Visiting Bruny Island: Ferry, Parks Pass and Tour Fares
Nobody sells a Bruny Island entry ticket, because the island has no gate. If you are pricing Bruny Island day tours, start with the three things you might pay for yourself: the ferry, a parks pass and the lighthouse tour.
No gate, no admission
Bruny Island lies off the south-east coast of Tasmania, across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel from Kettering. North and South Bruny are joined by The Neck, a narrow strip of sand and dunes. You can drive, walk and swim almost anywhere without paying anyone.
Money changes hands in three places. The SeaLink ferry charges per vehicle. South Bruny National Park needs a parks pass. Climbing Cape Bruny Lighthouse means joining a paid guided tour. Everything else you pay for is a tour fare.
| What you pay for | What it costs | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| The island itself | Nothing | No gate and no admission |
| The SeaLink ferry | Charged per vehicle; foot passengers free | Return fares; no need to book a set sailing |
| A parks pass | $24.55 a person or $49.15 a vehicle a day (AUD) | Needed in South Bruny National Park, which includes the lighthouse |
| Climbing the lighthouse | A separate paid tour | Only on a guided lighthouse tour; a parks pass is needed to join |
| A tour or cruise | The fare, set by each operator | What each fare covers differs: read the card |
The parks pass for South Bruny National Park
The Parks and Wildlife Service says a valid parks pass is needed to enter Tasmania's national parks. On Bruny Island that means the south: the park runs along the coast from Fluted Cape round to Great Taylor's Bay, and the lighthouse grounds have been part of it since 2000.
Children under 5 go free, and holders of an Australian Seniors, Pensioner, Health Care or Veterans' Affairs card can claim a 20% concession. The fees are reviewed every year.
| Pass | By vehicle (up to 8 people) | Per person (bus, bike or on foot) |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Pass, up to 24 hours | $49.15 | $24.55 |
| Holiday Pass, all parks, up to 2 months | $98.35 | $49.20 |
| Annual Park Pass | $104.75 all parks, $53.50 one park | — |
If you are on a tour, check the card before you buy one. The Bruny Island Safaris days, the Tassie Tours day and the private Discovery day put the Parks Pass in the fare. The 3-day tour and the shore excursion list one and also tell you to buy one, so ask at booking.
Getting to the ferry
Kettering is about 40 minutes' drive south of Hobart, through Kingston, according to the Parks and Wildlife Service. The crossing to Roberts Point on North Bruny takes 15 to 20 minutes, and there is no bridge.
Bruny Tourism says the ferry leaves about every 20 minutes, except between 12:30pm and 1:20pm, and you do not need to book. The queues are longest leaving Kettering from 8am to 10am and leaving the island from 4pm to 5pm. Allow extra time at busy periods such as Easter. The whole chain is set out in getting to Bruny Island.
Where the tours start
Most tours start in central Hobart, early. The cruise alone starts on the island itself, at Adventure Bay on South Bruny, and you get yourself there: about 90 minutes from Hobart with the ferry. Every meeting point is on the island map.
| Where you meet | Where it is | Who starts there |
|---|---|---|
| Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre | 20 Davey St, Hobart, on the corner of Elizabeth Street | Bruny Island Safaris at 7am, Tassie Tours at 7:20am, the Tours Tasmania hike at 6:55am |
| Franklin Wharf | The Dock Head Building, next to the lifting bridge | The Pennicott food and cruise days |
| Princes Wharf No. 1 | Castray Esplanade, next to the taxi stand | Wild Escapes, from about 8:20am |
| The Hobart cruise terminal | By the information desk | The Tassie Tours shore excursion |
| Your hotel or your ship | Pickup in Hobart | The private days, the Bespoke Signature day, and pickups on several others |
| Adventure Bay | 1005 Adventure Bay Road, on the island | The 3-hour wilderness cruise, which you reach yourself |
Tassie Tours collect you only from hotels within 5 km of the Hobart CBD, not from an Airbnb or a private home. If that is where you are staying, walk to one of the listed stops, such as Davey Street. The reviews show how often an early pickup is the thing people wish they had checked.
What a day costs
The fares look far apart until you read what each one covers. A cheaper day often leaves lunch and the tastings to you; a dearer one pays for them, and sometimes for the pass and the lighthouse too.
| The day | What you pay | What the fare covers |
|---|---|---|
| A hike and tastings | $120 per person | The ferry and the guide; meals and drinks at your cost |
| A guided day from Hobart | $128 to $130 per person | On the Tassie Tours day, the ferry and the parks pass; lunch at your cost |
| The 3-hour cruise | $135 to $137 per person | The cruise and a wet-weather jacket; you get yourself to Adventure Bay |
| An all-inclusive food or cruise day | $199 to $210 per person | Lunch, and the tastings or the cruise; on the Bruny Island Safaris days, the lighthouse climb and the parks pass too |
| A small-group food day | $261 per person | The ferry and tastings for up to six; lunch at your cost |
| A private day | $720 per person, or $1,051 per group (up to 4) | Your own guide and vehicle for the day |
| Two to four days with Port Arthur | $224 to $460 per person | A day on the island, and Port Arthur entry on another |
Tour fares are shown in US dollars, as listed; the ferry and pass fees are in Australian dollars, as the Service and SeaLink publish them.
Not sure which kind of day you want?
A food day with the lighthouse climb, a walking day, or three hours under the sea cliffs: compare them side by side.
On the island: fuel, cash and the roads
The only fuel on the island is at the Adventure Bay General Store, and there is no ATM, so fill up and bring a card before you cross. The roads are a mix of sealed and gravel.
Wildlife feeds on the verges at dawn and dusk, and the Parks and Wildlife Service asks you to avoid driving through its reserves at night. You may meet a white wallaby, the pale form of Bennett's wallaby, at the roadside. More on driving is in the roads and wildlife guide.
When a tour is worth paying for
With your own car you need no tour at all. You pay the vehicle fare and a pass, and you drive the gravel yourself. You cannot climb the lighthouse without the guided tour, and you will be driving back at the hour the wallabies come out.
A tour buys the driving, the ferry and, on most, the pass. Pay for the food days if you want the tastings paid for, and book the cruise if you want the sea cliffs and the seals, which you can only reach from the water.
Asked before you go
Do you need a ticket to visit Bruny Island?
How much is the parks pass?
Do foot passengers pay for the ferry?
Is there a bridge to Bruny Island?
How often does the ferry run?
Is there fuel or an ATM on the island?
Do the tours pick up from an Airbnb?
Next: read the best time to visit for the seasons, see things to do on the island, or compare every fare on Bruny Island Tours.