Bruny was a Bust

Tasman Sea from Bruny Island

From Port Arthur, we headed toward Bruny Island.  Bruny is known for its white kangaroos and fairy penguin colony.    Ferries leave from the Tasmanian mainland every half hour and cost around $35 round trip.  The island is separated from the mainland by the D'Entrecasteaux Channel.

We arrived to the island late in the afternoon and drove to its eastern end and the Tasman Sea.  By morning, a stiff breeze was blowing the tops off strong waves.

We traveled back to Adventure Bay, the only community on the island with gasoline (petrol).  The shopkeeper told us where we might find the white kangaroos.  After a breakfast of amazing crepes at the Penguin & Pardalote Coffee House, we went searching for kangaroos.  The time of day wasn't right, however, and the kangaroos remained hidden in their resting spots.

Bruny Island has a narrow neck along its middle, giving it an hour-glass shape.  Along the neck is a fairy penguin colony.  David and I walked the long boardwalk, checking for penguin burrows.  They were everywhere.  We tried walking along the beach on the backside of the "neck" and boardwalk, but the wind was blowing so hard that it felt we were being sandblasted.  We quickly returned to the camper van.

Photography is allowed along the penguin viewing area, as long as you don't use a flash.  We decided to try to take photos from the van in the parking lot, in hopes we could stay out of the dropping temperatures and fierce wind.

We found a free camp nearby and waited for dusk.  The sun was scheduled to set at 4:59.  Hopefully the penguins would arrive early enough to see them and to photograph without the flash.

We pulled into our parking spot around 3:30 that afternoon.  The wind continued to howl, rocking the van back and forth.  Clouds gathered, blocking the sun from view.

By sunset, the waves were crashing so hard we wondered if the penguins could even come to shore without being bludgeoned to death against the rocks.  Darkness settled around us, and still nary a penguin.  It finally became too dark to even see.

Disappointed, we drove back to the campground slowly to avoid wallabies and pademelons.  The storm hit shortly after we crawled into bed.  Rain pelted the van, and the wind rocked us.  It was hardly a soothing lullaby.  We wondered how the ferry ride might be when we left in the morning.

By the time we awoke, the storm had passed.  Only then did we notice a huge, dead limb hanging directly over the camper van's roof.  Thankfully, it hadn't fallen during the night or it would have skewered us both.

Although it wasn't a sunny day, it was certainly better than we expected.  The wind had died down, and the ferry ride was calm.  While Bruny had been a bust, we had high hopes for our next destination.  We set our sights on Tasmania's first national park, Mt. Field, an hour's drive northwest of Hobart.