Can you do Bruny Island in a day, and how do you get there?
By ferryFrom Kettering, 40 minutes south of Hobart. The crossing is 20 minutes.
Yes, easily, and you do not need a car. Two day trips run from Hobart with the ferry included both ways. Pick-up is from about 6:50am, which is what makes a full day on the island possible, and the groups cap at 20. From $175.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Bruny Island sits just off the south-east coast, forty minutes from Hobart and then a short ferry. It is really two islands joined by a sand isthmus, and the day is a mix of coastline, lighthouse and some of the best food producers in the state.
The two day trips
| Trip | What it is built around | Pick-up | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Bruny Island Tour | The island itself — coastline, the Neck lookout, the lighthouse and the beaches | Hobart hotels and hostels, from about 6:50am | $175 |
| 1 Day Bruny Island Food & Wine Tour | **Food and wine**: oysters, cheese, honey and whisky, at a gentler pace | Selected Hobart CBD hotels, 7:45am | $259 |
The ferry is included both ways on both. Prices update on their own.
What you see
- The Necka narrow sand isthmus joining the two halves of the island, with a staircase up to a lookout over both coasts at once.
- Cape Bruny lighthouseone of the oldest in the country, at the southern end.
- Beaches and cliffsthat most Tasmanian visitors never reach because they do not realise it is a day trip.
- The food.Bruny is known for oysters, cheese, honey and whisky, and both trips stop at producers — the food and wine version is built around them.
Getting there
- The ferry is included both waysso there is nothing to book, queue for or pay separately.
- You can drive yourselfand take the ferry from Kettering, but you will spend the day navigating rather than looking, and the ferry queues in summer are real.
- The early pick-up is the point.Leaving Hobart around 6:50am is what gets you a full day on the island rather than half of one.
If you drive yourself instead
- The ferry leaves from Ketteringaround 40 minutes south of Hobart, and the crossing takes about 20 minutes.
- It carries vehiclesbut in summer and at weekends the queue can cost you an hour each way.
- There is no public transport on the islandso you need a vehicle once you are across.
- It is around 100km from the ferry to the southern endand the road turns to gravel in places.
- There is no bridgeand no way across other than the ferry.
Is it worth a whole day?
Yes, and it is hard to do in less. The ferry each way eats an hour and a bit before you have seen anything, and the distances on the island do the rest. If you have one day out of Hobart and you are choosing, Bruny is the gentler option and Port Arthur is the historical one.
Which of the two?
- The island tourif you want the coastline, the lookout and the lighthouse, and do not mind a 4WD day with some walking.
- The food and wine tourif you would rather taste your way round, start later and walk less — it is rated gentle.
- Both cap at around 20 to 24 people, so neither is a coach.
People also ask
- What are the best day trips from Hobart?
- How many days do you need in Hobart?
- Is Port Arthur worth visiting?
- Is Tasmania worth visiting?
Where this comes from. Each operator's own itinerary, ferry and pick-up sheet, as held on that trip's page here. Prices are the current from price and update on their own.