If you’re looking for a relaxing day to drive down winding island roads with scenic views of forests, meadows, and boundless water, while intermittently stopping to enjoy local gourmet foods and drinks, then a day on Bruny Island is the experience for you!
Bruny Island, also known as lunawanna-allonah by its Aboriginal name, is a 362 km2 island off the coast of Tasmania. It’s named after French explorer Bruni d’Entrecasteaux who explored the area in 1792.
Hop on the Kettering Ferry – only about a half hour’s drive from Tasmania’s capital city of Hobart – to take a splendid trip over to Bruny Island. The island is split into a north island and a south island which are connected by an isthmus – a narrow spit of land – separating the sheltered waters of Great Bay from the open ocean of Adventure Bay.
This island has all the good gourmet stuff, from premium small-batch whisky, to fresh oysters, local cheeses, and much more! It’s an all-around delight for all your senses.
Your itinerary for a spectacular day on Bruny Island:
- Ferry over to the island
- Bruny Island House of Whisky
- Get Shucked
- Bruny Island Cheese Company
- Bruny Island Honey
- Truganini Lookout
- Bruny Island Chocolate Company
- Hotel Bruny
1. Ferry Ride
To get to Bruny Island, you’ll need to take the ferry from Kettering, which is about a 30-minute drive from Hobart. The vehicular and passenger ferry is an enjoyable 20-minute ride across the D’Entrecasteaux Channel over to Roberts Point on Bruny Island. It departs every 40 minutes between 6:10am and 7pm every day. While on board, you can get out of your vehicle and hang out by the ship’s railings or meander to the upper deck where there’s a windowed indoor section and a covered outdoor section. There’s also a washroom onboard. You might see a charming sail boat, or two, gliding along the channel and you’ll see plenty of Tasmania’s characteristic rolling, forested hills from your departure point.
2. Bruny Island House of Whisky
First stop on the island is the House of Whisky! Try some of their rare and award-winning premium Tasmanian single malt whisky or get a flight of gin. I’m not much of a whisky gal so I opted for the gin which was delicious, meanwhile my brother-in-law who loves whisky, tried their coveted Sullivans Cove Single Cask Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky and couldn’t stop stop raving about. They have one of, if not the most, extensive selection of Tasmanian Single Malt whiskies available for tasting. So, if you’re a whisky connoisseur, or would simply love to try an elevated taste-testing experience with local flair (and a beautiful view, might I add), then this place is not to be missed.
3. Get Shucked
Next top, oysters! Get Shucked is a fun little oyster shack with rustic chique where you can try various styles of freshly prepared oysters. They are seriously sooo good! Their oysters are harvested and prepared daily so they’re super fresh and delicious. In the bay across the road, you can see their buoys on the water, indicating their set oyster traps. This place even has an oyster drive-through! So, if you’re short on time, you can easily pick up a box, or two, of fresh oysters on the go.
4. Bruny Island Cheese Company
There’s nothing better than cheese! Try select locally handcrafted cheeses paired with a flight of locally brewed beer at the Bruny Island Cheese Company. They have plenty of outdoor seating under big, beautiful trees and lush shrubs which adds to the magic of treating your taste buds to this delectable dining experience.
5. Bruny Island Honey
This place has every honey product you can think of! They offer raw honey, candied honey, creamed honey, and liquid honey. With over 400 hives on the island, their honey boasts various flavour profiles – from Bruny Island native flora honey to distinct leatherwood honey. They have many honeys available for taste testing, which is part of the fun of stopping here! They also have a transparent bee box built into the wall, so you can see some of the live buzzing bee action. You can also find a multitude of artisanal goods here such as candies, beekeeping books, lotions, lip balm, candles, apparel, and much more!
6. Truganini Lookout
Named after a prominent figure in Tasmania’s anti-colonial resistance and regarded as one of the last surviving Aboriginal Tasmanians of her time (circa 1800’s), the Truganini lookout encapsulates the true, rugged beauty of Bruny Island. Overlooking the isthmus that separates the calm waters of Great Bay from the crashing waves of Adventure Bay, the natural beauty of this place is astounding. A long flight of stairs will take you to the top of the stunning lookout, meanwhile a boardwalk down below will take you from the parking lot over to the mesmerizing Adventure Bay on the other side of the isthmus. Here, you can run along the wide and expansive beach to your heart’s content, or sort through the plethora of sea shells that have been washed up on shore. The wild sea breeze and the big, crashing waves will be sure to make you feel like an explorer from another time. This is probably one of my favourite places that I’ve been to in Tasmania.
7. Bruny Island Chocolate Company
A quaint pit stop along the way, this family-owned chocolate company offers a variety of award-winning locally made chocolates, fudges, and they even have their own whisky distillery! Stop here for a brief browse or try some of their delectable confectionaries while on your way to explore the rest of the island.
8. Hotel Bruny
Hotel Bruny is a great place to try some refreshing beers and delicious foods. There’s plenty of seating inside with a few benches outside, and it’s also right across the road from the beautiful Sunset Bay. Not only is it a top tier pub, but they also offer accommodations, so if you’re planning to stay over the weekend or just for the night, it’s definitely worth checking out, or checking in.
From here, you can either continue exploring more of the south island, with its plethora of beaches and forest reserves, or you can meander your way back through to the north island over to Roberts Point to catch the return ferry.
