Adventure Bay
Best Beach · TAS
Tourism Australia's Best Beach 2023, No. 5.
Adventure Bay and beautiful Bruny Island surely lives up to its name from the moment you step ashore.
This spot epitomises everything Tassie – pure, natural, and unpretentious. The winding journey by land and sea will reward travellers with plenty to activities to dive into year-round or just relax, beachside or fireside. This island is the size of bustling Singapore (pop. 5.6m) but with only a tiny fraction of that island’s population. Here there is only 500 or so locals - many involved in fine local produce for visitors. Only 40 km from Hobart, the passenger and vehicle ferry from Kettering quickly transports you to another world of timeless natural beauty – and 94 beaches. It is also one of Australia’s most historically fascinating islands, which includes the removal of the local Neunonne people from the island, convict imprisonments, and also an honour roll of visiting early navigators who laid anchor here that surely is unrivalled by any other island of Australia’s 8,222. This Tassie treasure is really one island in two parts, precariously connected by a 7-km long – and in places only 50m wide – sandy isthmus, known as the Neck, which leads south-west to Adventure Bay. It’s the largest community on the island, strung out along a curved north-facing beach, offering a range of exploratory activities including adrenalin charged eco boat tours. Fishing, surfing, camping, beachcombing, admiring fur seals and dolphins, and hiking the rugged southern coast of towering cliffs and coastal heath, are a few pursuits to enjoy. Walking and nature tours are available. The Neck lookout and the stunning view it provides, is a social media favourite. To embrace the full beauty of the island it’s best to climb the 238 timber steps from the dunal carpark up to Truganini lookout for a 360-degree vista. Signage tells the sobering story of the Nuenonne people, and the Nuenonne woman, Truganini, who was born on Lunnawannalonna (Bruny Island) before European settlement. An epicurean’s delight set amid bountiful natural wildlife on land and sea, Bruny is indeed a multi-layered island paradise.
⚠️ Ocean conditions can change quickly and rips can form even on calm days. Only swim at patrolled beaches, and supervise children at all times.