Dog Friendly Adventures on South Bruny Island
If you haven’t already checked out the North Bruny Island dog friendly post, now is a good time to do so before adventuring down the south of Bruny Island. The best time to visit Bruny Island is December to February, taking advantage of the warmer weather for swimming.
Although the southern part of Bruny Island has the South Bruny National Park, which covers the Fluted Cape and hugs the coastline down to Tasman Head and the Cloudy Bay coastline around Labillardiere Peninsula you might be thinking ‘there’s no-where to go with my dog!’
Aahh! But there is!
Stay reading and my dogs and I will answer your question of where and what to do on South Bruny Island, the most adventurous dog friendly part of Bruny Island.
South Bruny Island Dog Friendly Beaches
My dogs and I think South Bruny Island has the nicest dog friendly beaches for good off lead runs with hardly any interaction with other dogs. Of course this could now change with you reading these blog posts! So let’s start with the first one as you make your way to Adventure Bay to stay.
The Neck
I’ve included this narrow isthumus that connects the North Island to the South Island here even though it is NOT dog friendly. You can’t take your dog up the stairs or walk them out to the beach either side of the road.
I’ve popped it in here because it is simply iconic, it is an image that pops up every time when you google Bruny Island, and you simply can’t miss climbing the 300 plus stairs to the top of Truganini Lookout, take in the 360 degree view of Isthmus Bay on the right and Adventure Bay on the left. Both are so different with Adventure Bay a little wilder stretching out into the Tasman Sea and Isthmus Bay quieter, softer as the D’Entrecasteaux Channel glides by. Just remember to open the windows on your vehicle when leaving your dog in the vehicle on a warm day. We don’t want cooked dogs!!
Coal Point
From The Neck you hang a left onto Adventure Bay Road and follow the signs to Adventure Bay. Before you get to Adventure Bay you’re going to stop at the Coal Point Lookout. At first glance you might think there is nothing here but the lookout to lovely views of the bay below.
Coal Point was the site of small-scale coastal coal mining between 1876 and 1891. Eventually the difficulty of retrieving the coal from the coast and the low returns, even for good quality coal, was too much and the mines closed.
Today Coal Point is an exposed surf point break. You will often see surfers riding the waves from the lookout, but the best view is just down the road a little to the left of the lookout, there’s a track that takes you down to the rocks and the water. Best explored when the tides out as you can walk along the coast and see the seams of coal, feel the coal in the cliffs above you and watch the surfers.
Hanssons Beach
This is your next stop for your dogs and a good ole off lead under effective control romp on the white sand beach, especially if you are coming straight from the ferry. There’s a convenient carpark with easy access to the beach. With the tide out you could extend your walk around to Two Trees Beach. Hanssons Beach is sometimes listed as Barkers Beach.
Two Trees Beach
Another nice white sand beach for off lead under effective control dog beach run. There are tidal pools when the tides out and views stretch across the turquoise waters to the Fluted Cape.
This is a historic spot as several well known Captains stopped here. Captain James Cook, Captain Tobias Furneaux and Captain Bligh stopped at Resolution Creek to get water for the crew. There is a commemorative stone at the entranceway.
Why is it called Two Trees? Well there are two Eucylypt Trees over 250 years old that stand at the headland. The trees were made famous when George Tobin painted them when Captain Bligh stopped for water for his crew.
Quiet Corner
This is part of Adventure Bay Beach itself, small, protected and hidden located at the top end, the first section you come to when you come down the hill. There’s a great wide carpark on your left with easy access to the beach.
Quiet Corner is best accessed when the tide is out, you can get cut off with the tide in.
Adventure Bay Beach
Another recognisable spot on Bruny Island is the dog friendly Adventure Bay Beach with white sands and views across to Fluted Cape. You can park at Quiet Corner carpark, or choose a spot along the esplanade, and walk the 3km North to South to Captain Cook Creek. It’s a nice off-lead beach with dogs under effective control.
Midway along the beach are eating places, the dog friendly Captain Cook Holiday Park right opposite the beach and BBQ’s.
Alonnah Beach
You’re going to leave the Adventure Bay area and take a little drive to the east side of South Bruny Island to another really nice dog friendly beach, Alonnah Beach (also known locally as Sunset Beach), and the sunsets are amazing from here in the evening.
The beach is opposite Bruny Island Main Road, you can’t miss the beach believe my dogs! We spent more time swimming here than at Adventure Bay. It was lovely to look out over Sunset Bay towards Satellite Island and the distant Hartz Mountains.
