An Island off An Island off An Island

Today was a very long day of touring but we enjoyed our time on the Island of Bruny. It's an island of 700 inhabitants and you reach it by taking a short ferry ride between Tasmania and Bruny Island. We walked from our hotel to the harbour, not far from where we ate dinner last night. That's where we met out guide Daniel who drove the tour bus.

Once on Bruny Island we stopped for cheese, beer and bread tasting - the breakfast of Champions!
Then we drove to the isthmus (easier said for most!) which is the narrow strip of land that connects North Bruny and South Bruny. The sights from the lookout point were great -waves crashing along the sandy beach and the cliffs off in the distance. We got our exercise climbing all the way to the top.

After crossing the Isthmus we traveled through narrow dirt roads to the rain forest .. with one obstacle in our path - a fallen tree. But thanks to the men onboard, they were able to push it to the side and (with Jeff's direction, of course) hold it off the road while our bus made its way past. Horray!

It felt good to get out of the bus and go for a hike through the forest. Lots of incredibly tall gum trees. They grow from 45 up to 60 meters (a meter is about a yard). You really had to stretch your neck to see the tops reaching for the sunlight. Along with all the other vegetation there were the palms with a dead trunk that were still growing and providing a nice shady canopy along the trail.

We made a stop for a lunch of Oysters, Fish and Chips, and some local beer. Then off to taste the unique honey made from the bees pollenating the leatherwood tree which gives it a unique flavor. Next was a chocolate tasting (not as good as our Belgium chocolate we bought from the bakery across the street from our hotel) and a little whiskey and port tasting. I liked the port. If we have much more to eat and drink we'll have to roll home!

Perhaps my favorite part of the day tour was the stop along the ocean where we say the exact spot that Captain Cook tied up his ship .. at the TWO TREES .. just near the fresh water inlet. It's very apparent what he meant by "Two Trees" back in 1777. We also went to a museum nearby with many archival objects from spears, to travel logs and maps, photographs etc. One was of Captain Bligh who landed here at the young age of 34. Some really amazing history!