It's been deemed New New Zealand Island - NNZI for short. And even though the small landmass' independence may not be officially recognised by Australia yet, a group of Kiwi ex-pats have jubilantly decided to poke Australia in the eye by claiming it as their own.
Six self-proclaimed pioneers are garnering plenty of attention and guffaws this week after erecting a Kiwi flag on the tiny island and claiming it in Jacinda Ardern's (unauthorised) name.
Located in the middle of Victoria's Golburn River - about two hours from Melbourne via car, followed by a brief wade through murky water - the island already has a website and Facebook page promoting immigration and tourism.
"New Zealand has an army of smaller islands but this will be the first offshore island of its kind. An island of New Zealand completely surrounded by another country; Australia," the group proclaimed on their new website.
"Australians, we are not here for war. We are just seeking recognition of our newly found land."
Jeremy Shanks, who works for a nature education company in the small town of about 900, told 1 NEWS he had thought about the conquest for a few years now as he passed it on his commute to work. Then over the weekend, a fellow Kiwi ex-pat celebrated his 25th birthday and wanted to sit home and do nothing, so the group came up with the ambitious counter-plan to make history instead.
"We decided that day was the day we needed to take the island," Mr Shanks said.
Local reactions have varied, he said.
Older locals support it with pride, he said, explaining that they seem to be oblivious to the fact it's not an Australian flag. Many younger Australians have discussed taking the island back by force, and a number of immigrants like himself have bandied about seizing control for their own homelands.
"We've had a Kenyan plan to take back the island," he said, as well as a Canadian and an acquaintance from the United Kingdom.
The founders say the emotions evoked by the island range from "the smell of fresh laundry" to "a Netflix login that your friend lets you use" to "free garlic bread with your pizza".
They plan to make it homier in coming weeks with a chilly bin and perhaps a few deck chairs, Mr Shanks said. But the island's full potential is not yet known, he said.
"The thing is the island hasn't been summited yet, so there's still much more to discover," he said.
The group said they would like recognition from Ms Ardern for "all the hard work over here on behalf of New Zealand".
So far, their phone hasn't rung.
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