Pope's Eye is the abandoned foundation of a island fort that began construction in the 1880s. At the time there was a fear of invasion from Russia, and Melbourne's current cannons could not properly defend the bay. As such, Sir William Jervoise began construction of the area now known as Pope's Eye.

During the fort's construction, new guns were developed which meant that the west channel could be properly defended from Swan Island. This made the fort's builders feel pretty foolish, as they had spent years shipping bluestone out to this area to build up the fort's foundations. The fort was never completed.

Today the area forms a horseshoe shaped annulus. The name "Pope's Eye" comes from midshipman Pope who originally discovered the sandy bank by almost running his ship aground.

Pope's eye forms a protected, artificial reef that is rich in bird, fish, and animal life, and is a proteted marine reserve. The inside of the 'eye' is protected from currents and is quite shallow, making it a perfect diving spot for snorklers, as well as new and returning divers.

As we discovered, outside the eye the current can be quite strong, although the scenery is much more impressive as the walls of the eye drop off towards the sea floor. Unfortunately, we didn't bring our camera this dive.

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