Bruny Island Secrets Retreat

Pennicott Wilderness Journey's Bruny Island Cruises provides an unforgettable wilderness cruise along Bruny Island's rugged coast in southern Tasmania. The cruise has been awarded Australia's Best Ecotourism Product four times. It has also won numerous state tourism awards, including Tasmania's Best Tourist Attraction 10 times. The Three Hour Wilderness Cruise departs from Adventure Bay, Bruny Island and travels along 50 kilometres of coastline to the Friars and back. The custom-built yellow boats take you up close to the awesome 'Breathing Rock', into deep sea caves and up close and personal to soaring cliffs and wave carved sea stacks, including the iconic "The Monument." You'll feel the power of nature at the point where the Tasman Sea meets the mighty Southern Ocean. Albatross, dolphins, seals and migrating whales are just a few of the abundant wildlife calling the coastline of Bruny Island home. Bruny Island is accessible by vehicular ferry at Kettering, a 35-minute drive south of Hobart. Guests can drive themselves to Bruny Island for the three-hour cruise, join the tour from Kettering or take a Full-Day Tour from Hobart including meals, transfers and sightseeing.

Bruny Island Cruises three hour wilderness cruise departs daily all year round from Adventure Bay, Bruny Island at 11am. Access to Bruny Island is via vehicular ferry from Kettering (45 minutes drive from Hobart). Make sure you arrive half an hour early to get your place on the ferry. Visit www.sealinkbrunyisland.com.au for the ferry timetable. Once you arrive at Bruny Island, please allow 40 minutes to drive to Adventure Bay where our cruise departs. The cruise departs daily all year round (except Christmas Day) from Adventure Bay at 11am and returns at 2pm. Warm dress is recommended. Full length wind and water proof jackets provided. Bookings are essential. Lunch not included with the cruise but available for order on the day at the beachside Restaurant.

Inala Jurassic Garden is a beautiful garden on South Bruny Island which highlights the Gondwanan connections of a range of living plant families whose ancient ancestors thrived in the Jurassic period when the Gondwanan Supercontinent started splitting apart (about 185 million years ago) to form the southern land masses that we now know as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America and New Caledonia. Designed across five acres of gently undulating land and accessed by a winding, wheelchair-friendly path, the Garden gives an insight into the ancient connections of species, planted in family groups to demonstrate the similarities between species that are now found in these geographically-distant countries. Over 750 species comprising over 50 plant families are represented in the garden and demonstrate current distributions of species by vicariance and dispersal. Each specimen is fully labelled with a catalogue number, family name, botanical name and common name and location of wild origin and interpretation signs for each family are located around the garden. There are strong connections between the Nature Museum and Jurassic Garden, with many of the ancient fossils on display also featuring as living versions just outside in the Garden. Whether you are a keen botanist, are interested in the Gondwana continent or simply enjoy a walk in a beautiful interesting garden, you will find much to enjoy in the Inala Jurassic Garden.