Bruny Island in One Day from Hobart

You can see the best of Bruny Island in one long day from Hobart. The trick is the order: cross early, head south while the roads are quiet, and leave the tastings for the afternoon. This guide walks you through that day hour by hour, by car or with one of the tours from Hobart to Bruny Island.

Is one day enough for Bruny Island?

For the highlights, yes. In one day you can stand on the isthmus that joins North and South Bruny, see the south coast, and taste the island's oysters, cheese and honey. What you cannot do is everything. The cruise takes three hours, and the lighthouse is a long drive south.

So make one choice before you start: cliffs from the sea, or the lighthouse from the land. The rest of the day fits around it. If you want both, and the walks as well, stay a night.

What time should you leave Hobart?

Early. Kettering, where the ferry leaves, is about 40 minutes from Hobart by the Parks and Wildlife Service's reckoning. Bruny Tourism names 8am to 10am as the busiest time to cross from Kettering. Leave by about 7am to reach the queue before 8am, or cross after 10am.

The tours work the same way. The hike leaves at 6:55am, the Safaris day at 7am, the guided walking day at 7:20am and the cruise day at 7:45am. By the time the queue builds, they are on the island.

How does the ferry work?

The SeaLink ferry leaves Kettering about every 20 minutes, except between 12:30pm and 1:20pm. You do not book a sailing; you join the queue. The crossing to Roberts Point takes 15 to 20 minutes.

The fare is charged per vehicle, and foot passengers travel free. Bruny Tourism says the crossing can be cheaper, as well as quieter, outside the busy hours. At peak times such as Easter, the Parks and Wildlife Service says to allow plenty of extra time.

What is on the north of the island?

The ferry lands you at Roberts Point, on the north of the island, and from there the main road runs the length of it. The road south from the landing passes the oyster bar at Get Shucked, and most day tours stop there first. If you plan to come back this way for tastings in the afternoon, keep driving south.

Fill up before you cross if you can. The only fuel on the island is at the Adventure Bay General Store, and there is no ATM, so bring a card and some cash.

Why does the day turn on the isthmus?

Every road south crosses The Neck, the narrow strip of sand that joins the two halves of the island. Stop at the car park and climb the steps to Truganini Lookout. The listing for the hike counts 279 of them. From the top you see the beaches on both sides.

Nearly every day tour stops here, and the hike gives it 15 minutes. Short-tailed shearwaters and little penguins nest here too, and the penguins come ashore at dusk, long after the day tours have left. The full story is in our post on the lookout.

Cliffs by boat, or the lighthouse by road?

South of the isthmus the day splits. For the cliffs, drive to Adventure Bay, about 40 minutes from the landing, and take the 11am cruise. It runs all year; from 1 December to 28 April there are also cruises at 10am and 1:30pm. Check in 30 minutes before.

For the lighthouse, keep going south. The Parks and Wildlife Service puts Cape Bruny 1 hour 15 minutes from the ferry landing. Vehicle access to the grounds runs from 9:30am to 4:30pm, so arrive in the middle of the day. To climb the tower, book a guided lighthouse tour ahead.

Where does lunch happen?

Most days eat at Adventure Bay or on the way south. The hike takes a 45-minute lunch break there, and the cruise day serves lunch there too. The Safaris day eats at Hotel Bruny. The guided walking day stops at the Bruny Hotel, where you buy your own. On the cruise day, lunch at Adventure Bay comes after the three hours at sea, so eat a good breakfast.

If you drive yourself, carry snacks and water. Bruny Tourism lists general stores at Adventure Bay and Alonnah for supplies. The Pennicott tasting day gives you a full hour's lunch by the beach.

What about the tasting trail in the afternoon?

Afternoon is for eating your way back north. The tours stop at chocolate, honey and cheese producers, and many save the oysters for the drive to the ferry. On a food day these are paid; on the other days you buy as you go.

Opening hours vary, so if you drive, check each producer before you set out. The order and what each stop pours are in our food trail post, and the food days that pay for it all are on Bruny Island food tours.

When should you head for the ferry back?

Bruny Tourism names 4pm to 5pm as the busiest time to leave the island. Either leave before 4pm or linger until after 5pm. The day tours are back in Hobart by about 5pm to 6pm.

Watch the light as well. Wallabies cross the roads at dawn and dusk, and Bruny Tourism asks you not to drive then if you can. In winter dusk comes early, so plan to be off the gravel before it. The rules for the road are on the roads and wildlife page.

Can you do the day without a car?

On your own, it is hard. Foot passengers cross free, but the sights are spread along a long island, and the lighthouse is more than an hour's drive from the landing. Without a car, a tour from Hobart is the practical way, and every one of them pays for the crossing.

For the cruise, the cruise operator runs a bus from Oyster Cove Marina at Kettering. You park there for free and arrive by 8:30am, and the ferry is part of it. If you are staying somewhere without a car, check the pickup rules: Tassie Tours collect only from hotels within 5 km of the city centre, not from private rentals.

What should you pack for the day?

• Layers and a rain jacket, in every season. The weather turns quickly on the coast.
• Closed shoes with grip for the lookout steps and the tracks.
• A card and some cash. There is no ATM on the island.
• A full tank, if you drive. The only fuel is at Adventure Bay.
• Water and snacks, on the days that leave lunch to you.
• A pass for the park, if you drive to the lighthouse or the walks.
• Binoculars, for sea eagles over the cliffs and seals from the boat.

If you stay for dusk, bring a red-light torch. Bruny Tourism asks you never to use a camera flash on wildlife, and many island businesses hand out red cellophane for torches.

How does the same day run on a tour?

A tour runs the same shape and takes the planning off you. The guided walking day collects you at 7:20am and returns about ten hours later, with the rainforest track and the lighthouse grounds. The guided walking and sightseeing day pays for the ferry and the park; lunch is yours.

The Pennicott tasting day leaves from Franklin Wharf and runs 9 hours 45 minutes, with the food paid. Wild Escapes collects you from 8:20am, takes ten people at most and stops for wildlife. The Safaris day leaves at 7am and is back by about 5pm, with everything paid, lighthouse climb included.

Which one-day plan suits you?

Here are the main plans for one day side by side. Driving times are the Parks and Wildlife Service's and the cruise operator's; tour times are each listing's own.

For a longer stay, the Tasmania Bruny Island tours add Port Arthur on a second day, and the island without a tour is in our guide to going on your own.

Frequently asked questions

Days that fit one day from Hobart

Full-Day Guided Bruny Island Tour from Hobart

Hotel pickup within 5 km of central Hobart, with the ferry and the national park entry in the fare. Lookouts, a rainforest walk and the lighthouse grounds; food and drink are at your own cost, bought as you go.

From $130 per person

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Bruny Island Traveller - Gourmet Tasting and Sightseeing Day Trip from Hobart

A tasting day from the Hobart waterfront: the lookout over the isthmus, an hour's lunch by the beach, and honey and chocolate stops, with the food and drink listed in the fare. Pickup from select hotels can be arranged.

From $210 per person

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Bruny Island - Wild Escapes From Hobart

A small group of up to ten from Hobart, with oyster, cheese and honey stops, the lookout over the isthmus and time in the south of the island. The guide keeps an eye out for white wallabies; lunch is a stop at your own cost.

From $130 per person

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