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Southern
Island Hopping in Australia
(A
Bruny Experience from The Tree House)
We had left the big
island of Australia for the smaller island State of Tasmania
and then left its shores for the littlest island of Bruny.
Hardly little though, for Bruny is made up of two islands stretching
over 100 kilometres north to south and joined by a narrow ‘neck’
of land no more than 100 meters wide. The island is reached by car
ferry.
Sorties around
Bruny
Once we disembarked,
it was a winding 30-kilometer drive to our temporary and very habitable
abode - The Tree House - at Alonnah on the NW side of South
Bruny Island. The Tree House is a pole house that sits under the
brow of a hill surrounded by ragged, twisted eucalypts and the house
commands a view to the South West straight across the historic D’
Entrecasteaux Channel that separates Bruny from mainland Tasmania.
In the distance, across the channel, stands the impressive 1200-meter
jagged spine of the Hartz Range on the mainland, resplendent in
late September snow.
From the Tree house, we set out each day on sorties into the various
realms of Bruny. Our first sortie was to Adventure Bay, on
the NE leeward side of the South island, a perfect ear-shaped, wide
bay with an inner sheltered cove. It gave refuge to many seafarers
in the past and still does today. Capt Cook, two centuries ago,
weighed anchor here before setting off on his fateful journey to
Hawaii, where he was bludgeoned to death.
The Tree House has a generosity of spirit about it. The owners Rob
and Jolanda give you a free run of the condiments and every known
utensil is at hand. There is a modern kitchen, cozy lounge with
sound system and TV with great reception and two double beds- with
one upstairs via the unique internal wooden ' poop deck' ladder.
The ‘Coonarra’ wood stove gives steady warmth on brisk evenings
and is well supported by ample provisions of cut wood close to hand.
Chris, the owner at the Alonnah General Store, warned us of the
strong winds that can whip up around the Cape Bruny Lighthouse,
but he should not have feared - we were blessed with a perfect sunny
and calm day at this outpost of humanity on the island, built in
1836 by convict labour. We met an echidna (spiny anteater) on the
ledge, snuffling in the grass, its spikes echoing the ragged spiky
basalt stacks of the precipitous point.
Sweeping vistas
and relentless surf
Taking advantage of
the calm weather, we trekked the short circuit (2 to 3 hours) of
the nearby Labillardiere Peninsula, named by D’Entrecasteaux
in honour of the great French traveller-naturalist on board his
ship during his voyage to Tasmania in search of the lost expedition
of La Perouse. The peninsula offers sweeping vistas of the D’E Channel
across the tops of casuarinas trees, the male trees at the time
in full flourish of their long rusty-coloured flowers.
A drive to Cloudy Bay was a dramatic contrast, for here on
this semi-circular bay, some kilometres wide, the sea pounds in
uninhibited from Antarctica, and the forest of Giant kelp that lies
off-shore is stripped from its deep anchorages and churned by the
relentless surf, so that the water of the bay is stained a deep
wine -red color.
Bruny Island is as much about wending one’s way through the landscape
as actually arriving at a specific place. On a visit to the North
island, we crossed the Neck and collected two-dozen fresh oysters
for AUD 6 a dozen from 'Get Shucked' at Great Bay. We got a flat
tyre on the road to Bull Bay - no problem. We also discover the
tyre lever has other functions and used it at Barnes Bay to bash
off the fringes of the oyster shells so a trusty blade could open
them up to reveal their plump bodies for adding to lemon juice shooters.
At Bull Bay, we get the best view across to the South Arm
of the Derwent and the Tasman Peninsula further east. This is the
stunning view that observers of the Sydney — Hobart yacht race’s
final stages get from Bruny. On late afternoon, after cruising through
the little coves and towns of North Bruny, we return across the
Neck in hope of sightings the fairy penguins - but we are too early,
for we see none of the little tuxedo-dressed birds.
We climb what seemed like several hundred steps and look across
both sides of the narrow strip of land, the inner calm waters of
Isthmus Bay in dramatic contrast with the pounding surf of
Adventure Bay. It is more about the unexpected in travel that lures
one on - no penguins were seen, but rather we get a sunset to rival
any other as the sun appeared to struggle to get down through heavy
clouds to the West. The light across the neck was that deep amber-yellow
light of Spring, where greens and reds glow intensely and the whole
of Bruny to the south was bathed in an almost Dali-like surrealistic
light. It was a symbolic moment, for our time on Bruny had
almost come to an end and it turned out to be a farewell of magical
proportions.
We are content that we had absorbed some of the soul of Bruny, but
we are determined next time in a summer season to take the new eco-boat
trip (starts late October) from Adventure Bay, around Fluted Cape
to the giant kelp forests off Mangana Bluff, and go as far
south along the east coast to the Friars to view the seal colonies.
Bruny has more for us to discover on our next visit its shores in
anticipation of a mixture of both blissful solitude and unique visual
stimulation.
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For more information,
call +61 3 52 555 147 or go to www.thetreehouse.com.au
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