Day 111 - Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia

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Sunday 9th March 2014. Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia

We had a coffee in our posh YHA room before leaving to collect Will and Ash from their place. We had left the itinerary for the next couple of days in their hands and they had decided that today we would visit Bruny Island. We drove to a town called Kettering which is where we needed to catch the ferry over to the island. We parked the car in the queue and went into the local wharf-side cafe for breakfast while we waited for the next ferry. Will told us that Bruny Island offers fantastic locally produced food and premium quality wine. They make hand made fudge, chocolate, truffles and cheese and you can harvest local berries, and fresh oysters. Bruny Island is also home to Australia's southern-most vineyard and there are some excellent restaurants and cafés scattered across the island's townships.

Bruny Island is billed in the blurb as "Tasmania's premier island destination with a holiday adventure to suit everyone". It is the home of the beautiful South Bruny National Park which was to be one of our destinations today. Bruny Island has something for everyone - particularly those who love to get away from it all. On land, you can venture into the wilderness on one of the many Bruny Island bushwalks. On sea, you can join travel on an eco-cruise exploring the stunning coastline of the island. Bruny Island is home to fur seals, fairy penguins, white wallaby and provides excellent opportunities for birdwatching. M desparately wanted to see a white wallaby - but it wasn't to be.

We boarded the ferry and were one of the last few cars to get onboard. The trip takes 15 minutes and arrives at Roberts Point on North Bruny. The island has a population of around 620 and is deceptively large - being about 100 kilometres in length. Once on the other side we headed for the South Island. Bruny Island is made up of a North and South Island which are separated by a narrow isthmus called "The Neck". North Bruny is drier than the south and is mostly comprised of open pastures and light bushland. It is home to the townships of Dennes Point and Great Bay.

We followed the main highway until we reached 'The Neck'. Here we parked in the public car park so that we could visit Truganini Lookout. This is reached via a timber stepped boardwalk, called the Penguin Walk,that takes you to some of the most spectacular 360° panoramic views of the Bruny Island coastline. It was quite a long hike up but really worth it. At the top there was a sign detailing the aboriginal history. The lookout is named after Truganini - a Nuenone woman. Apparently this part of Lunawanna-alonnah (Bruny Island) is rich with evidence of Aboriginal occuupation. For this reason, the Tasmanian Aboriginal cummunity has dedicated the site to the memory of Truganini whose life was forever changed by white invasion.

As a child Truganini grew up here at Lunawanna-alonnah. Her father was an elder of the Nuenone people, a band of the south-east tribe whose connection with this place spanne 30,000 years. The peace of Truganini's early years was shattered by European invasion. The arrival of the white man brought violence and brutality to these shores. At the age of 17 Trugaini witnessed the horrific stabbing of her mother by men from a whaling ship. Sealers kidnapped her two sisters. Lowhe-nunne and Magger-leede. Timber-getters killed the man Truganini was to marry. During a boat crossing of the channel, she watched in horror as her husband to be was thrown into the sea. As he tried desperatley to climb back onboard the timber-getters cut off his hands and left him to drown. Truganini was then repeatedly raped. Her brother was killed and her stepmother kidnapped by escaped convicts. Her father was devastated and died within months. No wonder the Ozzie government has had to say sorry!! - Not enough given that this is only one isolated story of the Europeans brutality to the native people.

Following the loss of her entire family Truganini worked as a guide and interpreter for George Robinson who had been appointed by the colonial government to persuade Aborigines to peacefully give up their land. A promise that all would be returned to their homelands after a period of exile was ultimately broken. Truganini spent many years at the Wybalenna Aboriginal Settlement on Flinders Island, where efforts were made to strip Aboririnal people of their identity and culture. Many died of disease or despair. Truganini's co-operation later turned to rebellion. For a time she escaped and was involved in attacks on white men. In the final years of her life, Truganini was fearful of her body being mutilated by scientists after her death. One of the last tribal Aborigines in Tasmania, she died in Hobart in 1876 at the age of 64. Two years after this her body was exhumed by the Royal Society of Tasmania. Later, her skeleton was placed on public display. One hundred years on, the Aboriginal community negotiated for the skeletal remains to be returned to her people. Truganini was cremated and her ashes sprinkled over the waters of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. You looked out at the view very differently after reading this story.

We walked back to the car and continued on across the isthmus onto South Bruny Island. In contrast to the north, South Bruny is hilly, heavily timbered and includes large rainforest areas. It is home to the South Bruny National Park and large areas of State Forest Reserve. The townships of Adventure Bay, Alonnah and Lunawanna are also located on South Bruny. A number of tourist attractions are also located here, including the famous Cape Bruny Lighthouse.

First we headed towards Adventure Bay on the east coast of the South Island close to South Bruny NP. We drove through the town to the end of the road where we stopped at a lovely beach on the edge of the NP and went for a stroll and took some photographs. This was the end of the metaled road so we had to return the same way we had come. On our left was Captain Cook's Landing Place where a monument had been erected to commemorate the event. D went to take some snaps. As we drove back towards Adventure Bay a critter of a reptilian nature emerged from the undergrowth on the other side of the road and crossed towards us. M had to get a snap of the beasty. She just managed it before it disappeared again.

We stopped at Aventure Bay on the way back where there was a flea market/car boot sale. We strolled around in the sunshine looking at the items on offer which ranged from children's toys to motor vehicles. We drove back towards the town of Alonnah which is on the west coast of South Bruny. We drove through the settlement and stopped for lunch at the Bruny Hotel on Main Rd. We sat outside in the sunshine where we had uninterrupted views out over the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. It was a delicious lunch and a fantastic setting.

After lunch we continued heading south towards Cloudy Bay where there is great surf break. We parked at Whalebone Point car park and went for a short stroll along the footpath towards Cloudy Corner. We didn't go too far though as we hadn't got a valid park pass. The coastline was stunning and the ocean swells were crashing along the shoreline. We took some lovely pictures before heading back towards North Bruny. We crossed the neck an headed back towards Robert's Point aiming to catch the last ferry at 7.00 pm. When we arrived the queue for the ferry was unbelievably long. The 6.15 came and went and we inched forward in the queue. We grabbed a snack at the shack by the ferry wharf and waited. We were told that if they needed to do another trip after the 19.00 ferry they would do so. As it happened everyone managed to get on the last ferry.

This was definitely a place worth a visit and we wished we had had more time. We hadn't appreciated that Bruny Island is nearly 100 kilometres long. From the tip of Dennes Point in the north to Cape Bruny Lighthouse in the south, the landscapes changed dramatically - sheltered sandy beaches and farmlands in the north, tall forests, open bays and wild coastlines in the south. We will return to Bruny and spend a few days there if we ever come back to Tasmania. M is determined to return to Bruny as we didn't see the White Wallabies which the island is famous for.

We headed back towards Hobart where we attempted to go and grab some dinner at an Italian place that Will knew. Unfortunately it was closed so we ended up dining at the festival in the Salamanca Area of Battery Point that was being held at the time. It was good food though and the atmosphere was great. All in all a great day.

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