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Fantastic Bruny Island Tasmania

Australian Fur Seals on The Friars Bruny Island Bruny Island Wilderness Cruise

Bruny Island

At 50kms long, Bruny Island has farms, food, forests, wildlife, beaches, and history, all within an easy drive. We spent two nights and two full days on the island and could have spent more because there’s so much to see and do.

How to Get There

Although accessible only by ferry, the island is still easy to get to, as the service runs regularly at 30-minute intervals. Check the timetable before going, to ensure you have the correct time. Tickets are purchased on the day of travel, as you enter the ferry terminal.

Cape Queen Elizabeth Track

Our first stop when we arrived was Cape Queen Elizabeth Track, where we walked to Bligh Rocks on the coast. This section of the walk took us one hour return for the five kilometres, plus another 30 minutes for photos and looking around. The full walk to the cape is 13km return, with an estimated 3 hours for the round trip.

Located opposite Bruny Island Honey, the track head has a small carpark next to the start of the walk. Commencing in coastal eucalypt forest, the vegetation changes to banksia scrub before reaching the beach on Moorina Bay.

This long sandy beach looks amazing and in summer must be a great place to relax, but in winter was too cold for a swim.

Bligh Rocks sit to the left of where the track enters the beach, with a gap in the rocks allowing access to the other side. At low tide access is possible on the ocean side, but is too dangerous when the tide is in. Through the gap, an arch gives access to a lovely small beach and more rocks.

Another arch further along, past this beach is accessible at very low tide, but was far too dangerous to attempt while we were there.

This was a very nice short walk and a great introduction to the island.

The Neck Lookout / Truganini Lookout

One of the best-known features of Bruny Island is the spit that connects the north to the south part of the island. A carpark located next to a lookout gives a wonderful view of the neck, as well as providing views up and down the coast.

There are a lot of steps up to the lookout, but platforms at regular intervals allow rest stops and the chance to take in the views as you go up.

A large viewing platform at the top has bench seats to rest on and admire the views. In the middle of the platform, is a memorial to Truganini, the last full-blood Tasmanian aboriginal. Born in 1812 and dying in 1876 Truganini, the daughter of a Mangana leader saw her mother killed by sailors, her uncle shot by a soldier, her sister abducted by sealers, and her fiancé murdered by timber-getters. The genocide of the original Tasmanian people is the darkest part of Tasmania’s troubled history.

Cape Bruny Lighthouse

Sitting on the far south-western corner of the island, the heritage listed Cape Bruny Lighthouse, is 114m tall and sits perched at the top of rugged cliffs. The coastal views are amazing, especially at sunrise and sunset. We timed our visit to arrive before sunset and were able to see some great views.

Adventure Bay Bruny Island

Our two nights’ accommodation were in Adventure Bay, allowing us easy access to most of the island because of its central location. The area has a small general store, selling most things visitors will need, a great beach, some interesting attractions as well as being the departure point for the Adventure Cruise.

Opposite the general store, near the pathway to the beach is a large sculpture featuring a world globe containing a whale. Whales are often seen during their migration as they pass off the coast. In the past whales were hunted, but that has long gone, and they are now protected.

Between Adventure Bay and the small marina, two monuments to Captain James Cook commemorate his visit here in 1777.

Coal mining was undertaken in the area from 1879 to 1890 and a small information board explains its history. Mining was very difficult, because it was located on the shore line and impacted by the sea. The coal seam can be seen from the lookout near the information board.

Beer, Wine, Whiskey, and Cider Tasting

Bruny Island has its own brewery, cider, whiskey, cheese, honey, and chocolate, so while there, take the opportunity to sample the locally made produce. We tried a few of the options and bought more to take home and enjoy later.

Bruny Island Wilderness Cruise

The highlight of out stay was the Bruny Island Wilderness Cruise. This three-hour cruise explores the rugged coastal cliffs and wildlife including seals, dolphins, and whales, if they are in the area. For the full blog of the cruise, click here.

Accommodation

We stayed in a self contained holiday house in Adventure Bay. This gave us a great place to explore from, while being able to relax in private. With places to eat nearby and centrally located for the Island’s attractions, we enjoyed our stay here.

What Did We Think

We really enjoyed out time here and could have spent several more days going on walks and exploring. The natural beauty and rugged coastline were amazing and the wildlife wonderful to see.

To read other posts about Tasmania, click here.

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Cape Tourville Freycinet Tasmania

Looking Over Carp Bay From Cape Tourville

Cape Tourville Freycinet Peninsula Tasmania

Offering remarkable coastal views of Freycinet National Park and a well-constructed walkway, Cape Tourville is a great way for everyone to experience Freycinet. The well made track loops around the automated lighthouse, providing fantastic panoramic views.

The track is wide, with even surfaces and gently graded slopes. Much of the walk is on a raised boardwalk which, at times, takes you right to the cliff edge. Not only can you see the coastal cliffs, but also nearby offshore rocks known as The Nuggets.

Information boards along the track provide details of wildlife often seen here. This includes sea birds, sea-eagles, whales, seals, and dolphins, but will vary due to the time of year. During our visit, there was low cloud and scattered showers, so we were not able to see any. Instead, we took in the views which were stunning and looked great because the low clouds added amazing character to the scenes.

Markings on the board walk measure out the length of whales and dolphins, which really puts their huge size into perspective.

Cape Tourville Lighthouse

The climb up to the lighthouse is over gravel, or you can take some steps half way along the walk. The lighthouse is automatic , so you are unable to enter. From this height you get slightly different views than from the track.

Cape Tourville Lighthouse
Cape Tourville Lighthouse

What Did We Think?

This was a very easy 600m loop, which we loved because of the amazing views, but would be very exposed on a wet and windy day.

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Stoney Creek Track Strickland State Forest

Boulders in a Creek

Stoney Creek Track Strickland State Forest

Getting There

Located in the Strickland State Forest, Stoney Creek Track is a great walk winding its way along Stoney Creek from the upper Banksia picnic area to the lower carpark.

Banksia Picnic Area

The track starts near the entrance to the Banksia Picnic Area, where a large car park and toilet facilities sit next to covered picnic areas. Several information boards show the various tracks in the area, along with some of the wildlife you might see along the way.

The lower carpark provides an alternate starting point, where you can walk the track uphill, before returning.

Stoney Creek Track

With a one way distance of 1.1km, or 2.2km return, this walk can be combined with other tracks to form a loop. We combined it with the Ridge to Rainforest Track, giving us a constantly changing landscape for the whole walk.

After completing the Ridge to Rainforest Track, which finishes at the lower carpark, we used the Stoney Creek Track to return to our car at the Banksia Picnic Area. The gully rainforest at the start is dark and cool, where you are surrounded by dense trees and moss covered boulders. Toward the top, the vegetation changes to cabbage tree ferns, which adds great variety to the walk.

This is an uphill track, but we didn’t find it too steep and at only 1.1km long it’s quite short. To help in the steeper spots, steps cut into rocks make the track easier. The many boulders in the creek that give it its name look amazing covered in moss.

What did We Think?

This was a great uphill walk, with changing vegetation along the way. Following the creek from rainforest to cabbage tree palms was fun. Although an uphill walk, it is only 1.1 km long, with opportunities to stop and admire your surroundings on the way. When combined with the Ridge to Rainforest it creates a good length walk through different forest types.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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