After a feed at Hotel Bruny, dog friendly by the way or we wouldn’t recommend it, walk across the road and you’re straight onto the beach.
Cemetery Beach, Lunawanna
As the name suggests there is a small cemetery at the top end of Cemetery Road, Lunawanna Cemetery. There is also a little walk that goes in front of the cemetery along the foreshore and down to the beach towards Vaughn’s Landing.
Walking down Cemetery Road to Cemetery Beach with the floofy gang
This is not a large beach, being only 500metres long, but for us it was a fabulous find for the dogs. We walked from our accommodation along the dirt road to the first jumping off point down to the beach. I highly recommend stopping at the beach here. It’s safe, quiet and we never came across another person walking the beach when staying at Lunawanna.
Sharps Beach
Continuing on from Bruny Island Main Road after leaving Cemetery Beach you’re going to go right then right again onto Lighthouse Road, and then another right onto Sharps Road. The beach virtually butts up against Sharps Road. I never stopped here with the dogs as at the time it didn’t look too pleasant. Not the lovely white sands of the previous beaches we had become used to.
This is the last little beach that is dog friendly. There are beaches further down but they fall into the National Parks. National Parks in Tasmania are NOT dog friendly.
Jettys & Boat Ramps for Some Dog Friendly Swimming
I think these are little magic gems that are often overlooked for great dog swims and foreshore exploring
Simpsons Bay Boat Ramp
Up by The Neck this is a simple little boat ramp that looks out over Simpsons Bay. Nothing to do here but let the dogs swim.
Grundy’s Point
Another nice little boat ramp that will give your dogs a great little swim.
Dog Friendly Hikes on South Bruny Island
The South Island has a few dog friendly hikes, a mix of long and short making a nice change from beaches for the dogs.
Mavista Nature Walk
A short easy dog walk, about 1.4km, on a well maintained track beneath shady wet forest of Stringybark and Blackwood trees and lush green manferns. There is a picnic area to paws and rest. You are not able to venture to the waterfalls because they fall within a State Forest boundary and these are generally not dog friendly. The well defined track ends before the falls with Parks & Wildlife signs saying not to enter.
To get the Nature Walk, you need to enter Coolangatta Road off Adventure Bay Road, and then take a left onto Resolution Road. At the time of writing Lockleys Road is permanently closed as the bridge is out.
Clennets Top Mill
This is another easy short loop dog walk. About 10 mins to complete beneath tall Eucalypt trees with information signs about the relics of the abandoned timber mill. You will see the remains of a steam-driven log hauler, tracks and bogies when the mill was in use in the 1940’s.
To get there take the Coolangatta Road entrance on the Lunawanna side of the island.
Mount Mangana
Accessing this longer 4km dog hike is likely quicker from the Adventure Bay side of the island by going up Coolangatta Road from Adventure Bay Road, than the Lunawanna side. There is supposed to be a well formed easy track to follow beneath sub-alpine rainforest with panoramic views at the top of the island of the Tasman Peninsula, South-West Wilderness Area on the big island and the D’Entrecasteaux channel. The mountain is Bruny Island’s highest point at 571 metres.
A little side note for the last two walks is that driving Coolangatta Road can be interesting depending on how well managed it has been at the time.
Bev’s Lookout
A little warning for this 8km return dog friendly hike – as you are entering a swamp forest, how wet the forest is depends on the time of year and how wet the seasons have been, you are likely to come across LEECHES, depending on how wet the forest is. Past experience has taught me that if I carry salt with me, and apply it to the leeches, they drop off easily. Nice calm way to get rid of leeches on dogs too.
For the first part of this walk you are going to park up Sawdust Road off Adventure Bay Road and walk about 2.5km along Slide Track, an old tramway. Keep a lookout for ‘giant trees’, these are around 80metres tall and what made the logging industry so important for Bruny at the time. There is a signpost to Bev’s Lookout on the left hand side of the Slide track. The track will take you and your dog down into a rainforest gully where enormous Myrtles, Celery-top and Sassafras trees tower above you. Climbing out of the gully it is then a short step to the lookout with views towards Cape Connella.
Alonnah-Sheepwash Bay Track
A gentle easy 3km return walk along a wide old bullock track used for logging that begins at the Alonnah Jetty and meanders through coastal bush that was once dry eucalypt forest. There are remnants of Eucalypt trees, Sheoaks, Boobialla and Banksia with Saggs and native grasses beneath.
