bruny island
An island within an island! Great food, spectacular views and a rich history with a splash of adventure...and more penguins!
We legged it from Cockle Creek and with the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song playing in our heads, we boarded the SeaLink Ferry from Kettering for our 15min sail to Bruny Island, also known as Lunawanna Alonnah, the homeland of the Nuenonne People. The ferry costed us $120 for a return ticket. You can pre-book on their website but it is based on a queuing system meaning that you will be loaded onto the next available ferry. If you are towing a van, it could mean you might need to wait for the ferry to return to fit you on. But don't despair, there is a cafe and gift shop to occupy the time.
We shot off the ferry and beelined it to Neck Reserve Camping Area where we managed to snag ourselves a spot of off-grid camping for two nights right on the beach. This campground is a first served basis and is in a central location to access all areas of the island, but there are other campgrounds if you don't snag a site. This area is home to little penguins and short-tailed shearwaters, or known to the Nuenonne People as yolla. Be sure to pay your fees in the box with your cash in an envelope with your car and van registrations. For us, it costed $15 per night for a family. Rangers were regularly checking.
We shot off the ferry and beelined it to Neck Reserve Camping Area where we managed to snag ourselves a spot of off-grid camping for two nights right on the beach. This campground is a first served basis and is in a central location to access all areas of the island, but there are other campgrounds if you don't snag a site. This area is home to little penguins and short-tailed shearwaters, or known to the Nuenonne People as yolla. Be sure to pay your fees in the box with your cash in an envelope with your car and van registrations. For us, it costed $15 per night for a family. Rangers were regularly checking.
|
|
We honestly didn't know what to expect of Bruny Island but she had heaps to offer! As we headed south from our campground, we came across The Bruny Baker. A vintage bread fridge that stores wood-fired sourdough that is baked and stocked up daily from 9am, along with some other treats including fruit loaf with sultanas and cinnamon and ANZAC biscuits. You can make a cash payment or a bank transfer. Don't mess around, this stuff is da bomb, so much so we went back to stock up on more before we left the island!
Not far from the campsite is Truganini Lookout. Trigger warning: This information contains the name, story and images of deceased, yet powerful, Aboriginal woman.
Truganini was a powerful Nuenonne woman who fought hard to help her people. In her lifetime, she witnessed the murder of her mother and the kidnapping of her two older sisters. She worked with an English pastor, George Robinson, to help him relocate her people to Flinders Island in agreeance that they would be safe from violence and disease, and that one day they would be able to return to their Country. Sadly Aboriginal people were still dying from disease on the island and they never returned back to their home. After Truganini died, she was buried and not cremated which was against her wishes. The tragic story continues, her bones were dug up by scientists and her skeleton was displayed in a museum for 100 years, until she was returned to her family and given the cremation that she had wished for. This is the history all Australians should know about and more the reason we should all be working towards reconciliation.
Truganini was a powerful Nuenonne woman who fought hard to help her people. In her lifetime, she witnessed the murder of her mother and the kidnapping of her two older sisters. She worked with an English pastor, George Robinson, to help him relocate her people to Flinders Island in agreeance that they would be safe from violence and disease, and that one day they would be able to return to their Country. Sadly Aboriginal people were still dying from disease on the island and they never returned back to their home. After Truganini died, she was buried and not cremated which was against her wishes. The tragic story continues, her bones were dug up by scientists and her skeleton was displayed in a museum for 100 years, until she was returned to her family and given the cremation that she had wished for. This is the history all Australians should know about and more the reason we should all be working towards reconciliation.
Cape bruny lighthouse
We woke the next day to some morning drizzle. It was the perfect weather to view the rugged coastline of South Bruny via the top of a lighthouse! Cape Bruny Lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse in Australia and is 144 metres high! It was built by 12 convicts 187 years ago who were promised that if they finished the job before schedule and above standard, that their freedom would be granted. Originally there were wooden stairs on the outside that the lighthouse keeper would use to climb to light the candles for the light signal, but then the Industrial Revolution happened and all of the parts needed to build the 72 step staircase for inside the lighthouse were shipped over. It cost us $20 per adult and $15 per child which included a 30min tour to the top of the lighthouse. Our stoke levels were pretty high! We climbed to the top of a lighthouse! Our inner ‘Round the Twist’ days were relived
During our last day, we made the most of the sunshine and ventured north of the campground. We took the beaten tracks to visit every inch of the island. We stocked up on goodies from Bruny Island Chocolate Co and Bruny Island Cheese. Here you can also visit the cellar door at Bruny Island Beer Co. We visited the quarantine station which was used for early maritime quarantine, the influenza pandemic, World War I troops quarantine and as a plant quarantine. Lastly we passed some quaint boat sheds on our way to taste some mouthwatering woodfired pizzas from Bruny Island Wild for lunch. Like seriously, the classic cheese pizza is made from mozzarella, provolone, fontina, caramelised onion and crispy garlic! Hearts and tummies were full!
As we were driving around, we were fortunate to visit the Lunawanna Markets which is held every first and third Sunday of the month from 9am to 2pm at the Lunawanna Memorial Hall. During the winter months, it is held every third Sunday. It is a community market where you will find local fresh produce and artisan crafts including professional photography, paintings, woodwork, basketry, ceramics, crochet, weaving, alpaca wool, skin care products, art prints and fabric crafts. There were also gin tasting from Spirit of Bruny's award-winning White Wallaby Gin.
Bruny Island most definitely knows how to deliver the goods! We practically adventured and ate our way around the island for 2.5 days! It was time to wake with the sun and head back to the ferry to make our way to Port Arthur.
Peace + love,
Bruny Island most definitely knows how to deliver the goods! We practically adventured and ate our way around the island for 2.5 days! It was time to wake with the sun and head back to the ferry to make our way to Port Arthur.
Peace + love,