French Island's vineyards are among the main attractions. Photo / Supplied
Standing in rugged natural habitat at the entrance to French Island Vineyards, co-owner Andrew Hatton asks if anyone has been to French Island before. There's a dozen of us on the Naturaliste Wines, Vines and Vistas tour and not one puts up their hand.
"Okay, anyone heard of French Island before today?" We look at each other with blank expressions.
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"That's okay – most people from Melbourne don't even know about us," says Hatton, whose parents bought the farm 30 years ago as a contrast to their busy Melbourne city lifestyle. "We're so far behind, we're miles ahead."
He admits that he wasn't keen on the island at all. For one, there was no nightlife. But after "about two visits", he couldn't get enough of the place.
"Catching snapper at the reef or taking a bottle of pinot gris with you to pick oysters at low tide – it's amazing," says Andrew. "The whole time I've been walking on the beach in 30 years, I've bumped into a person only once."
The unique environment has also benefitted the wine, which is renowned for its adventurous character. Hatton credits the cool maritime climate, pristine environment, sandstone soil and distinct insect life, as well as being totally off the grid.
The vines are all hand-pruned and hand-picked at optimum ripeness, and bottled onsite by winemaker Peter Hatton, Andrew's brother.
Sitting in a light-filled extension to the main historic homestead, looking out at a kookaburra on a stump, a koala in a tree and coastal bush views, we try pinot gris, pinot noir and shiraz.
The tasting is accompanied by a charcuterie platter of bread cooked on a wood fire, preserves such as fig jam and red capsicum relish, chorizo and prosciutto, fat olives, and thick cuts of goat cheese, cheddar and triple brie.
Over woodfired fig and prosciutto pizzas later, we hear about Hatton's plans for a small cider orchard to add to the two vineyards on the island. We're also shown Elizabeth Island across the bay, home to just one resident - people visiting there often canoe or sail over to the vineyard.
It's the isolation that has kept the wildlife, wilderness, and some would say people, untamed. There's no local government here, so no one pays rates and the islanders look after their own affairs.
Tour guide Linda Bowden has lived on the island for 10 years, coming for respite after giving up a corporate life in the banking industry.
"You definitely learn to live within your means here," says Bowden. "The world has become very fast, people come here for freedom. You sit here for a couple of days and have time out."
The island with no town, no church and no pub also drew the attention of singer Kylie Minogue and her family, who previously owned Beauciel (translated as Beautiful Sky), a property where she spent time recovering from cancer treatment, far from the glitz of her showbiz life.
Bowden recalls the Minogues as being very family-oriented, and down to earth - heading to the general store for a pie or donating money for the island's first defibrillator.
"You need to have good strong families to make things work here," she says.
One of the original families, the Thompsons, are still well represented on the island and recently celebrated 125 years of the family name here. One of the clan, Rose Scott (87), is the island's oldest resident and her home has a ballroom, which has seen plenty of dancing and fun over the years.
"The original families bashed their way through the bush to create industry on the island," Bowden says. "There's been chicory farming, harvesting seagrass for house insulation, brick and salt making, but, mostly sheep then cattle farming."
Across from Scott's home is the salt marsh, where up to 20 bird species can congregate – some from as far away as Siberia, others from Antarctica. We see eggs on the sand, and black swans bobbing in the bay.
We're offered samphire – a salty succulent with a crunchy thin bean texture and a salty anchovy taste, before being driven in a custom-built 4WD past paddocks filled with angus cattle, echidna waddling on the side of roads and baby magpies resting in tree branches between flight training.
Driving past a rusted general store and an old brick war memorial hall, it's easy to imagine what life was like back in the day - because it hasn't changed. It's still two-thirds national park with only around 120 residents (half permanent).
What it lacks in human population, the island makes up for in wildlife and has Australia's largest koala community, even exporting them to the mainland and international zoos.
There's also a former prison. It's been bought by a Chinese-based company that is thought to have plans to turn it into a major tourism attraction complete with aged care, a business centre and hot springs. Not everyone's keen on the idea.
"It's a recurring thing – all the time trying to protect the island," says Bowden, showing us where a nuclear power plant was going to be based before protests stopped it. "It's about keeping things like they are. If you come here thinking you want to change it, don't come."
The last stop on the tour, after a rough ride through thick Messmate Forest, is to Pobblebonk Swamp. Linda brings up the Melbourne Water Frog Census app, which finds frog noises specific to your location. We play one and listen for the frogs in the swamp to return the call. But, even the frogs on the island don't like to be told what to do and there's silence.
It's an interesting end to a unique island and vineyard tour, one for those who love nature as much as they love good food and wine.
I leave hoping that not too many people will answer "Yes" next time Andrew Hatton asks if anyone has visited before. French Island is a secret worth keeping.
Getting there
French Island is an hour and a half's drive northeast from Melbourne on westernportferries.com.au, then a 10-minute ferry crossing from Stony Point.
The Wines, Vines and Vistas French Island tour is $137 for adults and $74 for children, including ferry, wine tasting, charcuterie board and lunch
naturalistetours.com.au
For French Island Vineyard opening hours outside of the tours, visit fiv.com.au
Staying there
Try glamping in a luxury bell tent frenchislandglamping.com.au
The chef chats to Herald Travel about unforgettable foodie experiences in Aotearoa.