Bruny Island & Port Arthur
Bruny Island
My second full day in Tasmania took me to the beautiful Bruny Island. Andrew from Team Freo happened to be in Tassie for 4 days before he left Australia for New Zealand. He had lived here for 8 months and was excited to revisit some of his favorite places - one being Bruny Island! Enter his best friend Sarah with a car rental and add myself and Ruben, another YHA Vollie, and you’ve got our day trip crew!
We picked up the rental car nice and early to head to the island via ferry. Typically known for it’s cooler temperatures, this was the one day in Tassie that it was predicted to spike above 40°C (over 100°F). WOOOOOWEEEE. Wanting to hike the Cape Queen Elizabeth Hike before temperatures got to hot, we headed right there. The walk combines both beach and bush with spectacular views of the coastline, remote beaches, and a rocky archway at Mars Bluff.
After desperately buying more water and a pack of ice-cream sandwiches, we drove to see Sarah’s favorite, Bruny Island Lighthouse, and then stopped at the iconic Neck, an isthmus connecting the north and south portions of the island.
LONG line awaited us at the ferry back to the mainland due to a mechanical error. We eventually made it on and I proceeded to pass out back at the hostel at 8pm…Adventure Day complete!
Richmond & Tasman Peninsula
After the two week roadtrip, the one thing I still wanted to see before leaving Tasmania was the Tasman Peninsula. Best known for the world heritage listed convict site, Port Arthur, the rugged coastline is also a major draw. Our YHA Vollie group rented another car for a day trip! Our first stop in Richmond, home of the oldest bridge in Australia, gave us a cute tea and pastry break before continuing on.
We spent the early afternoon stopping along the Eagleneck Hawk section, stopping at the Tessalated Pavement, Tasman’s Arch, Blowhole, and Devil’s Kitchen.
After living for two and a half months in a converted prison, I was excited to see Port Arthur and was blown away by the size and scale of the site. Our entry ticket included a /Harbour Cruise, a guided walking tour, Port Arthur gallery, and entry to more than 30 historic buildings, ruins, restored houses. We learned about different approaches to running the prison, from rehabilitation to hard labour to complete silent isolation. It was difficult to comprehend the horrors of the site when the landscape around us was so gorgeous.
On our drive home, we stopped to watch the sunset over the water and then stopped for amazing pizza in a small town (maybe delicious because we were so hungry, but I’ll stand by it!)
