CAPE COCONUT
Touring Tasmania’s stunning Bruny Island
Only a short drive from Hobart and an even shorter ferry ride away, Bruny Island is a not-to-miss part of Tasmania! In fact, Bruny Island consists of two islands connected by a narrow isthmus, also known as “The Neck”. We spent two amazing days cruising the island’s scenic roads and enjoying some of Australia’s most delicious food on the way!
To get to Bruny Island, just hop on the small ferry at Kettering and less than 30 minutes later you’ll be driving on the scenic gravel roads of Bruny Island while astonishing views of Tasmania whizz by!
The Southern part of Bruny Island is the most popular, but it’s definitely worth to make a detour and go all the way up North first and take a break at Dennes Point. This beautiful place is known for its lovely beaches, crystal-clear water and stunning rocky coastlines.
After Dennes Point we continued our way through the rolling hills around Killora, home to thousands of freshly-shaved sheep munching away on Tassie’s delicious (so it seems) and signature yellow button grass.
Bruny Island is not only known for its gorgeous bays and incredibly picturesque landscapes, it’s also famous for some of the best food products Australia has to offer! Obviously we had to try some of Bruny’s specialties, and as both of us are huge cheese-fans we stopped for lunch at the awesome Bruny Island Cheese Company.
They usually produce seven different types of cheese at a time, all of which go hand in hand with their delicious woodfire baked bread! Cheese fanatics that want yummy cheese delivered right to their doorstep can join the Cheese Club through this website www.brunyislandcheese.com.au.
We sat down on the lovely outdoor terrace with Tess and enjoyed a good talk and a very generous cheese platter with some of the best artisan cheeses we’ve ever had! Culinary highlight: check!
After this yet another highlight was on the menu: the famous lookout at The Neck! We climbed the stairs towards the top of the dunes and turned around to gaze at the jaw-dropping panorama ahead of us. No wonder this is one of the most photographed places of Bruny Island!
The beautiful turquoise waters of Adventure Bay on the left, the shallow Isthmus Bay on the right, and just a narrow stretch of sand in between, now THAT is a stunning view!!!
One of Bruny Island’s most popular camping grounds is located at Jetty Beach in South Bruny National Park. The road that took us there got rougher with every meter (and it goes off-road for about 15 kms) but that didn’t stop us! We did almost kiss the ground when we finally made it to Jetty Beach though… we and our campervan couldn’t be more relieved ;)
Jetty Beach is a gorgeous white sand beach with almost no people around… only wallabies, possums and hundreds of birds. If peace and quiet is what you’re looking for, this is where you need to be! A few kilometers away from this beach you can visit the charming Bruny Island Lighthouse, located on the southern tip of the island and surrounded by spectacular basalt cliffs.
On day 2, head down to the little town of Adventure Bay, known to be the “hub” of Bruny Island, although you shouldn’t expect too much of it :) Besides a gas station and a general store there’s not much around. A good place for a stopover is the Bruny Island Berry Farm just at the entrance of Adventure Bay, their fresh and homemade berry ice cream is to die for!
Adventure Bay is also the take-off point for the Pennicott Cruises along the Bruny Island shore. They also organize tours around Tasman Island on the southeastern coast of Tasmania. Check out our Pennicott Tasman Island report here!
A great hike in this area is the Grass Point walk, which starts at the end of Adventure Bay Road and takes you through the spectacular Bruny Island National Park. At the end of the trail you can either continue towards Fluted Cape or return back to Adventure Bay. The view at Grass Point was again phenomenal (not that we’d expected otherwise)!
After our hike we cruised back towards Roberts Point, where the last ferry of the day would take us back to Tasmania’s mainland. We left Bruny Island with nothing but good memories, and would’ve definitely spent a few more days on the island if we’d had the time for it!
Quick Tips:
- Most of Bruny Island’s roads are unsealed, so if you’re driving a rental car check with the company if they’re okay with it.
- There’s only one petrol station/general store on Bruny Island (located in Adventure Bay) so be sure to fuel up and get enough groceries on Tassie’s mainland.
- The ferry ride from Kettering to Bruny Island doesn’t take long, however during holiday periods there can be a looooong queue.
- Take at least two days to explore the island. There are just too much scenic points that you don’t wanna miss!