Bruny Island

Bruny Island is an island about half an hour south of Hobart, or a bit longer if I'm navigating and accidentally select the scenic route. It a beautiful island only a short ferry ride away from a small town & harbour called Kettering

 Half of the roads on the island are unsealed, especially if you head North from the ferry, and you wind your way through pasture land and white-barked gum trees

 Every so often the woods part revealing beautiful nautical vistas

 The clean air and fresh waters lead to wonderful local produce, for example the 'Get Shucked' Oyster stand

Which is exactly as it sounds - a shack just off the road serving the freshest oysters that I've ever tasted, as well as a range of clothing branded with the name

 We also stopped off at the Bruny Island Cheese Company, as seen on 'Gourmet Farmer', which was a little more quaint & upmarket

We had a cheese tasting and then a couple of lumps of cheese & artisan bread. The cheese was good but not outstanding (and gave me some ideas to take home with me) and the tasting was a bit rushed - I think in the non-tourist season you're considered a bit of an inconveniance. However I may just be being grumpy because I have a severe case of cheese-cave envy...   

Bruny is almost two islands and the two halves are connected by a slender strip of land known as 'the Neck', which seperates the open ocean on the left from the calm waters of the bay on the right  

The neck is also the site of a penguin rookery, although because we were there in the middle of the day this was the closest we got to seeing any

 In the summer the island with its beautiful beaches and clear seas must be a tourist mecca, but in the winter everything was quiet & deserted

The local council look after their visitors though - Adventure Bay doesn't just provide barbecues but also a pizza oven! (Edit - the facilities were provided by the local residents, not by the council, which explains why they were so well done. See comments for more info)

On the way back to the ferry we stopped off at the Bruny Island Smoke House (or BISH), ideally placed 10 minutes away from the port and providing great smoked meats & fish as well as a wide range of local beers & wines. It's a good place to while away the time until the next ferry....