Bruny Island
Hello! I am back online! We have had very spotty internet service in Tasmania and no wifi for the last week. I will try to play catchup over the next couple of days!
We left for Bruny Island last week after two days in Hobart. The only option to get to Bruny Island is by ferry and we were not the only people who had this idea! The line to ride the ferry was long and we waited in our car for about an hour before we could board. Neither of us had ever been on a ferry where you drive up in your car, park on the ferry, and then drive off once arriving at the jetty. It was all quite exciting! The ferry ride itself only took about 20 minutes and we arrived in Bruny Island shortly after 1:00pm.
Our first stop on the island was Get Shucked, a locally owned oyster farm and restaurant. They harvest, shuck, and serve up their oysters daily. We each ordered a dozen oysters and they tasted so fresh. They were meaty with almost a buttery or creamy consistency – delicious!
We then headed to The Neck, a narrow isthmus connecting North Bruny Island to South Bruny Island. There is a timber boardwalk where we could walk to the top and take in the 360-degree view of the coastline. The water here is so blue and reminds me of the Caribbean.
Our last stop for the afternoon, before checking into our Airbnb, was Adventure Bay where we hiked the Grass Point Trail. The trail went along the bay and curved toward Fluted Cape. We managed to find a few rock pools during low tide and saw starfish, crabs, and other sea life.
Starfish in the rock pools!
We ended our evening by driving back to The Neck to view the isthmus during high tide allowing us to see the ocean clearly on both sides. The weather shows rain and wind all day long on Monday, so we wanted to make sure we got a sunny view as often as we could. We ended up being the only people there for the first thirty minutes – see our lonely car in the parking lot?!?!
We also drove to South Bruny National Park to view the sunset from the Cape Bruny Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1836 and is 43-feet high. It is the second-oldest lighthouse in Australia. There were several other tourists enjoying the view from this area and one even snapped a photo of Alex and I sitting enjoying the sunset without us noticing! She ended up sharing it with us afterwards. So sweet!
Monday morning we woke to some rain and held off going anywhere for a few hours. Once the rain let up, we drove to Cloudy Bay (it was a fitting day to visit with the clouds overhead!). The beach is part of South Bruny National Park and takes up three miles of sand. It is popular with surfers and the Bruny Island Surf Classic is held here every year. It was pretty quiet when we arrived and we did not see anyone surfing. We explored the shore for a while before heading back to Get Shucked for lunch.
We also made a stop at the Bruny Island Cheese Co. The company was started by Nick Haddow after he spent 10 years working with specialist cheese makers around the world. He settled in Bruny Island in 2001 and started making cheese of his own. We ordered a sampling platter with fresh cooked sourdough bread, jam, and pickled onions. They also brew their own beer, so we each got a pint as well. It was a great way to end our afternoon.
We woke early on Tuesday, packed our belongings, and hopped back on the ferry towards Hobart. Our next stop is Port Arthur where we will be for four nights.
