Tasmania - South Bruny Life

February 17 - March 1, 2024

Neck Game Reserve

The next morning with another recommendation from our North Bruny hosts for a scenic beach to visit and a possible wild camp spot, we headed toward the Neck Game Reserve. Along the way we stopped to sample fresh Bruny oysters before turning onto the Cape Queen Elizabeth track. We found a dry, wild camp on the other side of the marsupial lawn, hidden well enough from walkers that we could stash our bikes and explore the area. After poking around the surrounding hillside, Nivaun decided we could do a loop to Arch Cape and back, if we started next to our camp, headed up to the ridge to intersect mid-way with the main track, and then continued back along the beach to pickup the main track again back to camp.

Thus began our first actual bush-whack in Tasmania. The landscape was only mildly forgiving - after passing through Eucalypts and ferns, we were thrust into dense Tea tree bush, threading our way, as our legs collided with pokey bits at every twist and turn. We emerged with surprisingly few scratches, no snake sightings, and were rewarded with a far-reaching view of the Neck and the start of the South Island.

We had been warned about timing our beach walk back with the tide and knew we were cutting it close. Realizing there was a rocky outcrop quickly disappearing with each incoming wave - Nivaun lept around the corner out of view to assess whether we could make it to the next beach. Trying to keep my anxiety in check, after a few minutes he reemerged, confirming we could “just make it” and not get “too wet”. After reaching the sand together, feeling fortunate to have “just made it”, we watched as another group passed by us without going out to the point and disappeared. Curious where they went, we then discovered there were more Arches hidden in the rocks that would have allowed us easy passage - no surf-racing involved….

Crossing the Neck

As we left the Neck Reserve, we stopped off at the Bruny Honey farm for a post-breakfast snack of ice cream and chocolate-coated honeycomb amidst the ebb and flow of the tourist tide of buses, vans and caravans. By the time we arrived at the Neck Lookout, we had succumb to waiting out the tourists, before continuing on the narrow road, just inches from the tidal flats on one side, and a wall of sand dunes covered in mutton bird nesting sites on the other.

South Bruny

We arrived at the gate of our South Bruny host’s home curious whether our Fairbanks host had guessed who we were - it had only taken a couple of hints before she figured it out. After walking together through his beautifully landscaped grounds, he offered us a place to store our bikes and his guest cottage, so we could take our time exploring Adventure Bay. Each morning and evening, we would reconnect in his kitchen, alongside his endearing black lab, to share a hand-prepared meal and enjoy a bit of scintillating dialogue about life, travels and local history.

Adventure Bay Tide Pool Life

Pennicott Cruise

We opted to walk to the Pennicott cruise at the end of the bay giving our legs some action before boarding our boat for a 3 hour excursion. We weren’t sure what to expect but after being handed our full body raincoats, we hopped in the seats at the bow ready to soak it all in. We quickly discovered the roughest bit was leaving the bay for the open ocean far enough to round the point. After bracing ourselves at the top of each wave, we got our salt bath when the final maneuver to get around the point unexpectedly threw a wave our direction.

From then on, it was smooth sailing in and out of caves, eyeballing cliffs and rock formations towering above us in all directions, watching waves get sucked into a hole only to be spewed back into the air, sounding as if a whale had just surfaced. On that day, the seas further south happen to be unusually calm, so our guide was able to take us further down the coastline. On the return, we met the “locals” beached on their home perches, followed by another jarring traverse around the point. It was a great experience to feel the power of the Southern Ocean and to appreciate that wooden boats had somehow navigated these same waters centuries ago.

White Wallaby Quest

Unsure of where to find the famed white wallabies, our host offered to drive us along the backroads just before dusk, assuring us “they are here, its just depends on whether you cross paths”. We first went to the local lavender farm where the owner had a feeding station for the wildlife and saw one lazing in the paddock. But, Nivaun really wanted to find one in its own surroundings.

As our host drove further into the forest, just ahead we all saw a flash of white bound across the road. Fully expecting the wallaby to have disappeared into the bush, he rolled slowly forward to check. And to our amazement, the wallaby had paused atop a dirt mound, appearing to patiently wait for his photo shoot before bounding out of sight - thus, our trip to Bruny Island was now complete!

Our incredible hosts had made our stay on Bruny an experience we will never forget. And before we left, we had yet another family connection lined up to host us on our trip back to Hobart. We felt cared for beyond belief.

Kettering Stop

Crossing back to Kettering, we decided to check out the local distillery before meeting up again with our hosts in Oyster Cove to thank them for connecting us with such an amazing family on Bruny. We were surprised to find the Huntington distillery was a true-home grown operation setup in their garage. Being their only guests at the moment, we were treated to a personal tour and tasting on their veranda. After hearing their story, we also learned they knew our hosts in Oyster Cove. It was such a unique experience - we just had to take some with us.

A Sense of Place

Back in Oyster Cove, we reconnected with our hosts that made all our amazing experiences on Bruny Island possible. And as if that wasn’t enough, they then helped us take care of some of our “life stuff” before we even left for Hobart.

After initially feeling the city was a place to “get in and get out” - we had spent almost a month between Hobart and Bruny Island in the company of the most amazing people providing us not only a sense of place, but one of home. In that span of time, not only had we been able to spend time getting to know them, but all the “life stuff” that we needed to figure out how to accomplish was sorted. It left us both in awe of how our needs had been met in the most unexpected ways all because of one chance meeting. We were indeed Thanking Our Lucky “Tasmanian” Stars!