Before going to Tasmania, one of the most popular places I found while researching was Bruny Island. More specifically, the place on Bruny Island that came up the most was “The Neck.” It’s a long stretch of land connecting the upper island to the lower island. While that might not sound too intriguing, the view from the lookout located amid “The Neck” is amazing! Despite this location on the island being at the top of my places to see, we didn’t visit there until much later.
Ethan and I got up around 6:45am. We thought our early start would set us up well for the rest of the day. And honestly, it would’ve if we had used our time wisely. Unfortunately, we spent a lot more time than needed getting ready. We also failed to consider that other people would be visiting the island since we visited Bruny Island on a Sunday. Bearing that in mind, if you ever make a trip to Bruny Island, arrive at least thirty minutes before your desired departure time. Since it wasn’t peak season, the next ferry wasn’t scheduled to leave for another hour. To pass the time, I went inside the information centre/ café/ souvenir shop. While the café had a decent selection, I can’t say the same for the souvenir shop. Of course, that didn’t matter too much since there would be quite a few touristy shops to stop at on the island.
One thing I forgot to check for while scoping out this building was a map of the island. A GPS or Google Maps work well too, but you’re definitely going to want a physical map of the island so you can pick and choose which parts of the island you’d like to see. When Ethan and I went, we visited the following attractions:
Mount Mangana: The island may be small, but don’t let that fool you. There are a number of walks with varying difficulties for visitors to check out. That being said, if you ever head down to Bruny Island and contemplate doing the Mount Mangana hike, DON’T DO IT. The description on the map we got listed the summit of this mountain as a “lookout” over the lower half of the island. Unfortunately, this is a huge lie. After hiking for about an hour, Ethan and I were disappointed to find out that this “lookout” required you to climb on top of boulders near the sides of the mountain, so you could peer out over the trees in hopes of seeing the land (and sea) below. The walk itself was quite interesting since the vegetation surrounding was quite tropical and rainforest like—something I wasn’t expecting to find in Tasmania. However, the journey we made definitely didn’t make up for the disappointing destination.
Hotel Bruny: After our disappointing hike, we drove to Hotel Bruny for a well-deserved late lunch. After debating on whether or not I was okay with eating wallaby meat since I absolutely adore the creatures, Ethan and I started our meals off with some wallaby spring rolls. Now, no spring roll could ever beat the ones my mom makes, but these ones definitely give my mom’s a run for their money. Ethan indulged in one of his go-to meals: chicken parma with chips. I feasted on some calamari and chips. Two cool glasses of Bruny Island Apple Cider complimented our meals. The cider was crisp, and light. It felt like the cider was caressing my tongue every time I took a sip. My only regret about this meal was not indulging in another glass.
Bruny Island Fudge: We debated on whether we wanted to stop for sweets once we finished our meal. Although our stomachs were absolutely stuffed with food, we agreed that the chocolates would be a great snack for later. We browsed the shelves of chocolate-based sweets and then chatted with the cashier for a bit before we headed to our next destination.
Fluted Cape Track: It took us awhile to find the parking lot for this track, so by the time we got there, we no longer felt like going for a walk. Not to mention we were still recovering from mild food comas, and Ethan had to use the bathroom. We opted out of walking the “Fluted Cape Track,” but I still highly recommend it. I looked up views from this particular walk later on, and the views look absolutely breathtaking. If only I had done the same thing for the Mount Mangana hike—lesson learned there.
The Neck: Our final stop before heading back to the ferry was the place I’d been most looking forward to visiting on the island: The Neck. This area was supposedly closed for construction. However, since the lookout area was still accessible, tourists simply climbed over a makeshift wooden barricade intended to keep people out. Trespassing was definitely worth it. The stretch of land connecting the islands seemed impossibly long. The ocean surrounding us seemed to be never-ending. We spent quite a bit of time snapping photos and just taking in the views before hopping into the car and heading back to the ferry.
The Last Ferry: Fittingly, we showed up too late to catch the second last ferry of the night. It was a bit disappointing to have to wait, but we weren’t too stressed about it. Ethan spent the hour watching Youtube videos and I worked on my journal. We also opened a bag of lollies to share. Once we finally made it back to Tasmania, we drove to the Tahune Airwalk where our next adventure would begin.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
- You can find out more about Bruny Island's attractions here.
- If you're looking to book accommodation, I highly suggest taking a look on Booking.com. They have a plethora of reasonably priced hotels, motels, etc. for you to choose from for almost any destination. If you follow this link, I receive a small commission when you sign up and make a booking. You also earn $25 to put towards a booking! Thank you kindly if you use my link! Wishing you the safest and smoothest of travels, Jana