13 December 2024
9 mins Read
If Tasmanians are obsessed with their local produce you better bet that Bruny Islanders – who really, live on an island within an island – are even more so.
Located south of Hobart and reachable by ferry, Lunawanna-Allonah offers Tasmanians and mainlanders alike a chance to escape to a remote rugged landscape, wild in nature and stocked with gourmet produce sourced from the land.
Save the hiking boots for later in your Bruny Island adventure. First, you need to check out this list of the best Bruny Island restaurants, cafes and foodie experiences.
Best design/most Instagrammable: The Izzy Bar
Best casual eats: Bruny Island Cheese Co.
Best for seafood: Get Shucked Oysters
Hidden gem: Bruny Baker Bread Fridge
Best for: Funky vibes, wine, pizza
The Izzy is named after Bruny’s iconic isthmus (which, let’s be honest, is a bit of a tongue twister, hence the abbreviation), seen out the windows of this cosy and artfully decorated restaurant and bar. ‘Fire food’ reigns supreme here, with a giant wood-fired oven the kitchen’s crowning glory, used to produce 48-hour long-ferment pizzas when it’s cranked to full temp and lower-temperature dishes when the flame is tamed on Wednesdays and Thursdays (plus there’s an open fire to huddle around outside). There are vegetarian and vegan menu options, too.
This is the kind of place where everything is produced with love, from housemade pickles, preserves and other condiments, to a selection of veggies pulled straight from the garden.
Cuisine: Artisan, modern Australian, pizza
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Smooth tunes, design-led interior
Review: 5/5
Location: 3349 Bruny Island Main Road, South Bruny
Best for: Seafood, a snack
Slurp down oysters, which have travelled just a few metres away from the ocean at the licensed Get Shucked farm and restaurant. These plump beauties are a must; a fresh and scrummy treat for those looking for a reasonably cheap plate of Tassie oysters. There is also a drive-through if you’d rather take them home.
Cuisine: Oysters
Average price: $-$$
Atmosphere: Casual, outdoorsy
Review: 5/5
Location: Lease 204, 1735 Bruny Island Main Road, Great Bay, North Bruny
Best for: Cheese platters, beer
Beer and cheese come together in a match made in heaven at the Bruny Island Cheese Company’s cellar door.
As well as their local cheese tasting boards, they serve up locally brewed beers with help from their pals at the Bruny Island Beer Co. brewery. Stouts, ales and IPAs, as well as Tasmanian wines and tasty condiments, are all available at this dog-friendly cellar door.
Cuisine: Cheese, beer
Average price: $-$$
Atmosphere: Casual
Review: 5/5
Location: 1807 Bruny Island Main Rd, Great Bay
Best for: Wine tasting, lunch
On the outskirts of Lunawanna township, you’ll find Australia’s most southern vineyard, Bruny Island Premium Wines. Owner and winemaker Bernice Dillon, a through-and-through Bruny Islander (she’s a direct descendent of one of the island’s first settlers), makes nearly all of the wine on her own. Wine varieties vary depending on the year and season, and you can try these (along with a selection of cider) in the tasting room at the front of the building. For a meal, you can grab a table in the casual restaurant, which has industrial, cafeteria vibes, while overlooking the vines.
Cuisine: Wine, seafood
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Casual
Review: 4/5
Location: 4391 Bruny Island Main Rd, Lunawanna
Best for: Casual meals, water views
Hotel Bruny is Bruny’s local pub, located in the northwest of the south island. Despite its plain exterior, it has delightful water views by day and a lively atmosphere by night, always popular with locals and tourists alike. The menu has a good mix of options, including your typical pub favourites like burgers, pizzas and thick, juicy parmigianas.
Cuisine: Pub fare
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Casual
Review: 3/5
Location: 3959 Bruny Island Main Rd, Alonnah
Best for: Asian-inspired dishes, coffee
Mari Bruny is a family-run restaurant in the heart of Adventure Bay, next door to the small grocery store and directly across the road from the beach. The changing menu often has an Asian spin, with delicious curries and meat dishes, and this is also one of the few places you can grab a coffee on the island (despite Bruny’s incredible food offering, cafes serving good coffee are few and far between).
Cuisine: Multicultural, coffee
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Casual
Review: 4/5
Location: 710 Adventure Bay Rd, Adventure Bay
Best for: Whisky aficionados
Did you know Tassie is famous for its whisky? The world-famous drink is made with locally grown malted barley and is differentiated by its rich, ‘full palate’ taste. See what all the hype is about when you sip on a dram or two from the over 150 Tasmanian single malts on offer at the Bruny Island House of Whisky. Not buzzed about whisky? There’s gin available, too. Whatever your poison, the knowledgeable staff will be available to help you find a tipple to your taste.
