Bruny Island is not part of the "Giro Tasmania" but I was tempted to go there by recommendations from others. The ride is along quite busy roads, even taking the Sandy Bay road near the coast. The first ride was to "The Neck" camp site.
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| 04:22:34 | 40.93 | 9.3 |
I caught the Ferry at Kettering to get across to Bruny Island.
The Ferry doesn't take long, just a few minutes.
From there there's a few more hills before getting to the flat area between the North and South parts of the island.
There's a tribute to a famous Aboriginal woman Truganini whose family were murdered by colonialists and who was disgracefully treated herself.
The pinch point is especially good for photos with 2 difference beaches coming together, and there is even a lookout place built for this and a place to watch turtles.
The Camp Site - The Neck
I had intended to get to the Captain James Cook Caravan Park at Adventure Bay, but that was just a bit too far and I'd had enough. I later found out that was fully booked this first night anyway so I would have had to return to The Neck.
Exhausted, the first night I stopped at The Neck, a free camp site. Oops - it's not free. I didn't notice. You are supposed to place donations into an envelope and post it in a box.
But there is nothing there. No water, drop toilets. What are you paying for?? Camp sites like this are free in the rest of Australia. Come on guys.
The Hostel - William Carte Drive
The next day I cycled a short distance to Alonnah to find a new place to stay.
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| 0:28:11 | 6.66 | 14.3 | 32.5 |
The next 2 nights I stayed at a hostel in Alonnah. I basically had the room to myself. The hostel was really nice and even had resident parrots. It was run by an English chap called Bernard. Sorry I don't remember the name, but it was on William Carte Drive, Alonnah.
The Water Shortage
The Neck camp site promised water in the Camps 6 book. However there was no water. The whole island was dry in fact. I had to beg for water off various people. At shops, and from people with RV's (Campervans). See them under "Characters"!
The Characters
A special mention must go to the woman who works in the Store at Alonnah (the place that used to be a Servo). I asked for water very politely and explained I was cycle touring and I had run out. She said "Well, we have to pay for our water.... ", and ummed and arred with much sucking of air through teeth. I managed to get a litre out of her very begrudging clutches.
Still that was better than the store at Adventure Bay. Driven even further by commercial demands than by compassion for fellow humans on bikes, they flatly refused to give me water when I had once again run out and told me to buy bottled water at top rates.
One guy who came up trumps was a campervan owner at The Neck. I asked him for water and he said, yeah no problem. He proceeded to unravel a shower head from the back of the van and used it to fill my bottles! I drank it but boy I was desperate!
I met an American guy, John from New Jersey, who decided to canoe to Hobart. I think he had already canoed around half of Tasmania, he was totally crazy and wasn't aware of currents, tides and didn't have any emergency equipment such as radio, phone, flares, buoyancy aids.
At one point he pulled up outside a millionaire's home, and tried to go through the garden with his canoe. However he was stopped by savage guard dogs. Undeterred he managed to scramble over the walls and fences with his canoe in the next door neighbours yard.
I really expected him to be on the news, dead or missing. I wish him the best! We spent a day cycling around Bruny Island and it was good fun.
I met Lee again, who I previously saw at Mole Creek. She was doing photography on the Island, a great place to do it.
Adventure Bay
I did a tour round the Island, covering Adventure Bay amongst other places.
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| 02:58:16 | 26.68 | 8.9 | 34.0 |
This is where Captain James Cook landed. It is the most popular area of Bruny, and a very beautiful bay. There is a well stocked store here (including plenty of bottled water ahem) and the Caravan Park.
At the end of the bay is the remains of an old camp site, now reclaimed by nature and the lovely albino wallabies. (The camp site was destroyed by a careless camper who started a bush fire that destroyed most of the peninsula).
Mt. Mangana
John (the crazy American canoeist) and I continued the tour of Bruny, cycling across the South island crossing the mountain in the centre, Mt. Mangana. A dirt track road rising 430m it was incredibly steep in places. In fact the Hostel owner Bernard said there was no way we could cycle it. How could I refuse that? We got up it with a few breathers.
Coming down from the mountain, my disc brakes started to overheat. This has never happened before, or since. The effect is first a burning smell,. then the brakes start to work less effectively, and the brake disc was glowing. Because of this we had to slow down a lot on the descent. Kangaroos were jumping out from everywhere so it was a good idea anyway.
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