One Weekend On Bruny
By Amanda Vallis
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The Neck, Bruny Island (image: Jess Bonde)
When I moved to Tasmania eight years ago, I imagined a slower lifestyle. Home-cooked meals bubbling on the stove for hours on end, and small children tottering around at my feet. I never could have imagined the career opportunities that would come my way - dream career opportunities - the kind that are too good to pass up. So life in Tasmania looks a little different (even better than I imagined). In order to run a busy small business and stay on top of family life, we regularly turn to local meal delivery services who enable us to feed our family beautiful home-cooked meals, and we’re lucky to have access to incredible schools for our son and daughter.
But the busy-ness of our life on this tiny island warrants the occasional escape to an even tinier island where we can pause, take a breathe and spend time as a family. Bruny Island is a short drive and ferry ride from Hobart, but once you arrive, you feel as if you are a million miles from anything.
The Neck, Bruny Island (image: Robert King Visuals)
GETTING THERE
The Bruny Island ferry departs from Kettering, about a 40-minute drive from Hobart. Driving your car onto the ferry and floating across the channel is an experience in itself. This quote from Heather Rose’s acclaimed novel, Bruny, captures the magic of it all:
“We were parked on the lower level of the ferry, so I got out of the car and took the stairs to the upper deck. There, leaning against the railing, I surveyed the channel. It was dark denim blue. A five- to ten-knot south-westerly was ruffling the water. I breathed in the salt air. Most places I’ve travelled, I’ve found beauty, but in Tasmania, each time I come back, I get hit with it all over again. The beauty here is a different order. Something to do with the light and the air that is so crisp and unpolluted it almost hurts to take a deep breath at first.”
Check the ferry timetable in advance, and arrive at least 15 minutes prior to departure - queues can be lengthy during busy periods.
STAY
We stayed at Bruny Boathouse, located in the township of Alannah, around a 40-minute drive from where the ferry docks. Bruny Boathouse is owned by the brilliant Sophie Weeding, a talented interior stylist and accommodation maven. The property boasts water views, a fully-equipped kitchen and two luxurious bedrooms, both with queen beds. The backyard features an outdoor clawfoot bath and a fire pit, ideal for toasting marshmallows under the stars. We were greeted to our home for the weekend by a hamper filled with breakfast goodies, chocolate, fruit, and local gin and tonic.
Bruny Boathouse (image supplied)
EAT
Pick up some fresh oysters from Get Shucked and enjoy them on the deck at Bruny Boathouse. While it should be easy to source fresh fish on an island, outside of local oysters you won’t find much on Bruny unless you’re willing to try your luck with a fishing line. Knowing this, we picked up a sashimi box from Lachie and Soph at Omotenashi on our way out of Hobart. Presented in a bento-style box with layers of fresh, Tasmanian seafood, edible flowers, greens, Japanese rice and house-made condiments, the box fed our little family for lunch and dinner, two days running. We also ordered a mochi box and a bottle of dashi stock to sip throughout the weekend.
Get Shucked - Bruny Island Oysters (image: Adam Gibson)
‘The Magic Fridge’, as our kids call it, is a fridge located on the side of the main Bruny Island road, into which The Bruny Baker regularly tucks away fresh sourdough, flatbreads, biscuits and slices . Once an island secret, the fridge now has quite the following, so expect other hungry visitors at drop times. There is nothing like rolling a picnic mat out on the sand, slathering some sourdough with butter, and washing it all down with a fresh oyster.
The Bruny Baker (image: James Vodicka)
We didn’t make it to Hotel Bruny during this trip, but we’ve visited before, and found it ideal for a parmi and chips while the kids play on the grass. The only pub on the island, this is the spot to mingle with visitors and locals alike. There is also a fantastic new pizza and wine bar that has recently opened up, The Izzy Bar. Definitely worth a visit!
DO
As little as possible. Spend hours combing the beach for skimming rocks and fossils, play some boardgames, build fairy houses out of driftwood, have a bath under the stars, or reinvigorate the senses with a bracing dip in the ocean - this is what Bruny Island is all about. If the desire to explore takes over, pack a picnic and head off on one of the island’s beautiful bush walks, meander up the track to Cape Bruny Lighthouse, or hop on a cruise with Pennicott Wilderness Journeys to sidle up beside seals basking on the rocks.
Bruny Island Cruises - Pennicott Wilderness Journeys (image: Tourism Tasmania & Joe Shemesh)
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