There is no bridge to Bruny Island: you cross on the SeaLink car ferry from Kettering, about 40 minutes south of Hobart. Drive yourself, walk on as a foot passenger, or let one of the tours from Hobart to Bruny Island take care of the whole chain.
Bruny Island lies off the south-east coast of Tasmania, across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. There is no road link, so every car, bus and walker crosses on the ferry. Bruny Tourism calls it "an island off an island off an island".
SeaLink sells return fares only, so one ticket covers the trip back. On a tour, the bus crosses with you on board, and most fares name the ferry among what they include.
Kettering is about 40 minutes from Hobart, the Parks and Wildlife Service says, through Kingston on the A6 and then the B68. Bruny Tourism puts it at half an hour, and Pennicott at 45 minutes, so allow the longer figure if you have a cruise to catch.
Hobart Airport is the nearest airport, with direct flights from Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, according to Bruny Tourism. If you bring your car on the Spirit of Tasmania to Devonport, Kettering is about four hours and 315 km away.
The ferry leaves about every 20 minutes, except between 12:30pm and 1:20pm, Bruny Tourism says, and SeaLink runs more than 20 sailings a day in summer. You drive on at Kettering and off at Roberts Point.
The queues are worst leaving Kettering from 8am to 10am, and leaving the island from 4pm to 5pm. The Parks and Wildlife Service asks you to allow extra time at Easter. SeaLink publishes the timetable; check it before you go.
The ferry is free on foot, but that is only half the answer. Roberts Point is a long way from the sights: Adventure Bay is about 40 minutes' drive south, and the lighthouse more than an hour.
| How you go | The ferry | The parks pass | On the island |
|---|---|---|---|
| On foot | Free for passengers | $24.55 a person a day (AUD) | The landing is far from the sights, and you need a lift from there |
| By car | Charged per vehicle, return | $49.15 a vehicle a day (AUD) | You drive the gravel and set your own hours |
| On a tour | Part of the day | In the fare on most day tours | The guide drives; you are back in Hobart by evening |
For most visitors without a car, a tour is the practical way across. The tour bus carries you over the water, drives the gravel, and has you back in Hobart by evening. The pass is for South Bruny National Park, and its fees are the Parks and Wildlife Service's, in Australian dollars.
Almost every tour starts in central Hobart, early. Check your confirmation the night before, because each operator uses its own stop.
| Where you meet | Who starts there | When |
|---|---|---|
| Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre, 20 Davey St | Bruny Island Safaris, Tassie Tours, the Tours Tasmania hike | 6:55am to 7:20am |
| Franklin Wharf, by the lifting bridge | The Pennicott food and cruise days | 7:45am on the cruise day |
| Princes Wharf No. 1, Castray Esplanade | Wild Escapes | From about 8:20am |
| The Hobart cruise terminal | The Tassie Tours shore excursion | Your ship's day |
| Your hotel or ship | The private days and the Bespoke Signature day | From about 7am |
| Adventure Bay, on the island | The 3-hour cruise alone | Check in 30 minutes before |
Tassie Tours collect you only from hotels within 5 km of the Hobart CBD, not from an Airbnb or a private home. If you are staying further out, walk or drive to the Davey Street information centre. Every meeting point is on the island map.
Compare the tours by where they start, what time they leave Hobart, and what the fare covers.
The wilderness cruise is not one of them. Pennicott says it does not suit a shore excursion because of ship arrival times, and Adventure Bay is about 90 minutes from Hobart each way. If you are only in port for the day, a land tour is your option.
If you have a car but would rather not drive on the island, Pennicott runs a daily bus from Oyster Cove Marina in Kettering that joins the 11am cruise. You arrive by 8:30am, park free at the marina, and the bus takes you across on the ferry and down to Adventure Bay.
From Hobart, the cruise day from Franklin Wharf does the same with the drive to Kettering added, and puts lunch in the fare. Both the cruise alone and the Hobart day are on the Bruny Island boat tours.
Most tours leave Hobart between 6:55am and about 8:40am. If you land in Hobart the same morning, you will miss them. Arrive the evening before and stay near the waterfront, a short walk from Davey Street and Franklin Wharf.
The drive, the crossing and the Easter warning are the Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania's own, checked 21 September 2026. The ferry frequency, queues, flights and the Spirit of Tasmania route are Bruny Tourism's; the terminal and fare basis are SeaLink's, on Discover Tasmania; the Kettering bus is Pennicott's. Every meeting point is the operator's own.
Hotel pickup in central Hobart, with the return ferry and national park entry in the fare. An easy walking morning, then an afternoon of tastings; lunch at the pub is at your own cost.
From $128 per person
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A three-hour sea-cliff cruise inside a full day from the Hobart waterfront, leaving at 7:45am. The bus, the ferry, tea or coffee and lunch are in the fare, with about an hour and a half of sightseeing on land.
From $210 per person
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A 3-hour, 8 km return hike to a sea arch, then a trail of chocolate, honey, cheese and oyster producers. The ferry is in the fare; food is yours to buy or bring. Minimum age 8, and cancel at least two days out.
From $120 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: see what to do once you land on things to do on the island, read the roads and wildlife guide, or compare every tour on Bruny Island Tours.