This is my second time in Hobart, luckily, with someone who can drive a car properly (smiling, you know, I am the road killer type of driver…).
I always heard about the Bruny Island, and always see it on a lot of travel blog. So I convinced Dr.R to go with me this time. We only had a weekend there, so we chose to have a one day trip and focus on the food side.
Driving from Hobart to Bruny Island Ferry is about 35min if no traffic jam. Some part of the road was a bit narrow but was overall it was a nice and easy drive.
Bruny Island ferry
The ferry website is here: http://brunyislandferry.com.au
I recommend arriving there as early as possible because it was a fairly long queue. It’s possible that the ferry gets full and you have to wait for the next one which is 30mins after. This is particularly the case when you want coming back from Bruny Island in the afternoon around 5pm. You need to be there at least 45min earlier than the ferry time during the peak season
The ferry took approximately 29min. Once the ride started, we can get out of our car and walk around the deck. It was a great ride: the sky is clear, the water is blue, I am hungry and ready for the feast (???).
Well, I felt the ride was short. When I soaked into sth, I don’t feel the clock is ticking. Soon we (or Dr.R) have to start driving again.
The Bruny Island has two parts: the North and the South. The Neck linked both islands and was the greatest part of this visit.
here is the Map link: http://www.brunyisland.net.au/Downloads/MapBrochure.pdf
There are a lot of small stores to stop over, pick a map and you will see a list of them. We didn’t go much hiking this time because of the time constraint. Here are some of our picks:
The North Island:
If you only want to try one place on this island, and you love seafood, Get Shucked-Bruny Island Oyster farm is the one and the only one you should stop:
It located only 10-15 mins driving distance from the ferry, and you won’t miss it. Make sure you come here as early as possible because they sold out sometimes.
we had one dozen fresh:
I don’t feel its enough and we went the second dozen:
still not enough, so we went for half dozen of steamed one:
Those oysters had this clear, crisp taste, and gave a sweet and cream finish. I just can’t stop eating one after another. We came back around 3:30pm in the afternoon to get more to take back, but they already sold out. Make sure you get in as early as possible!
South Island:
25 mins drive, we arrived our lunch destination: Bruny Island Premium Wine. I am not a big drinker but I love wine tasting. It’s like a treasure hunting because you never know what you can taste.
It said on its sign that this is Australia’s most southern vineyard. Of course, wine tasting before the lunch
We learnt that this winery is fairly young and probably only just past its 20 (younger than me).
the tasting list is here:
Price wise I found it is relatively expensive to its taste. But they have some very unique type, for example, Gewurztraminer, that I can taste the lychee and ginger, even a hint of honey finish.
Be honest, I love the reserve Sauvignon Blanc, it is fruity but with right depth in it, chill-to-prefect for the summer, and all the element assembled nicely. But I do think that some of the wine in other winery is the same quality but with a cheaper price tag. This winery also sells some of the aged reserves, but I don’t really want to buy without trying especially the price is above 50.
So I got the Gewurztraminer home, for its uniqueness.
We had a light lunch here. I quite like the lamb, especially the sauteed onion.
You can drink your purchased wine here or just order a cup of your favourite wine from the cellar door. Another reason why wine tasting should be first 😀
Btw, this place’s cider is decent too! I love the blueberry Apple cider. Sweet side but so tasty!
South Island:
We wanted to go Bruny island berry farm to see whether berry is in season. Tassie’s strawberry was really delicious. It took us around 20 mins to go from the winery to the berry farm. Sadly the berry wasn’t in the season during November. So…Everyone need some dessert after the lunch right?!! I know the answer is YES
We decided to try their pancake and cheesecake (and a bottle of strawberry ciders…).
The pancake was pretty average but I liked the cheesecake. Not overly sweet and has the nice texture.
The time was approaching 3:30pm. We spent most of our time on food so far, so we decided to do some sightseeing before head back. The car park entry is easy to miss so make sure you slow down a bit and look the sign carefully.
here is the Neck:
It’s just AMAZING!!! I was very sleepy because I had a lot of food. I was fully awake when I saw this!!!
The neck connects the north and south part of the island, and the lookout required a bit of upstairs walk:
But it is definitely worth the effort. The view was spectacular.
A big round of applause to Dr.R who found his place.
We also checked other food places, like the Bruny Island Honey, which is a very very small store (or a truck size of pop up store), and the Bruny Island Smokehouse, which is another super small store and right next to the ferry. Perfect for grabbing a souvenir if you have to wait 45 mins ferry like us. The smoked wallaby is very tasty, and I recommend it to add to your salad. Sensational.
Time to head back…..
That’s what we did from 11am to 5pm. We will probably go back to see the lighthouse and do some hiking route next time. This island is a popular tourist place and has a lot of accommodation options. Stay here 1 night might be a good idea if our trip was not only a long weekend gate away.
Hmm, I want more Bruny Island oysters now.
Traveled at mid-Nov 2017
Tasting The Cloud 