Many times over my years of visits to Oz, people would mention Bruny Island, or ask if I'd been there, which I hadn't. So Nadine and I decided to go check it out, as it is only an hour or so south of Hobart with just a short ferry ride. Whenever we mentioned to people that we were planning to visit, the response was always, 'Oh, Bruny is beautiful!'
First glimpse looked brown and spare!
So off we went! Bruny was beautiful, but we suspected that our eyes might be getting a little jaded from all the other wild, spectacular places we had recently visited. Unlike the South-West and Tasman Peninsula, Bruny is more rural than wild, with lots of paddocks and small scattered settlements. It is seeking tourists with some excellent eating establishments and ocean cruises.
It has a north and south island with a narrow 'neck' joining the two. Here there is a monument to the Truganini, daughter of Mangana, Chief of the Bruny Island People. She was born on Bruny, but died on Flinders Island in the Bass Straight and is widely considered the last full-blooded speaker of a Tasmanian indigenous language (although as things go these days, this distinction is challenged by the facts!) As I mentioned before, there are still populations of indigenous peoples in Tasmania and Bruny Island has been the site of a land transfer to the aborigines.
Bruny also has a long history of famous mariners visiting. Adventure Bay on the south island was the first place ships could moor after arriving from South Africa, as the other Tasmanian coast was too rugged. It touted names like Tobias Furneaux, Captain Cook and William Bligh. It was named after a French explorer, Bruni d'Entrecasteaux.
Sunset near our Airbnb in Lunawanna on the south island. We had chickens at the back door and wallabies hopped around the nearby road and next door paddock in the evenings. One could see the brilliance of the stars at night as there was little in the way of light pollution. There was a community center, but no store - the nearest store was in Alonnah 10 - 15 minutes away. Many of the roads were gravel. So we found ourselves driving quite a bit from one place to another.
Our favorite food experience were the oysters from a place called 'Get Shucked'! They grow the oysters in the bay directly opposite the store, so one can't get them any fresher. They were huge and very delicious! I normally don't eat them in the USA, as I don't trust their freshness, but these were superb. We ate lunch there both days we were on the island.
One could get them cooked or raw, but apart from a very nice garden salad, oysters were all that was on the menu.
I was glad I didn't have to shuck them - it looked difficult!
These were the floats that they hang from in the bay.
And these are the trays that the oysters grow in.
The highlight of our visit was a wildlife cruise we took from Adventure Bay. They covered us in head to toe rain-gear and doled out ginger tablets for seasickness - so one suspected this might get serious! While it was exciting to get up close to rocks, caves, (seaweed!), seals and dolphins, the highlight was experiencing the mighty swell of the southern ocean arriving straight from the Antarctic!
I was glad for the rain-gear, as it did get wet sometimes, both from the ocean and the rain. It was also fabulous for cutting the wind. As we were going out, we were travelling at 20 knots and the wind was blowing from the south at 20 knots - so think of it being like a cold tropical storm! I was glad I'd put on my fleece!
It's an odd person who gets excited by seaweed - but here I am. I was really fascinated by the size of the hold-fasts that allows this kelp to stay stuck to the rocks in the heavy seas! It has commercial applications as a source of iodine and is also used in ice-cream. Oddly enough, it gets shipped to Scotland where it is processed.
The drama of a blowhole up close was a great deal of fun and we experienced other shenanigans of cruising between rock pillars and going into caves that I couldn't get good photos of, but were very thrilling!
Naturally, the highlight was the seals at the Friars - this guy was particularly cute!
On the whole they looked as if life was pretty easy, but they stink!!!!!
Just chillin', dudes.
The ocean was dramatic here. I was praying the engines were in good condition!
And through these rocks is nothing until one gets to Antarctica. Brrrr!
We also enjoyed Bruny Lighthouse - a very small settlement at the most southerly point. With it's convict history and tales of lighthouse keeper woes.
This is the southernmost point of Bruny Island. You can see the lighthouse on the right.
We walked down to the beach - the rocks out to sea on the right are the Friars where we saw the seals.
There was a wall that marked where the convicts had built a garden here, and a little graveyard where two of the lighthouse keepers children were buried. It was a hard life I think!
A few other wildlife treats were a glimpse of the albino wallabies, which Bruny is renowned for and our final treat was a sighting of a fairy penguin coming up the beach in the dark. We had a spotlight from our hosts, covered in red cellophane that allowed us to see the little guy without scaring him off. But no picture.
Here's a sunset instead! Hope you enjoy!
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