Introduction Cruise Along The Coast
Introduction
Beyond
the mouth of the River Derwent, the fretted coastline of the D’Entrecasteaux
Channel stretches south. Across its tranquil waters, the bays of
Bruny Island. Around every bend is a new delight - vineyards, orchards
and stunning views across Storm Bay to the Tasman Peninsula. Charter
a yacht and sail around the south’s dramatic Bruny Island landscape; drop
anchor in a secluded Bruny bay and cast your line for a seafood lunch.
Take the vehicular ferry from Kettering and walk or drive to the island’s
beautiful nooks and crannies. Named Lunawannaalonna by Tasmanian
Aborigines, Captain James Cook first visited the island in 1777, landing
at Adventure Bay and tying his vessel to a tree - still standing - and
named in his honour. Spend some time at the nations’s oldest lighthouse,
built in 1836. Visit Mavista Falls and the Fluted Cape State Reserve
with its spectacular dolerite seacliffs, 270 metres high; or walk through
wildflowers and the giant forests in Labillardiere State Reserve.
Watch for native animals and settle into the sand dunes on the isthmus
at dusk, to see shearwaters and fairy penguins return from the day’s fishing
at sea (not during winter). Ride a camel along the beach. Top
Cruise Along The Coast
Take
the coastal route or cruise the sheltered waterways to the resort towns
of Tasmania’s Channel District, where delicate landscapes have become the
homes and inspiration to many of Tasmania’s finest crafts people.
Climb the stairs to the top of the Shot Tower, built in 1870 for the manufacture
of lead shot and stop by the Antarctic Centre at Kingston for a guided
tour. Take an empty basket and follow the signs to the cellar doors
of family-run vineyards and sit back and sample the wines, ports and liquors.
Stop by local bakeries and in the summer months, the gates of local fruit
farms for sweet, black Tasmanian cherries and berry fruits. Picnic
by the beautiful Snug or Pelverata Falls. Dive below the surface
at the Tinderbox Marine Park or further down at Ninepin Point, where tannin-rich
waters flow from the Huon River and draw abundant marine life, close to
the surface. Visit the wildlife park. Top