The Isthmus, Bruny Island

The isthmus also known as the neck is a long narrow neck of land almost like a giant sandbar. The neck joins together North Bruny Island & South Bruny Island.

At the centre of the neck is a stunning lookout known locally as the hummock.

There are beaches on either side of the neck. There are stunning views of the surrounding beaches & coves from the hummock lookout.
It takes a little aerobic exercise to climb the wooden steps of the hummock but it is well worth the effort. The air is bracing at the top, the view is great & there are wooden benches at the top, so you can take a break & catch your breath.

SUBLIME BRUNY ISLAND a Tasmanian treasure

Bruny Island, Tasmania is both quaint & exotic. The island has a richness of colour & culture & a fascinating mix of exotic & rustic flavour.

Bruny Island boasts a huge number of beaches. The sea water is crisp & un-polluted.

On Bruny Island the night sky is clear & unfettered by pollution & bright city lights.

Every house, cottage & villa has a view.

This local cafe is located inside a hothouse & occasionally the local wildlife give a little parade for the customers.

CAPE BRUNY LIGHTHOUSE

The Cape Bruny Lighthouse is an imposing thirteen metres high. The Lighthouse was established in 1838, after a series of shipwrecks in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. The Cape Bruny Lighthouse was built using locally quarried stone at a cost of 2,500 pounds for materials. The labour cost nothing as the Lighthouse was built by the hands of convict labour.

The legacy of all the backbreaking work of the convicts who brought the lighthouse to fruition lives on to this day, although the light was decommissioned in 1996, when it was replaced by a solar powered tower.

The Cape Bruny Lighthouse is enjoyed by sightseers & revered by historians as the oldest continuously manned  Lighthouse in Australia. 

Australia's longest serving head lighthouse keeper, Captain William Hawkins, served at the Cape Bruny Lighthouse for 37 years & 232 days from 1877 to 1914. 

Getting supplies to the lighthouse was a difficult job, prior to the Lighthouse Rd being carved through the bush.

Until 1915, steam ships & sailing vessels served the light. Stores of food, livestock, wicks, sperm whale oil & glass chimneys were all needed to keep the light house keepers & their families fed & the light burning.

On occasion, assistance has been given to ships which have suffered mishaps of varying degrees of severity. Often crews were given stores from the keepers' private supplies.

The original parabolic reflectors used approximately half a litre of sperm whale oil for every hour that the light burned.

The lighthouse reserve consisted of 184 acres of land that was used by the early keepers for grazing horses and other livestock. Vegetables, were grown by the early convict lighthouse keepers. There are still the remains of the convict garden on the sheltered side by the beach.

Wireless telephone apparatus was installed in 1930 and a pedal wireless set on 28 March 1938.

http://brunyisland.net.au/Cape_Bruny/Lightstation/lightstation_accommodation.htm

Some of the Animals that live on Bruny Island

This Kangaroo was photographed in a field by the side of the road.

                          Bird life flourishes on Bruny Island.

This very friendly raven was photographed sitting on the banister outside a coffee shop in Adventure Bay, Bruny Island.

        Stunning eagle soaring above Bruny Island, Tasmania.

This slow & friendly lizard was photographed in my mothers driveway in Simpsons Bay, Bruny Island, Tasmania. 

 This white wallaby was snapped munching on some grass in cookville, Bruny Island.

Everybody seems to find echidnas irresistibly cute, spikes & all.

Bruny Island History

Bruny Island was first sighted by Abel Tasman in 1642. Bruny Island takes its name from Rear Admiral Bruni d'Entrecasteaux who dropped anchor off the coast of Bruny Island in 1792-93. Bruny Island is of national significance in the European exploration of the southern seas. Captains Furneaux, Flinders, Cook and Bligh all anchored in Bruny Island's Adventure Bay which takes its name from Furneaux's ship. 

The Bligh Museum of Pacific Exploration at Adventure Bay http://www.brunyisland.net.au/Adventure_Bay/blighmuseum.html and the Alonnah History Rooms are open to the public daily http://www.brunyisland.net.au/Alonnah/historyroom.html .

Take a walk out to Variety Bay on open days or follow the walking track to Grassy Point to see the site of one of Bruny Island's ex whaling stations and find out about the whaling history from the information boards along the way http://www.brunyisland.net.au/Walks/brunywalks.html.

For more information about Bruny Island http://brunyisland.net.au/

Historic Cape Bruny Lighthouse. Check out this link for more information about the Cape Bruny Light station http://www.brunyisland.net.au/Cape_Bruny/Lightstation/lighthouse.html

View from the Cape Bruny Lighthouse.

Cape Bruny Lighthouse lamp

The variety of Bruny Island

     From sunrise to sunset Bruny Island has so much to see & do.

Bruny Island offers relaxation & enervation. Bruny Island is a great place for strolls on the beach, bush walking, swimming, boating & fishing. 

 The Island is large & sparsely populated in many areas, which means there is always a quiet place to retreat to if you need some time out. There are however all the amenities a person could need such as a general store, pub & restaurants.

 The Island has beautiful national park areas for sightseeing, camping & bush walking.

Many of the beaches are suitable for surfing & the water is amazingly clean & crisp.

 All the housing on the Island runs on rainwater or bore water & many locals live an Eco-friendly lifestyle. As far as an Eco-friendly Tasmanian holiday goes I think Bruny Island is one of the best places you could possibly visit.

Eco Tourism is a big part of the Bruny Island economy. There is a lot of Eco-friendly accommodation available on the Island. There are also Eco cruises & penguin watching tours. The Island is also a popular spot for bird watching. If you fancy a luxury Eco holiday find out more at http://brunyisland.net.au/ or phone 1300 889 557 toll free

The Bligh Museum

The Bligh Museum is situated in Adventure Bay on South Bruny Island.The Bligh Museum was constructed in 1954. The foundation stone was laid on the 9th of September in commemoration of the 200-year anniversary of Vice Admiral William Bligh.

Portrait of Captain Bligh. The convict-crafted bricks from which the building is built were made in 1846 at Variety Bay on North Bruny Island. Later twenty-six thousand of these bricks were transported from North Bruny Island, making the journey across the Isthmus (Neck) & through the winding Adventure Bay Rd to their destination at the Museum site. The Bligh Museum houses a variety of interesting & quirky exhibits from Bruny Island, Tasmania & Polynesia. Polynesian & Australian war weapons in the Bligh Museum.

For a small museum the Bligh offers a lot to look at. The Museum houses memorabilia for Captain Bligh & Captain Cooke enthusiasts, as well as a liberal smattering of interesting paintings & artifacts, which hold a more general appeal. Vintage ship in a bottle at the Bligh Museum