Jump to content

Treepol

Recommended Posts

Bruny Island is an escape from Hobart - just a 40 minute drive to the ferry at Kettering and once arriving "ön-island" the pace of life slows, beautiful scenery abounds and peace and quiet become the norm. @gnu-gnu and @@farin and I spent 3 nights on Bruny in March 2015, we stayed at Inala, a natural paradise owned by the helpful and knowledgeable Dr Tonia Cochrane.

 

I won't spend a lot of time writing about the island as very little has changed since I posted my longer 2013 report

 

Highlights of this trip were Inala, a morning cruise to the Friar's Rock Seal Colony with Pennicott Wilderness Journeys and a visit to South Bruny NP.

 

We disembarked at Roberts Point and went in search of the 40 spotted pardalote where I was unsuccessful once again. We drove further north to scenic Barnes Bay before stopping at the pub for lunch. A pair of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos at Great Bay were a good omen for a wonderful weekend.

 

P1060859.JPG

 

P1060858.JPG

 

P1060861.JPG

 

P1060867.JPG

 

Inala is located on the southern part of the island - these photos were all taken around the property including the new Gondwana Garden to which overnight guests have free access. Inala farmhouse nestles into the rural surroundings.

 

P1070065.JPG

 

and the Gondwana garden is accessed through a gate close to the accommodation. The mist hangs low on this early morning,

 

P1070135.JPG

 

P1060896.JPG

 

Inala attracts a wide variety of local birds.

New Holland Honeyeater

 

P1060905.JPG

 

P1060993.JPG

 

Grey-shrike thrush

 

P1060918.JPG

 

Tree Martins

 

P1060923.JPG

 

Flame Robin

 

P1070064.JPG

 

Grey Goshawk

 

P1070055.JPG

 

Bennett's wallabies proliferate

 

P1060898.JPG

 

P1060900.JPG

 

and these 2 orphans are being hand-raised by Tonia.

 

P1060997.JPG

 

P1070001.JPG

 

Tempting as it was to spend all weekend at this hide-away, we had booked a Wilderness Journey with Rob Pennicott so we set out in search of seals and seabirds.

 

These Black-faced cormorants made themselves at home on a pontoon near the Adventure Bay jetty where the cruise begins,

 

P1060941.JPG

 

and the rugged coastline has many sea-caves

 

P1060942.JPG

 

P1060950.JPG

 

P1060943.JPG

 

and soaring dolorite cliffs.

 

P1060947.JPG

 

This pillar provides passengers and crew with some thrills,

 

P1060944.JPG

 

These Great and Black-faced cormorants were amongst the first sights at Friar's Rocks

 

P1060957.JPG

 

while these seals were the main reason for the trip.

 

P1060963.JPG

 

P1060971.JPG

 

P1060977.JPG

 

P1060981.JPG

 

Black-faced cormorant colony, Friar's Rocks

 

P1060972.JPG

 

After the cruise we returned to Inala for a lazy afternoon. Next day, we visited some quiet beaches where Pied and Sooty Oyster-catchers were enjoying the sun. At South Bruny Island NP the Lighthouse and Keeper's cottages are ideally situated. This Scarlet Robin flited around an empty shack near an old cemetery.

 

P1060986.JPG

 

P1070088.JPG

 

P1070083.JPG

 

P1070093.JPG

 

P1070097.JPG

 

P1070096.JPG

 

The lighthouse is one of the sites where the Mountain Dragon can be easily seen.

 

P1070104.JPG

 

Nearby Jetty Beach is a beautiful quiet corner with clean sand and lots of birds. Silver Gulls swam in the shallows while Kelp Gulls and Sooty Oyster Catchers patrolled the water's edge.

 

P1070121.JPG

 

P1070120.JPG

 

P1070123.JPG

 

More Silver Gulls (the juveniles have dark wing spots) and 3 juvenile Pacific Gulls

 

P1070118.JPG

 

A Green Rosella preened in the nearby Camp Ground, and this Blue Tongued Lizard was one of a pair we saw later on Lighthouse Road.

 

P1070127.JPG

 

P1070133.JPG

 

All too soon, its time to head back to the ferry - this Scarlet Robin posed at the waters edge in Daniels Bay and the boats bobbed quietly at the Alonnah Jetty. The DÉntrecasteaux Channel was calm for the return.

 

P1070137.JPG

 

P1070140.JPG

 

P1070141.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice flock of pied oiks. Looks like the poor bluey has lost its tail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely beautiful and fantastic pictures..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Geoff @@RichB thanks for your comments.

 

The blue tongue had lost its tail, shame the second one that we saw got away as it looked to be much bigger and with a full length tail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Treepol, lovely, I've had a couple of trip to Tassie but haven't made it to Bruny yet. We get both the Red and White (Carnaby)Tailed cockatoos in our garden here, so I was thrilled to see the Yellow Tailed there last trip.It certainly looks very peaceful on Bruny

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for sharing, looks lovely there. I think my plan to go to India in 2017 isn't going to work, so I'm looking at either returning to Australia, with a focus on Tasmania/Melbourne/maybe KI, or maybe New Zealand. I was actually reading your previous Bruny Island report yesterday!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Treepol, Bruny Is on Catalyst last night, putting up nesting boxes for the "critically" endangered Swift Parrot, maybe you have seen these little birds on the mainland already, nice, hopefully good news story.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Loveley photos - a beautiful part of the world

Is the wallaby eating out of the bowl an albino (or just very pale)?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@elefromoz I am sad to say that I have yet to see a swift parrot, just another on my long list. Some nesting boxes were made by members of the Bruny Island Men's Shed - not sure if it was this batch or not.

 

@@TonyQ There are white wallabies on Bruny Island that aren't albinos - they have dark brown eyes as opposed to the pink features of the true albino.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Safaritalk uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using Safaritalk you agree to our use of cookies. If you wish to refuse the setting of cookies you can change settings on your browser to clear and block cookies. However, by doing so, Safaritalk may not work properly and you may not be able to access all areas. If you are happy to accept cookies and haven't adjusted browser settings to refuse cookies, Safaritalk will issue cookies when you log on to our site. Please also take a moment to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy: Terms of Use l Privacy Policy