Australia Day Nineteen: It Does Rain In Australia: Still A Great Morning On Bruny Island, Including A Sighting Of The Rare White Wallaby.

Sorry, no post for a few days, but lot of catching up to do. So back to my Australia trip and my visit to Tasmania. I woke up early the day after my visit to the Bonorong wildlife sanctuary and left my hotels for my tour to Bruny Island.   I found out it does rain in the Southern Hemisphere. I had not experienced rain since a brief shower while at Bondi Beach. No rain for two weeks. Not a drop. But it was cloudy and a light rain was falling in Hobart. So I returned to my room and got out the waterproof gear.

I walked the few blocks to where the bus would pick me up and actually enjoyed seeing the harbour in the rain. It reminded me more of what the first explorers and sailors may have experienced when they first  arrived in  this  then remote area of our planet.

I  was the first passenger to join the tour on Bruny Island Safaris and got to see a lot of the neighborhoods and side streets of Hobart as we drove through the town and picked up the other ten folks in our group.

We left the city and,  again,  quickly drove into the  more rural and wooded areas of the suburbs. We arrived in the little town of Kettering and waited to board a ferry to Bruny Island. We had a short wait for the ferry and I enjoyed roaming around the marina in the small bay.  We boarded the ferry and  crossed over to Bruny Island.  The rain had stopped and we had a nice ride even seeing a seal in the distance. Here is a link to some more photographs of our ride to Bruny Island. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-day-nineteen-tasmania-bruny-island-ferry-ride-february-22-2016

Once on the Island our informative guide Steve gave us a lot of information on the plants, animals, people and history of  Bruny Island. As a resident of the southern part of the island he provided us with many interesting insights about life on the island. We drove a short distance and stopped at the delightful little Bruny Island Cheese store. in addition to learning a lot about the making of cheese we got to sample some of their wonderful cheese.  it was delicious.

We continued southward on the island learning more about the geology and history until we made it to Adventure Bay. We stopped at the Berry farm for a nice breakfast and had some time to explore the bay. Here is a link to some photographs of the cheese store and berry farm. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-day-nineteen-tasmania-shops-february-22-2016

At scenic Adventure bay we learned of the landing of the famous Captain Cook and his explorations of Australia and the south seas. I enjoyed the roaring of the waves on the shore, especially with the stormy clouds and wind.  Here is a link to some more photographs of scenic Adventure  Bay.  

We again continued south crossing the narrow isthmus that separates the north and south portions of the island. Once on  the south island we  got off the main road and proceeded on a dirt road that traveled up and over the  forested mountains in the center of the south island. 

As we drove up, and while still on some farm land we were first treated to a group of wallabies that were in the fields along the road. It was a treat to see these wild animals peering at us from the bush as we drove by. Here are some more photographs of the wallabies. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-day-nineteen-bruny-island-wallabies-february-22-2-016

And we received an even bigger surprise. We spotted a female white wallaby with a joey in her pouch! What a beautiful creature. We were lucky. our guide told us, due to construction in the area, sightings have been rare. We watched the remarkable animal for a while and, as we drove on encountered three more of this rare and beautiful animals. Our guide told us the record sightings in one day was six so we had a very good day. Here is a link to some more of the enchanting white wallabies. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-day-nineteen-tasmania-bruny-island-white-wallaby-february-22-2016

We continued on the dirt road through thick forests and learned a lot about the local trees, shrubs and plants from our guide. We also learned how some of the trees, being so tall were cut and sent to London to be used on the breakwater for the Thames river. I loved being in the forest and wished i could have spent a few days hiking and exploring these mountains. Here is a link to some more photographs of our ride through the mountains. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-day-nineteen-bruny-island-mountain-road-february-22-2016

We again entered a paved road, and civilization as we drove past quaints farm houses and residents. We soon left these farms and again were in a hilly and wooded area as we approached the southern tip of the island, and the famous Bruny Lighthouse. 

The Lighthouse, the fourth oldest in Australia, was built by convict labor in 1838. We were able to climb the winding stairs to the top and take in the fantastic views of the Southern ocean.   The ocean roared in the distance and,  far to the south, across open ocean, lay frigid Antarctica.I reflected on the many fearless sailors who braved this rough waters in search of wealth, homes, or adventure, and also the destitute convicts sentenced to a hasch life in the new colonies. 

We got a chance to tour the museum, and the many artifacts left over from the folks who manned the lighthouse over the years,  and then headed back north  to continue our exploration of the island.   Here is a link to some more photographsof our visit to the lighthouse. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-day-nineteen-tasmania-bruny-island-lighthouse-february-22-2016

“Most of the southern hemisphere is unexplored. We had more exploration ships down there during Captain Cook’s time than now. It’s amazing.”

— Robert Ballard,