Locals use this track to walk their dogs, the sign does say on lead, but upon speaking to many locals, many go off lead under effective control, so you are likely to come across other dogwalkers here. Off the main track are little side shoots that take you down to the rocky shoreline. My dogs enjoyed going down these for little dips, and it’s actually quite nice views across the channel. The tracks can be steep in places so caution is required for us two-legged folk.
There are some interesting points to keep an eye out for, especially near Sheepwash Creek which was used to ‘wash’ the sheep. Remnants of sawyers camp (1850’s) are visible if you look carefully. You’ll also find seats to stop at and take in the view.
Dog Friendly Places to Eat on South Bruny Island
Hotel Bruny
My dogs would vote this as one of two great places to stop for some chow then pop across the road to Alonnah Beach for a run and swim.
The Hotel Bruny is open 364 days of the year. The deck is dog friendly and as you eat and drink the local premium products enjoy the view out across the channel and towards Satellite Island.
Bruny Island Raspberry Farm
Billed as the most southern raspberry farm in Australia, Bruny Island Raspberries are an eco-conscious sustainable farm. If you want the freshest raspberries then the berry season runs from mid-November to April. A variety of produce is made from the berries with over-ripened fruit not going to waste. Grab a coffee and delicious scones with raspberry jam and enjoy the outdoor setting.
Bruny Island Chocolate Co.
As a chocolate lover I couldn’t resist stopping here and stocking up on the delicious award winning chocolates. I particularly liked their Rocky Road. There were a couple picnic type tables outside if you couldn’t wait to dig into your chocolate hoard.
Bruny Island Chocolate Co. is open daily from 10 – 4pm, plenty of time to stop and grab some of the chocolates.
The Izzy Bar
This is a new one since I last visited, reports are that it is very popular and worth visiting but booking is necessary.
One question that gets asked is why Izzy? Well Aussies like to shorten names and ‘The Isthmus’ doesn’t flow off the tongue easily, so Izzy is what it was shortened too. The Izzy Bar is situated to take advantage of views out over the bush towards The Neck, that narrow bit of land called an isthmus.
You’ll find excellent Tasmanian wines and Spirits paired with artisanal meals and incredible wood-fired pizzas. The Izzy Bar is a seasonal venue, opening back up in Spring and gradually increasing the days open as it gets to the busy period (Dec 26th through to the end of Easter). If you are lucky to have a booking it is a truly relaxing atmosphere inviting you to hop off the merry-go-round of touring and take a break.
Mari Bruny
This is the second favourite stop for my dogs. Once your dog has had a good run along Adventure Bay beach in the morning, pop across the road to Mari’s. It is the only cafe on the whole island that serves breakfast with the best coffee! Don’t forget to order an egg for your dog.
Mari’s is a family run cafe and restaurant that has a twist of asian transforming modern aussie classics into something special.
They are open every day with a split schedule, closed for a short period in the late afternoon before opening for the evening until 7pm. There are outdoor picnic style tables to park your dog at while you dine with them.
Bruny Baker: Honesty and Fresh Sourdough
Another one of those stops that’s not exactly an adventure for your dog, but a must for you. When you cross the Neck and turn right onto Bruny Island Main Road keep an eye out for the iconic retro fridges of the Bruny Baker packed with fresh bread made by the Bruny Baker on Sheepwash Road. Be warned! This roadside stall is immensely popular and sells out fast. It is stocked in the morning and relies on an honesty system for payment.
Dog Friendly Bruny Island Accommodation
It can be difficult finding dog friendly accommodation on Bruny Island if you just turn up. Free camping and camping is very few and far between, and where there is the possibility most of the places are in the National Parks where dogs are not allowed.
A quick search on AirBnB and Stayz, Hipcamp did reveal some dog friendly places. There is the Captain Cook Holiday Park also known as Bruny Island Holiday Park, opposite Adventure Bay Beach which is dog friendly.
While we were staying at South Bruny Island we stayed at a place found on Stayz. The property has a deck, fully fenced and a short stroll from Cemetery Beach. Can highly recommend staying here as it provided all the basic needs for people and was safe for the dogs.
Getting To Bruny Island
The only way to get to Bruny Island is to book the Sealink Ferry. An easy roll on roll off short journey running from Kettering to Roberts Point on the North Island roughly every 20-30 mins.
That is the round up of just how dog friendly Bruny Island is. A quiet place to relax, unwind, paws and slow down to enjoy the peacefulness of island life with your dog.
