Bruny Island

Itineraries, Accommodation and Tours for Bruny Island, Tasmania

Bruny Island is a long and thin island, stretching north to south down the southeast coast of Tasmania, forming the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, a naturally protected waterway. Reached only by ferry, Bruny Island is only 30 minutes drive from Hobart, but is a world unto itself.

Abel Tasman sailed past Bruny Island when he discovered Tasmania in 1642, but the first Europeans to come ashore arrived 131 years later in 1773, when Tobias Furneaux landed at Adventure Bay. Captain Cook arrived four years later and carved "Cook 1777" in a tree that survived until being destroyed by a bushfire in 1905. This historic graffiti is remembered today by a plaque at Adventure Bay. In 1788 and 1792, Captain William Bligh (of "Mutiny on the Bounty" fame) visited and planted apple trees, the descendants of which are said to be those you can see around Adventure Bay.

Born on Bruny Island, Truganini is widely believed to be the last of the full blood Tasmanian Aboriginals. Details on the history of Bruny Island and its native peoples can be found at the Bruny Island Bligh Museum at Adventure Bay.

If you are not driving yourself, you might want to consider a day trip from Hobart to visit Bruny Island. A very good and indepth tour is the Bruny Island Wilderness Coast Tour from Hobart including Lunch. This fascinating tour really gets off the beaten track and shows you the wild side of Tasmania, all in a single day trip from Hobart.