Bruny Island

We finally made it to Bruny Island! Hobart lacks a bypass, so we had to drive nearly through the city center after crossing the Tasman Bridge. We took Davey Street, which is one-way and eventually connects to the Southern Outlet, leading us further south toward Kingston. The drive went smoothly for a Sunday, but I can imagine it would be much busier on a weekday; we’ll no doubt find out during our return trip. From there, we turned onto the Channel Highway toward Kettering and then headed onto Ferry Road to board the ferry. After a brief wait, we boarded the next ferry for the twenty minute  3-kilometer journey to Bruny Island.

We had booked a Hipcamp site about 7 km along Adventure Bay Road. After reading past reviews and consulting with someone who had recently stayed there, it would suit us just fine. The property owner was very friendly and gave us plenty of valuable information about things to see and do. However, the campsite left much to be desired, as there weren’t any flat spots. Given our experiences with past bookings, I think this might be our last Hipcamp reservation, as we’ve often stayed in less-than-desirable locations.

After setting up, we continued along Adventure Bay Road to Bruny Island Cruises, where we booked a three-hour boat trip for 10 AM on Monday, March 24. Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at the location before heading back toward ‘The Neck’ to climb the 279 stairs to the lookout. We certainly needed the exercise after our lunch!

Then we continued on to the main town on Bruny Island, Alonnah, before heading back to our site for the remainder of the afternoon.

We had a perfect day for our boat trip with Bruny Island Cruises. The sky was sunny, with only a few clouds and hardly any wind. We were provided large red waterproof ponchos with hoods, which were meant to protect us from sea spray. However, they also kept us warm once our inflatable boat picked up speed.

After departing from the calm waters of Adventure Bay, we headed south into a moderate swell. While several sea caves were in the area, conditions did not allow our boat to get too close to them. Similar to the Tasman Peninsula, the cliffs and pillars in this region are composed of dolomite, with the highest point reaching 276 meters. Our trip concluded with a visit to a group of islands known as 'The Friars,' home to a large colony of Australian fur seals.

Eagle Rock sits above the cliffs on the Fluted Cape Walk.

With less swell, the boat normally passes through the gap where this pillar sits.

Before leaving our campsite I removed the van steps to ensure we made the main road without any damage.

Port Arthur

Port Arthur is located 90 kilometers southeast of Hobart on the Tasman Peninsula and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Dunalley Hotel was established in 1866 and is at the gateway to the Tasman Peninsular.

We stayed at the NRMA Caravan Park in Port Arthur while we were there. Stewart Bay was just a five-minute walk from our campsite.

The convicts sent to Van Diemen's Land were often convicted of minor offenses, such as stealing a loaf of bread. One in five convicts were women, many accompanied by their children.

Port Arthur was an ideal prison location, surrounded by water and accessible by only one narrow land connection known as 'The Neck.' This made it easy to defend with a small garrison and fierce dogs chained closely together.

The community at Port Arthur comprised convicts, soldiers, police officers, civil officials, free migrants, and their families.

We took a guided tour of the Isle of the Dead, where over 1,000 individuals are buried. Although I still struggle to understand hectares, the island spans just over 2.5 acres. The burials include a mix of officials, soldiers and their families, seamen, and convicts. Convicts were not given headstones as a further punishment for their crimes, while the others had headstones and were buried in the upper section of the island. A convict worked as a gravedigger and lived permanently on the island in a small shack, with food and water delivered twice a week. The island's sandy soil made it unsuitable for agriculture, making it ideal as a cemetery, as digging graves was relatively easy.

We enjoyed a 90-minute guided boat trip to Cape Raoul. While photographing seals and the dolomite stacks, we were thrilled to be surrounded by hundreds of dolphins. Of course, our photos don't do justice to the dolphins as they move quickly. We were lucky to glimpse two whales and watch albatrosses soar overhead. Our tour ran overtime because we were captivated by the dolphins.

Hobart

 We left New Norfolk at 10 AM and headed toward Cambridge. To avoid the heavier traffic on the southern side of the River Derwent, which flows directly into Hobart, we chose to travel along the northern side. Our destination was the Barilla Holiday Park.

We chose this park because it is located approximately thirteen kilometres from Hobart. There is a bus stop directly outside the park; however, we expected more options on the bus timetable, especially on weekends.

 

Since the weekend bus schedule was irregular, we decided to use Uber for our transportation for the first time. After downloading the app, I was surprised by how easy it was to schedule trips in advance. We used Uber on Saturday to attend the Salamanca Market and again on another day to catch the ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).

One day, we decided to use the red double-decker bus, which offers a hop-on, hop-off service to all the main attractions in Hobart. As a driver, I often miss out on the sights, so enjoying the various landmarks around Hobart and its surroundings was refreshing without the stress of navigating through traffic.

We enjoyed lunch and a few beers at the Cascade Brewery.

The bell in this photo at the Cascade Brewery was rung at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 3 p.m. to signal that workers could take a 15-minute break to drink beer during their shift. This practice reportedly began to deter beer theft by convicts working at the brewery. 

The bell remains an important part of the brewery's culture. The 4 p.m. bell on Fridays signals the end of the work week and the start of "beer o'clock" for employees.

The abundance of sandstone underlying Hobart has been extensively quarried for private and public buildings.

We also caught an UBER into Hobart on Saturday to attend the Salamanca Markets.

Ingle Hall, built in 1814, is reputed to be the oldest surviving building in Hobart and possibly Tasmania. 

We did not make the trip to the summit of Mount Wellington because it was continually shrouded in clouds during our days in Hobart.