Moyenne Island

Moyenne island from the sea by Jean-Francis Martin
Moyenne Island Show map of Seychelles Moyenne Island Show map of Indian Ocean
Geography
Location	Seychelles, Indian Ocean
Coordinates	4°37′10″S 55°30′31″E / 4.61944°S 55.50861°E / -4.61944; 55.50861
Archipelago	Inner Islands, Seychelles
Adjacent to	Indian Ocean
Total islands	1
Major islands	Moyenne Island
Area	0.099 km2 (0.038 sq mi)
Length	0.4 km (0.25 mi)
Width	0.3 km (0.19 mi)
Coastline	1.7 km (1.06 mi)
Highest elevation	61 m (200 ft)
Highest point	Mont Moyenne
Administration
Seychelles
Group	Granitic Seychelles
Sub-Group	Mahe Islands
Sub-Group	Ste. Anne Islands
Districts	Mont Fleuri
Largest settlement	Anse Creole Travel Services (pop. 1)
Demographics
Population	1 (2014)
Pop. density	10.1/km2 (26.2/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Creole, French, East Africans, Indians.
Additional information
Time zone	SCT (UTC+4)
ISO code	SC-18
Official website	www.seychelles.travel/en/discover/the-islands/

Moyenne Island is a small island (9.9 ha or 24 acres) in the Sainte Anne Marine National Park off the north coast of Mahé, Seychelles. Since the 1970s onwards, it has been a flora and fauna reserve. From 1915 until the 1960s, the island was abandoned until its purchase by Brendon Grimshaw for £8,000 (about 10,000 dollars). He was a newspaper editor from Dewsbury in Yorkshire, England.

Grimshaw was the only inhabitant of the island until his death in July 2012.^[1] The island is now a national park and can be visited as part of organized trips.^[2][3]

History

Information board on Moyenne (March 2016)

The island's name was derived from the French moyenne, "middle." It was supposedly used by pirates in the 18th and 19th centuries, and contains two graves called pirate graves.

From 1946 to 1962 the island was owned by the late Philippe Georges. He and his wife Vera Georges had lived on the island in the early years and later moved to Mahé where they lived on the property known as Fairview. A view on the island and a beach were named after Vera who spent her days on the property while her husband Philippe worked on Mahe during the day.

Philippe sold the island to Brendon Grimshaw after they had dinner together. Philippe and Vera were very hospitable and invited Brendon to supper when he approached them to buy their island. An agreement was reached after an extended dinner. Grimshaw purchased the island in 1962 for £8000 (equivalent to £182,000 in 2021).^[4]

Grimshaw and local youth René Antoine Lafortune^[5] planted sixteen thousand trees, built 4.8 kilometres (3 mi) of nature paths, and brought and bred Aldabra giant tortoises, intending to create an island of extraordinary beauty. Apart from a wide variety of plant and bird life, the island is home to nearly 50 giant tortoises.^[6] In 2012, according to Grimshaw, the eldest was 76, and was named Desmond, after his godson.

In 1996, Grimshaw wrote a book about himself and the island, entitled A Grain of Sand.^[7] In 2009, a documentary film was produced about Grimshaw and the island, also called, A Grain of Sand.^[8][9]

After 20 years of persistence, Grimshaw and his assistant Lafortune achieved their goal of making Moyenne Island a national park in its own right,^[10] separate from the circumjacent Sainte Anne Marine National Park. The island is now known as the Moyenne Island National Park.^[11] The island is 4.5 kilometres (2+1⁄2 nautical miles) away from the main island of Mahé.

Lafortune died in 2007 and Grimshaw died in Victoria, Mahé, in July 2012.^[12]

In 2013, after the island received its own national park status, a new hut was built and a warden was posted on the island, collecting the entrance fee from tourists.^[13]

Administration

The island belongs to Mont Fleuri District.^[14]

Tourism

Today, the island's main industry is tourism, and it is known for its beaches. Behind the restaurant is the local warden's house.

Image gallery

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  Map 1
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  Moyenne Island
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  Mahé Island View
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  Moyenne island

References

External links

• Media related to Moyenne at Wikimedia Commons
• Moyenne Island Guide