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 km 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.

Dover is not quite the southernmost town in Australia but it is close. The pretty, quiet fishing village sits at the head of Esperance Bay overlooking the islands of Faith, Hope and Charity, about 80 minutes’ drive south along the A6 Highway (83 kilometres/51 miles) from Hobart.
Dover is the ideal spot for exploring the southwest World Heritage wilderness areas and the Hartz Mountain National Park.
The town has a population of about 500 and the major industries are forestry and fishing – particularly Atlantic salmon, abalone and cray fishing, and nearby are apple orchards.
One of the most popular attractions is the Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs further south and west on the Southport road.
There a number of good bed and breakfasts, a caravan park, hotel/motel and backpacker accommodation.
The town was originally named Port Esperance by the French explorer, Admiral Bruni D’Entrecasteaux, who charted the area in 1792. When the British arrived in 1804 they planned to use it as a penal probation station; today, the Commandant’s cottage (privately owned) near the caravan park on Beach Road is all that remains of this early plan.
After the convict settlement the town developed as an important port shipping Huon pine to the world.
Tasmania’s southwest often faces Antarctic winds but Dover’s position on the D’Entrecasteaux Channel protects it. No matter what time of year you visit, bring a warm jacket and all weather gear.

Geeveston is the administrative centre for the timber industries and apple growers of south eastern Tasmania. It is 62 kilometres (39 miles) south west of Hobart on Highway A6, and is the gateway to the Arve River forests and Hartz Mountains National Park.
In the town centre you will find the Geeveston Forest and Heritage Centre, which tells the story of the area and the surrounding forests. Further west along Arve Road Forest Drive (Highway C631) is the Tahune Forest Reserve and the Tahune Airwalk. The area’s rivers are home to brown trout and you can visit the Geeveston Highlands Salmon and Trout Fishery to learn the skill of flyfishing.
In the lush green valleys nearby, apple orchards pattern the hillsides and during the soft autumn days you can buy buckets of Pink Lady, Crofton, Red Delicious, Granny Smith and Fuji apples from roadside stalls. Geeveston has bed and breakfast, lodge and backpacker accommodation and is a good base to stay while exploring the forests, national park and Picton and Huon rivers.
The area was explored during the first days of the colony but not settled until the mid 1800s. Even before the English settled Tasmania, the French explorer Admiral Bruny D’Entrecasteaux (1792) marvelled at the height and girth of the trees covering the landscape. One of the first families to settle the area was the Geeves, who moved to Lightwood Bottom in 1850. The town’s name was changed to Geeves Town in 1861, and eventually became Geeveston.
To reach Geeveston from Hobart, take the Highway A6 to Huonville and continue through Franklin, home of the Wooden Boat School, to Geeveston.
Geeveston’s location in the southern forests dictate its weather pattern. It may be slightly cooler at any time of the year, so always make sure you have a warm jacket and wet weather gear, particularly if you plan to explore the wonderful mountains of the Hartz Mountains National Park.

The Huon Valley is a 40-minute drive south of Hobart; to the east is the channel country – D’Entrecastaux Channel - and the long green hills and white beaches of Bruny Island. The Valley and Channel country is an interesting mix of farmers, people seeking a sustainable lifestyle, craftspeople, orchardists, foresters and fisher folk.
One of the most memorable journeys from Hobart to the Huon is on the coast road through the suburb of Taroona, where the world ’s oldest round shot tower stands. Further on, there are superb sea views of Storm Bay and Bruny Island beyond.
On the shores of the Channel is the little port of Kettering. Cruising yachts and fishing boats sit on their reflections in the sheltered harbour, and the busy Bruny Island car ferry plies its trade across the water.
Bruny Island is an island of surprises - gentle countryside and wild coastlines, quiet beaches and roaring surf, lighthouses, farmhouses, and a rich heritage of sealers, whalers and explorers.
In 1788, during a visit to Bruny Island, Captain William Bligh of the Bounty planted Tasmania’s first apple tree at Adventure Bay. Today, fruit trees still line the highways and country roads of the Huon and Channel district. Heart of the apple country is Huonville, on the willow-clad banks of the Huon River. Its dark waters rise far inland in the Southwest wilderness. As the waters approach the sea, they flow quietly by the river town of Franklin where boat builders learn the traditional skills of shaping Huon pine. Further south is the forest town of Geeveston, close to valleys where mighty eucalypts tower skyward.
South again to Southport, Dover and the hidden dolomite caverns of Hastings and Lune River. At last the road winds down the shores of Recherche Bay to Cockle Creek - the most southerly town in Australia.

Follow the signposted Huon Trail on a tour that takes in the Hastings Caves and Thermal Pool, the treetops attraction, Tahune AirWalk, and the area's forest heritage, showcased at the Geeveston Forest & Heritage Centre. This is a journey into a soft blue-green landscape, rich fertile valleys, winding waterways, old growth forests, mighty rivers and the Southwest and Hartz Mountain National Parks. If you continue south past Dover and Southport to Cockle Creek, you arrive at the southernmost settlement in Australia. The names of the first French explorers adorn headlands, islands and estuaries, while roadside stalls sell wonderful apples, berry and stone fruits in season, and vineyards and producers of fine foods open their doors for sampling of cheeses, mushrooms, wines and other palate-pleasers.

Situated on the banks of the tranquil Huon River and surrounded by the colours of fruit-filled valleys and the peaks of the World Heritage Area, Huonville is a great base for exploring far-south Tasmania.
The Huon Valley generates more than half of Tasmania’s apples. In season you can test your tastebuds on more than 500 varieties, together with apricots, plums, cherries, pears, mushrooms, honey, wine and seafood. Better still, visit in March when the annual Taste of the Huon brings growers together to celebrate their harvests.
Get your heart racing on a jet boat ride up the Huon River or explore it at a more leisurely pace in a paddleboat. A cruise on the Southern Contessa will take you 30 kilometres (18.5 miles) along the river, into the habitats of pelicans, sandpipers and many other waterbirds.
Fishing is popular in the valley’s many open watercourses, or you can barbecue your own catch at the Snowy Range Trout Fishery.
Further south are Tasmania’s magnificent southern forests, where you can stroll through the canopy of a mature forest high above the confluence of the Picton and Huon rivers on the Tahune Forest AirWalk.
You may even find your own piece of Huon pine on your travels through the valley. Although these slow-growing trees are now protected, timber on the forest floor is can be used as craft wood for hundreds of years and pieces are available in stores in Huonville and further down the valley.
The French explorer Bruni D’Entrecasteaux named the Huon River in 1792, after Huon de Kermandec, captain of one of his ships. The town today has a population of approximately 1,700.
Huonville is a 40-minute drive south of Hobart along the A6 highway. Its maximum average daily temperature is approximately 12 degrees Celsius (53.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in June and 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit) in January.

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.