Choosing a Bruny Island Tour: Food, Cruise, Hike or Lighthouse

Choosing a Bruny Island tour comes down to a few plain questions. Who feeds you? Do you want the lighthouse climb, or three hours at sea? How far do you want to walk? This guide takes them in that order, from the listings' own terms, so you can shortlist in a few minutes. If you already know the kind of day you want, compare the Bruny Island guided tours and their fares.

What separates one Bruny Island day from another?

Nobody sells a ticket to the island. There is no gate, so every fare is a bundle of four things: the guide and transport, the ferry, a pass for the national park, and food. The lighthouse climb is a fifth, and only a few days include it.

So two days that look alike can differ by $70 or more. The cheaper one may leave lunch, the tastings and the park to you. The dearer one may pay for all of it. Read what each fare includes before you read the price.

The other big split is land or sea. Most days spend their hours on the road, from the ferry landing down to the south coast. The cruise spends three hours on the water under the cliffs. The table at the end of this guide lines them all up.

Who feeds you, and who doesn't?

This is the biggest difference in price. The food days pay for lunch and the tastings. The Bruny Island Safaris day adds morning tea on the beach, lunch at Hotel Bruny, a private chocolate and fudge tasting, honey and cheese. The Pennicott tasting day pays for the food and drink on its itinerary, with an hour's lunch by the beach at Adventure Bay.

The guided walking days, the hike, Wild Escapes and the cruise alone leave lunch to you. You still stop at the oyster bar, the cheese and the honey; you simply pay as you go. If you eat lightly, that can cost less. If you eat everything on offer, a food day is simpler.

The food days are compared side by side on Bruny Island food tours.

Which tours climb the lighthouse?

Only the Bruny Island Safaris days take you up the spiral stairs of Cape Bruny Lighthouse with a guide. The climb is on both of its listings, the one from central Hobart at 7am and the one with hotel pickup. Children under 5 cannot climb.

The private Discovery day offers a lighthouse tour as one of its afternoon choices. The guided walking days and the multi-day bundles stop at the grounds, where you walk around the tower but not up it. Most other days do not reach the cape at all.

The grounds are open at any time, and the Parks and Wildlife Service opens vehicle access from 9:30am to 4:30pm. To climb, you need the guided tour, whether a day includes it or you book it yourself.

Is the cruise worth a whole day?

The cruise itself is three hours. What changes is the rest. Book it alone and you drive to the base on the island, cruise, then spend the afternoon as you like. Book the full day from Hobart and the bus, the ferry and lunch come with it, plus about an hour and a half of land sightseeing.

If you have a car, the cruise alone gives you more island for your money. If you do not, the full day is the easy way. Either way you see sea cliffs, caves and the seals at The Friars, which no land day can show you. The cruise from the island is rated 4.9, and all the ways to book it are on Bruny Island boat tours.

How much walking is in each day?

Most days are driving with short walks. You climb the steps to the lookout over the isthmus, stroll a beach and wander the lighthouse grounds. The guided walking day adds a rainforest track.

The hike is the exception. It walks about 8 km return over three hours on part of the Cape Queen Elizabeth Track, out to the Bruny Arch, then spends the afternoon on the tasting trail. It needs a moderate level of fitness, and walkers must be at least 8. It is also the cheapest day, at $120. The walking days are on Bruny Island walking tours.

Which tours include the pass for the national park?

A lighthouse visit, the Fluted Cape walks and the south coast sit inside South Bruny National Park, and a Parks Pass is needed to enter. Some fares pay for it. The Safaris days, the guided walking days, the private Discovery day and the 2- and 4-day bundles all list it.

The 3-day bundle and the shore excursion list a pass and also tell you to buy one. On those, ask at booking. The other days do not say. If you drive yourself, a daily pass costs $49.15 a car, in Australian dollars.

How big is the group?

• Six at most: the Signature day.
• Ten at most: Wild Escapes, which needs two to book.
• Eleven at most: the private Discovery day, for your party only.
• Fifteen: the hike.
• Twenty: the Safaris days and the guided walking day.
• Twenty-four: the Pennicott tasting day.
• Forty or more: the cruise boat, which holds up to 43.

A smaller group costs more a head, but the guide stops where you want. On the bigger days the route is set.

Which tour suits children?

Most land days take children with an adult. On the guided walking day one parent wrote that a seven-year-old followed the guide all day. The hike takes walkers from 8, and the lighthouse climb from 5.

For a family, the question is often the drive. A full day from Hobart runs about ten hours. If your children tire of the bus, the cruise alone is three hours, with the rest of the day on your own terms. Watch them near the cliffs: the lighthouse grounds have unprotected edges.

Private or shared?

The private days differ in how they are priced. The charter takes a group of up to four in its own vehicle, priced per group at $1,051. It includes the ferry and a driver-guide, but not lunch or tastings, and it cannot be refunded. The private Discovery day is priced per person, at $720 with a minimum of two, and pays for breakfast, lunch, the ferry and park fees.

For four people, the charter costs about $263 each before food. For two, the shared days cost far less. What each fare buys is set out in our guide to tour prices.

Which tour if you get seasick?

Stay on land. The cruise is a fast, open boat on the ocean, and the ride can be rough. The cruise operator suggests a seat in the back third of the boat, and a cool body temperature, if you are prone to it.

The ferry crossing is short, 15 to 20 minutes on sheltered water, and it is part of every land day. If you are set on the cruise, take something before you board, and read what to expect on the cruise.

Why do some days look almost the same?

Some operators sell the same day through more than one booking site. The Safaris day, the guided walking day, the cruise, the Pennicott tasting day and the cruise day each appear twice, with fares a few dollars apart and slightly different wording.

They are the same day with the same operator. Compare what each version says it includes, check the refund terms, and book the one that suits you. Do not book both.

How do the main days compare?

Here is the choice in one table, from each listing's own terms. Fares are per person in US dollars, except the charter.

Still between two? The one-day plan shows how a day on the island runs hour by hour.

Frequently asked questions

Days that suit a first visit

All Inclusive Bruny Island Day Tour Plus Guided Lighthouse Tour

Morning tea on the beach, lunch over the water and three tastings, plus a guided climb inside the lighthouse. The ferry and national park entry are in the fare, and only drinks with meals cost extra. Leaves central Hobart at 7am.

From $203 per person

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Full-Day Bruny Island Cruises Day Tour from Hobart

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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Hobart: Bruny Island Adventure: Hike, Highlights & Tastes

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

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