Rediscovering Tasmania - Bruny Island

Early this year (2009), my dear friends from Sydney, Geoff & Heather, came down to Tasmania to visit both Geoff's Tasmanian family and me. They invited their friend Jan, to whom I was introduced twelve months previously, to accompany them and suggested that it would be nice for Siebrand to join the party for a visit to the Tasmanian north-east. As this was an area I had not been to for many long years and, indeed, there were some areas that I never been to, it sounded very inviting and I agreed most happily to join the party. The itinerary was also to include visits to Ross and Coles Bay. I hope to cover these places on another blog chapter.

On our return to Hobart, Geoff & Heather were occupied with special family occasions, and Jan indicated to me that she would love to visit Bruny Island. This was another on the 'to-do' list for me. The result was that we decided to visit Bruny together. It is truly a remarkable island. I had not been there since 1970!

As it turned out, the weather was perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed the many attractions on Bruny. This is the story of rediscovering Bruny Island!

Despite it being such a small place, we chose to do it over two days and even then did not allow sufficient time to do it all. But what we did, was fantastic. An early start saw as at the Kettering ferry terminal for the 20 minute trip across to Barnes Bay. We were no sooner off the ferry and on the road when our cameras got busy and clicked almost non-stop, beginning at the Isthmus that divides the north from the south of Bruny. This narrow strip is a breeding ground for Penguins. Have a look:
At this same place, there is a special memorial to one of the last Tasmanian Aboriginals who was born on Bruny Island. Let the memorial tell its own story (Please click on the image for an enlargement. It's worth it!):It is not a pretty story. Truganini died in Hobart, in 1876. aged 64.

Our journey continued on to the southern part of Bruny and then crossed from Adventure Bay to Cloudy Bay. Once again, the views were quite outstanding:And a telephoto view of the lighthouse from the same position:

I'll take you to the lighthouse in a little while. From near this lookout we found the location of an old sawmill. Relics of the past is right:The Tramway in the above pic, I presume, is the one that is shown on the board that tells the story of this site. The old photo on the left of the board was of the LOCO that was used to transport the timber to the jetty at Lunawanna with the photo on the right showing the tramway from 1927 to 1949. The rail tracks look like timber ones!I was very interested to see on the same board a photo of the old ship Lenena, which also plied between Burnie and Melbourne in the 1950s when I worked there. All rather interesting and fits in well with how important rail was in the early development of this State (see my last blog chapter about Ida BayRailway.

And the following pic shows clearly the kind of terrain these sawmillers had to contend with!Having enjoyed this bit of history, we made our way down to Cloudy Bay. It really was magic. A gorgeous beach on a lovely day, but not warm enough to swim.Lunch in such an idyllic location tasted all the better, though I could have done without the bee stings!

Our ongoing journey was along breathtaking scenery to the most southern part of Bruny Island where the lighthouse is located. Please forgive me about raving on about the beauty of Bruny, but I am sure most people would enjoy scenes like the following:

And then this outstanding view of the Bruny Island Lighthouse:

"Colonial architect John Lee Archer designed the 13 metre high Cape Bruny lighthouse. it was built from lical stone and cost 2,500 pounds (approx $4,800) to build even though it was constructed using free convict labour. The lighthouse was lit in 1838 and is the oldest continuously-manned lighthouse in Australia. It was decommissioned in 1996, when it was replaced by a solar-powered tower. The original parabolic reflectors used approximately half a litre of sperm (whale) oil every hour of use."

http://www.brunyisland.net.au/Cape_Bruny/Lightstation/lighthouse.html

What a treat was in store for us. Before going to Bruny, I had rung up the lighthouse keeper and requested the opportunity to go up the lighthouse. It is 40 years since we took our children up there and it seemed like a good idea to do it again.

1969 with from left Brenda, Vicki, Ann & Mark on top of the lighthouse.

Lighthouse keeper Andy kindly gave us his time and led us up the spiral staircase:

Jan wasn't so sure at first but was soon comfortable. Once on top, Andy gave us a colourful account of the lighthouse and explained how the light worked in the past and how it is used these days. We loved his passion for this facility and for his work.

The solar-powered lights.

Andy had a store of info and had a most attentive audience:Being such a perfect day with only a slight breeze, he took us outside on the balcony to allow us to enjoy the unlimited spectacular views to all points of the compass, beginning with a view of the lighthouse keepers' cottages and the car park:Once outside, we continued to enjoy this fascinating man and his deep interest in his work. What a guy!Our eyes must have been sparkling, not only with Andy's fascinating story telling, but also with the most magnificent views. Our cameras worked non stop and the enjoyment is certainly evident on Jan's face:The above view looking East, gives also a good indication of the rugged coastline along Bruny Island.The above: looking West. Below: looking south towards the southern ocean. I suspect it must be good cray fishing down there!

There were many more excellent photos that I am tempted to show, but perhaps, the above will give you a fair idea of what an extraordinary day we had. But...............the day was not finished yet!!

I realise this is a rather long blog chapter, but I do need to share the end of the day with you and then do a further chapter about our second day on Bruny Island.

Our accommodation was on top of a hill at Allonah, overlooking the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. With a glass of wine and some cheese and nibbles, we were absorbed in the wonderful sunset to which we were treated. Have a look:

Wow!! What a day! What an awesome Creation! What an awesome God!!!