Bruny Island

Bruny Island is a piece of the real, raw Tasmania. The island is a 30 km drive south of Hobart and home to seals, penguins, oyster farms and Australia's southern most vineyard. Bruny is made up of the north and south islands that are connected by an isthmus, which I like to think of as a big spit-like natural bridge.



For around $25 you can drive onto the ferry from Kettering and drive onto the island within 15 minutes. This ferry wasn't quite like the one my Contiki bus boarded from Dover, England to Calais, France; it was more a get-on and get-off no frills vessel.

Nevertheless when you first drive onto Bruny Island it could be be mistaken for Any Country Area Australia. Driving along the coastline soon dispels this idea. When we reached The Neck, we climbed up the steep stairs to the lookout which offered spectacular views over the Adventure Bay and Isthmus Bay. A penguin rookery is located nearby in Adventure Bay, drawing tourists to gawk by the side of the road.

Bruny Island is well known for its oysters and you can even buy a half dozen for $12 at the local convenience store.



Driving along Adventure Bay Beach, we passed by Captain Cook's Landing Place. Captain Cook landed there in 1777 and now even the caravan park is named after him.



The winding unsealed road through South Bruny National Park enroute to Cape Bruny lighthouse is an incredibly beautiful drive. We rolled down our windows to breathe in the earthy forest smells, even the light rain couldn't ruin the drive.

Cape Bruny is known for one thing - the lighthouse which was built in 1838 by Tasmanian convicts to forewarn ships of the nearby cliffs. The family operated lighthouse was decommissioned in 1996. I couldn't imagine what life would have been like for the wife of the lighthouse operator who brought up five children there.

Wild rabbits hop around Cape Bruny and on Easter Sunday perhaps it was mildly appropriate to be surrounded by them. As I looked over the sea cliffs, the clouds parted to let in a little sunlight to the right of the lighthouse whilst a rainbow formed over to the left. Breathing in the sea air, I had to savour this special little Tasmanian moment before it disappeared.