Cuisine: Whisky, gin
Average price: $$$$$
Atmosphere: Sophisticated
Review: 4/5
Location: 360 Lennon Rd, North Bruny Island
Best for: A quick bite
Make the last (or first) thing you do on Bruny Island a stop here. Located at the ferry terminal at Kettering (i.e. the Tassie mainland), you can buy a coffee at the Gateway to have out on the deck, overlooking the marina, to watch the boats go by.
Cuisine: Coffee, casual cafe food
Average price: $-$$
Atmosphere: Laidback
Review: 3/5
Location: 79 Ferry Rd, Kettering
Best for: Honey tastings
The European bees that occupy Bruny Island Honey’s 1000-odd hives are transported all over Bruny and Tasmania to collect the nectar of many flowers, resulting in a deliciously varied selection of honey to try (including prickly box, fennel and the distinctive Tasmanian leatherwood). Pick up a jar or two to take home and make sure you try a scoop of their famous honey ice cream.
Cuisine: Honey, ice cream
Average price: $
Atmosphere: Casual
Review: 4/5
Location: 2184 Bruny Island Main Rd, Great Bay
Best for: Crepes, scones
Spend a sunny afternoon with the kids picking raspberries and other fruits at Bruny Island Raspberry Farm. Note, the farm and its cafe are seasonal (fruits gotta grow, y’know), so check the company’s Facebook page or ask a local before visiting.
Cuisine: Raspberries, sweet snacks
Average price: $
Atmosphere: Casual, outdoorsy
Review: 3/5
Location: 69 Lockleys Rd, Adventure Bay
Best for: Fudge
Chocolate lovers should make for Bruny Island Chocolate on Adventure Bay Road. There are no tastings available so you can browse the shelves (including more than 10 varieties of fudge made with Tasmanian cream) and snaffle some up to try when a sweet craving hits.
Cuisine: Chocolate
Average price: $
Atmosphere: Gift shop
Review: 3/5
Location: 55 Adventure Bay Rd, Adventure Bay
Best for: Coffee, community feels
Island Social is the Covid project of a passionate local who set up a down-to-earth little cafe inside the cricket club at Alonnah. There’s a small selection of cakes and other cabinet snacks, and the interior has homely, lounge room vibes. Grab a coffee and sit on the deck with a view over the cricket pitch and out the ocean.
Cuisine: Coffee
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Relaxed, local
Review: 3/5
Location: 14 School Rd, Alonnah
Best for: Gin lovers
The Spirit of Bruny micro distillery can be found down a dirt road and up a hill, meaning top ocean views once you get there. Settle in for a tasting paddle, including the signature citrusy and lightly peppery ‘White Wallaby Gin’ and the passionfruit vodka, made with passionfruit grown on the back fence.
Cuisine: Gin, vodka
Average price: $$$$
Atmosphere: Casual living room, water views
Review: 3/5
Location: 391 Simpsons Bay Rd, Simpsons Bay
Best for: Fresh sourdough, a quirky island experience
Most days, the ‘Bruny Baker’ John Bullock comes out to deliver his freshly baked wood-fired bread, ready to eat.
But where to get it? It’s more than a little unusual. Instead of your regular storefront, this fluffy, baked goodness is loaded into two (defunct) retro fridges at the turnoff to Sheepwash Road.
Just drop your cash into the honesty box (or make a bank transfer to the account scratched onto brown paper inside the fridge door) and help yourself. Get in early, as the bread tends to sell out quickly, though it does typically get restocked throughout the day, such is its popularity, and you can text John on the number inside the fridge door if you’re itching to know when the next delivery is due.
Cuisine: Bread, sourdough
Average price: $
Atmosphere: A shady spot by the side of the road
Review: 4/5
Location: Sheepwash Rd, Alonnah
Can’t decide on the above? Go with the locals on a Bruny Island Safari Tour (one of the top tours on the island), and hop on their Bruny Island Food, Sightseeing and Lighthouse Tour. Get a lift from Hobart with your guides, then cross on the ferry to search for the white wallaby and climb the Cape Bruny Lighthouse, and also sample whisky, oysters and cheese.
Pennicotts Wilderness Journeys also run a food tour, Bruny Island Traveller, direct from Hobart. Meet up at their office in Hobart to travel on the SeaLink Bruny Island Ferry. Highlights include tastings at the Bruny Island Cheese & Beer Co., a visit to The Neck, lunch at Pennicott’s restaurant and a drive-through at Get Shucked Oysters for all your oyster needs.
This article was originally written by Kate Bettes with updates by Emily Mcauliffe.
Hey guys been to Bruny a few times, stay with Jan at Adventure Bay Retreat..great spot!
The boat ride south to the most southern tip of oz is definitely worth a go.
Yes Oysters and Cheese amazing…better get back there!
Some good walks as well .
Thanks
Ron