Huon Dentrecasteaux Bruny Guides Attractions Events in Tasmania

Wild seascapes, towering dolerite seacliffs and sweeping surf beaches, wonderful coastal walks, birdlife and wildflowers, tall forests and an historic lighthouse are all features of Bruny Island off the southeast corner of Tasmania. It is about the size of Singapore but has a population of around 500 people. Access is a 20-minute crossing by vehicular ferry from Kettering, 35 minutes' drive south of Hobart. It appears to be two separate islands but it is joined by the Neck (the isthmus connecting North and South Bruny Island). Adventure Bay, South Bruny, is where Capt William Bligh came ashore for water and provisions before heading off for his ill-fated mutiny in the South Pacific. Walks include the coastal track to Penguin Island and Fluted Cape, from Adventure Bay; beach walks on Cloudy Bay; or the full-day circuit of the Labillardiere Peninsula. A narrow gravel road links Lunawanna and Adventure Bay, giving wide, stunning south-westerly views. As you walk look out for Bennetts wallabies, pademelons, echidna and wombats. From November to April each year the short-tailed shearwaters arrive to mate and breed along the shore before heading out on their heroic journey to the northern hemisphere. The lighthouse at Cape Bruny was built between 1836 and 1838 with convict labour. The Bruny Island Ferry Service runs seven days a week and you can check the timetable at (03) 6273 6725.

Cockle Creek, on Tasmania's southeast coast, is the most southerly town in Australia. The tiny seaside settlement of a few shacks 90 kilometres south of Geeveston is a quiet corner, ideal for a summer swim, picnic or campsite. It is also the beginning, or the end, of the South Coast Track, one of Tasmania’s great bushwalks.

Woodbridge looks out across Peppermint Bay and the D’Entrecasteaux Channel to the northern end of Bruny Island about 35 minutes’ drive (35 kilometres/22 miles) south of Hobart on the B68 Highway.
The town is surrounded by small farms and craft makers who have chosen to live in this semi rural area of rolling hills and winding roads.
The focal point for visitors is Peppermint Bay restaurant and providore shop along with Woodbridge Hill Handweaving Studio and Gardens, Grandvewe Sheep Cheesery, Regnans art gallery, Fleurty’s herb garden and restaurant, and a gathering of bed and breakfast and guest house accommodation. Woodbridge is one of the prettiest small towns on the Channel and is a lovely place to stay while exploring the Huon Valley and Bruny Island. Kettering, the ferry depot for Bruny Island, is just a few kilometres north.
The area was first explored by Bruni D'Entrecasteaux in 1792 and was settled in the early 1800s by timber cutters, whalers and sealers. To the north is Oyster Cove where the few remaining Aborigines who survived the Wybalenna settlement on Flinders Island were moved in 1847.
Today the area produces apples and stone fruit and the Channel is well known for its Atlantic salmon farms, which you can visit on a Hobart Cruises journey from the city to Peppermint Bay.
Woodbridge’s climate is similar to Hobart. But remember, no matter what time of year you visit, bring a warm jacket and all weather gear.