Why You Should Go to Bruny Island Tasmania

Why You Should Go to Bruny Island Tasmania is part of the TPOL Down Under Trip Report.

Congrats on renting a car. It’s time to go to Bruny Island. The drive to the port from Hobart is quick. The queue at the port is anything but. We arrived on a perfect sunny Friday afternoon just in time for the ferry to go on a lunch break. It usually runs every 30 minutes except from noon to 1pm.

At 1pm, we waited in the queue for one ferry to go and another to come. Talking to locals, many were upset at the the delay to get from one side to the other because of the growing number of tourists that have recently increased. Though they recognize the growing number of visitors and the bottle neck, local business owners still close as early as 4PM. That makes no sense because the summer days are long and there’s so much to do on the island.

TPOL’s TIP: Grab a beer for the ferry ride over along with wine and espresso while you wait.

Oysters

With time against us, we mapped out the must see of Bruny. First was the oyster bar. Unlike Darwin and Melbourne, the oysters here were delicious. A dozen cost $20AUD.  That’s nothing for freshness.

TPOL’S TIP: If you’re in a serious hurry, go to the drive thru.

Brewery

Breweries are ‎the next bubble. Ever city has a brewery serving the same stuff under a different name. Clever names for IPAs don’t make them less disgusting. Leave the recipes to the monks who centuries ago perfected Dunkleweisen, TPOL’s favorite beer.

The Bruny Brewery wasn’t like most breweries I’ve been to. The beers here were actually good. The brewery also made its own cheeses, something more satisfying than popcorn and peanuts.

TPOL’S TIP: Get a designated driver. Normally, there’s only one cop on Bruny, but during peak season more show up. The penalty for drinking and driving for tourists is a fine and a lifetime ban from driving in Australia (see Vineyard Crawl: My Yarra Valley Wine Tour).

Ocean Lagoon Intersection

One attraction that doesn’t close is where the intersection meets the lagoon. Climb up for iconic photos.

Berry Vineyard

We reached the vineyard five minutes before closing. They wouldn’t offer us samples, nor would they let us use the bathroom. The owner seemed irritated that we even tried. The employee said we should have come earlier and wasn’t sympathetic to the delay on the bridge.

TPOL’S TIP: Bruny is the getaway destination for locals. It has yet to embrace tourists.

Get Out

Our flight was at 9:30PM. The local said take the 7PM ferry to ensure we didn’t miss the flight and not to worry about traffic on the way out. With everything closed, we went to the pier at 6PM. It was fortunate that we did because the wait to get out was as long as the wait to get in.

TPOL’S TIP: Get there early and leave even earlier.