underground keep is a labyrinth of passages, small lobbies, magazines and a kitchen, carefully designed to ensure the safe and efficient handling of ammunition and gunpowder underground. It was constructed with red-gum timber and mass concrete. Beneath the keep is the test room from which the minefield in the South Channel was controlled and tested. The mines were placed so that they would explode below attacking ships.

Battery Observation Post

The post was built to protect the fort commander from gunfire. Constructed in 1905, it contains a plinth for a range finder, and fire control positions. It also has the best strategic view of the island and Port Phillip.

Marine life

The waters of Port Phillip surround the island. The rocks that make up the fort provide a habitat for a range of marine organisms, including kelp forests and invertebrates that attach to the rocks. Colourful sponges and

soft corals Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals. In addition to the fleshy soft corals, the order Alcyonacea now contains all species previously known as "gorgonian corals", that produce a more or less hard skeleton, though quite different f ...

grow amongst the rocks and jetty structures. The small torpedo bay supports areas of seagrass, and many fish can be seen there as well as under the pier. Disappearing-gun-mount

South Channel Fort was listed on the now-defunct

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

, both for its historic significance and its conservation importance as a breeding site for the white-faced storm-petrel. The site is within the boundaries of the Swan Bay and Port Phillip Bay Islands Important Bird Area, identified as such by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

. Other species visiting the island include

little penguin The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is a species of penguin from New Zealand. They are commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage and are also known by their Māori name . The Australian lit ...

black-faced cormorant The black-faced cormorant (''Phalacrocorax fuscescens''), also known as the black-faced shag, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. Upperparts, including facial skin and bill, are black, with white underparts. It is endemic to coas ...

s and

Australian fur seal The brown fur seal (''Arctocephalus pusillus''), also known as the Cape fur seal, South African fur seal and Australian fur seal, is a species of fur seal. Description The brown fur seal is the largest and most robust member of the fur seals. ...

s. Since 1995, it has been managed as part of the Mornington Peninsula National Park. Public access is permitted during daylight hours and it is a popular diving site.

References

External links

* {{Recreational dive sites, reesit Islands of Victoria (state) Artificial islands of Australia Forts in Australia Military installations in Victoria (state) Sea forts Port Phillip Underwater diving sites in Australia 1880s establishments in Australia Victorian Heritage Register Greater Melbourne (region) Unincorporated areas of Victoria (state) Mornington Peninsula