Bruny Island Wildlife Tours
Hours, prices and access verified by the Bruny Island Tours team — last checked 2026-09-21.
Bruny Island wildlife tours find the animals in two places: at sea, where the fur seals and dolphins are, or on land, where the white wallabies graze. Pick the side of the island you most want to see.
Wildlife tours at sea and on land
Top rated
★★★★★ 4.9 (316 reviews · 3 hours)
Starts at Adventure BayLunch at your costYou drive to Adventure Bay
The sea side of the island in three hours: fur seals on their rocks, dolphins when they show, sea eagles over the cliffs and a look inside the sea caves. You make your own way to the base and cross on the ferry.
From $137 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (34 reviews · 7 to 8 hours)
Day tour from HobartLunch at your costMax 10 guests
A group of ten at most, with a guide who stops where the animals are: the pale wallabies, sea eagles and quiet beaches. Photography is part of the day; the lunch stop is at your own cost.
From $130 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.9 (56 reviews · 8 to 10 hours)
From the cruise portLunch at your costLighthouse grounds, no climbParks pass: check at booking
A port-day version with the wildlife built in: the guide asks you to look out for the albino wallabies between lookouts, a lagoon swim and a rainforest walk. Food is extra, and pickup is at the ship.
From $130 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.8 (1,000 reviews · 10 hours)
Day tour from HobartLunch in the fareLighthouse climb in the fareParks pass in the fare
Hotel pickup from over 20 places, then a search for the white wallabies with guides who know where they graze. Morning tea, lunch, tastings, the ferry, the park and the lighthouse climb are all paid.
From $199 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.8 (531 reviews · 9 hours 30 minutes)
Cruise and island dayLunch in the fare
Seals and sea birds from the water, then land sightseeing, in one day from the Hobart waterfront. Lunch, tea or coffee, the bus and the ferry are paid, so you only need to be at the wharf by 7:45am.
From $210 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Seals, dolphins and sea eagles from the water
Three hours along the south coast in a fast open boat, out to the rocks where the fur seals haul out. Rated 4.9, and it starts on the island.
See this tour
What a wildlife tour of Bruny Island is
The island's animals split in two, and so do the tours. At sea there are Australian fur
seals, dolphins, sea eagles and sea birds. On land there are Bennett's wallabies, pademelons,
echidnas and the rare white wallabies. No single tour gives you both properly.
The cruise is the only way close to the seals, which haul out at The Friars off the far
south coast. The land days look for the white wallaby and whatever else the guide can find.
Nobody promises you an animal, and nobody sells penguins: the little penguins at the isthmus
come ashore at dusk, after the day tours have left.
Why choose a wildlife tour
You go where the animals are
A guide who drives the island every week knows the paddocks and the cliffs. On the Safaris
day, the guides know where the white wallabies graze.
You get the seals by boat
From the water you see the seal rocks up close, with sea eagles on the cliffs and dolphins
often alongside. You cannot do that from land.
Small groups stop when you ask
Wild Escapes takes ten at most, and the guide pulls over for animals and quiet beaches.
Photography is part of the day.
You learn how to watch without harm
The rules are simple: keep your distance, never feed an animal, and never use a camera
flash at night. A guided day shows you the habits you will use on your own walks.
Wildlife by sea vs by land
Here is what each side of the island gives you, from the listings' own figures.
| By sea: the cruise | By land: a guided day |
|---|
| What you look for | Fur seals, dolphins, sea birds | White wallabies, echidnas, birds |
| How long | 3 hours, or a full day from Hobart | 7 to 10 hours |
| Group size | Up to 40 or 43 | 10 to 20 |
| Lunch | On the full day | On the Safaris day |
| Fare, per person | $137 to $210 | $130 to $199 |
| Free cancellation | 24 hours | 24 hours |
Check availability from $137
The boat trips on their own are on Bruny Island boat tours, and the walks where you may meet an echidna are
on Bruny Island walking tours.
What you get, and what you don't
- The cruise: three hours at sea, a guide and waterproofs. You drive to
the base, and food is extra.
- The full cruise day: the bus, the ferry, tea or coffee, lunch and time on
land afterwards.
- Wild Escapes: hotel pickup, a guide and photography. The lunch stop is at
your own cost.
- The shore excursion: port pickup, a rainforest walk and a lagoon swim.
Food is extra.
- The Safaris day: the wallaby search plus morning tea, lunch, tastings, the
ferry, the park and the lighthouse climb.
- On every one: no guarantee of any animal.
A small group that stops for animals
Up to ten, with a guide who pulls over for the pale wallabies, sea eagles and quiet beaches, and photography as part of the day.
Check availability
Planning a wildlife tour
- Budget: $137 to $210 a person at sea, and
$130 to $199 on land.
- Know the dusk problem: wallabies and penguins are most active at dusk,
when the day tours are heading home. To watch then, stay a night on the island.
- Bring binoculars: sea eagles fly high, and the seals are on rocks.
- Drive slowly if you stay: wallabies cross roads without warning at dawn
and dusk.
The wildlife in the colder months, whales included, is in our winter guide.
Who should choose something else
- If you came for penguins. No tour sells them. The rookery is active at dusk;
stay on the island and follow the red-light rules.
- If rough water is a problem. The land days are gentler than the boat.
- If you want food more than animals. The Bruny Island food tours pay for lunch and
tastings.
- If you want a sure thing. Wild animals do not keep a timetable. The
scenery does; see our guide to choosing a tour.
Frequently asked questions
Will I definitely see white wallabies?
No tour can promise it. The guides know the paddocks where they graze, and many travellers see one, but they feed mostly at dusk, after the day tours have left.
Can I see the seals without a boat?
Not well. The fur seals haul out on rocks off the far south coast, and the cruise is how you get close. From land you are more likely to see birds, wallabies and echidnas.
Which wildlife tour should I pick?
Pick the cruise for seals, dolphins and sea birds, and a small land day for the white wallabies. If you want both in one day, the full cruise day from Hobart adds some land sightseeing to the boat.
Are there penguin tours?
No tour sells penguin viewing. Little penguins nest at
The Neck and come ashore at dusk, after the day tours have left for Hobart, so seeing them means staying on the island.
Are there Tasmanian devils on the island?
No. Bruny Tourism says devils have never made the crossing. Look instead for pademelons, echidnas, possums and the white wallabies.
Can I see white wallabies?
Often, but it is never guaranteed. The Parks and Wildlife Service says they feed in the paddocks at dusk near the
Fluted Cape entrance, and the guides on several land tours look for them along the way.
Will I get seasick on the cruise?
It is a fast, open boat on the Southern Ocean, and the ride can be rough. If you are prone to it, take something before you board.
Would you rather eat, walk or take two days? Every kind of trip is compared on Bruny Island Tours.