January 2009

A Bite off the Old Block

Enjoy a slice of the good life on Tasmania’s stunning Bruny Island

WORDS LUKE WRIGHT

It’s late in the day and the surprisingly warm sun is still slung low in the Tasmanian sky. I’m up to my knees in cool, clean water — a screwdriver in one hand and a plastic plate in the other — searching for a salty snack. I spot a rock crowded with about a dozen of Bruny Island’s best oysters and unceremoniously dig in. Does life get any better?

Welcome to Tasmania’s Bruny Island, lovingly known as “Bruny”. Located about 40km south of Hobart, this is the Apple Isle’s fourth largest island. Bruny well and truly adheres to the “slow down and relax” ethos observed on islands across the globe. It’s a place to wind down, let the rhythm of island life take hold, and eat until you can eat no more. For years people have been coming across the d’Entrecasteaux Channel to Bruny to enjoy nature at its best — hiking, camping, kayaking, swimming and more. Now they also come for the food. Bruny is quickly becoming a place to sample some of the freshest and tastiest tucker in Tasmania. Whether you cook it yourself or have it served up on a platter, there are enough options here to satisfy the greediest gourmand.

Fuel For Love

If you enjoy eating oysters but the thought of digging them up with your own hands sounds too much like hard work, then Get Shucked Oysters is the place to go. Joe Bennett manages one of the original oyster leases on the island and serves them up, freshly shucked and full of flavour, by the dozen.

“Get Shucked oysters come from an extremely clean, unpolluted marine environment and have an exciting, sweet flavour,” says Bennett.

Bennett is clearly keen to promote his produce as an experience beyond just eating. “They are also, of course, fuel for love,” he adds.

While a lot of Bennett’s oysters are sold to top-class restaurants across the country, he operates a little oyster caravan at Great Bay (open everyday throughout summer) and welcomes visitors looking to sample his world-class wares.

Sweet Thing

For those with a sweet tooth, Bruny Island does not disappoint. Island Produce is a fudge, truffle and chocolate factory with an on-site retail outlet (open seven days a week) catering to hungry tourists in need of a serious sugar fix. Island Produce was founded by ex-chef Michael Carnes, who is a master of the craft. Carnes offers 15 varieties of delicious fudges and a wonderful array of chocolate truffles, chocolate sauces, chocolate-coated nuts and many more sinful delights. Don’t come here for friendly service or looking for a meeting with Willy Wonka himself. Rather, come here to taste top-notch boutique chocolate that will leave you feeling fat and deeply fulfilled.

At Island Produce you can also do some sightseeing after savouring their sweet things: Hiba Gardens, a 25-acre parkland on the property, is well worth a calorie-burning stroll.

Say Cheese

Nick Haddow spent more than a decade working with specialist cheese-makers across the world in order to become the fromage aficionado he is today. His knowledge and passion for authentic cheese-making — learnt in the great cheese-producing countries of France, Spain, Italy and the UK — is evident in everything he produces at Bruny Island Cheese Co., where Haddow has chosen to settle. Set in a lovely, leafy spot at Great Bay, a visit to Bruny Island Cheese Co. is a genuine foodie experience. Whether you’re after something subtle or a full-on olfactory assault, this place delivers. Be sure to get a table outside and try a delectable tasting plate or the wood-fired pizza. A cheese called The Bastard is highly recommended.

With a Cherry on Top

Black Devil is a rather menacing name for a fruit, especially a cherry. Although they’re hellish in name, they’re heavenly in taste. The Black Devil cherries, grown at Lennonville Orchards at Barnes Bay on Bruny, are exported across the globe. From Russia and Taiwan to the US and beyond, these sweet little devils, along with the Sweetheart and the Sweet Georgia, are the last cherries of the season and are in high demand worldwide. If you’re lucky enough to be on Bruny between Christmas and Australia Day (January 26), you can pick up a half-kilo or more of the cherries. You’ll find them (seven days a week) at a side-of-the road stall right near the Bruny ferry terminal. Stock up for your stay on the island.

Grape Expectations

No gourmet experience is complete without an accompanying glass or two of the local drop. Bruny Island Premium Wines, a family-run affair on south Bruny, is the island’s only winery and Australia’s southernmost cellar door. Operated by Richard and Bernice Woolley, this pretty little estate has been perfecting a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay for the last decade and the results are beginning to show. The Woolley’s wines — all homegrown, made and bottled (even the label was designed by Bernice’s mother) — have started to win awards: their 2006 Pinot Noir Reserve won bronze at the 2007 Hobart International Wine Festival.

Paul Mercurio, host of Channel Seven’s Mercurio’s Menu, shot a segment on Bruny Island for the TV show.
“It was absolutely fantastic! The very first thing to do after you get off the ferry is go to the cherry stand 15m up the road and buy a big box of what I think are the best cherries you’ll ever taste. Make sure you stop at Get Shucked Oysters and buy a dozen of the freshest oysters you can get — harvested that morning. My only gripe about being on Bruny Island is that I wasn’t there long enough!”

Find It:

Get Shucked
Lot 9 Main Rd, Great Bay, tel: +61 (0) 428 606 250
Island Produce
53 Adventure Bay Rd, tel: +61 (3) 6293 1456
Bruny Island Cheese Co.
1807 Main Rd, Great Bay, tel: +61 (3) 6260 6353
Lennonville Orchards
259 Lennon Rd, Barnes Bay, Bruny Island, tel: +61 (3) 6260 6292
Bruny Island Premium Wines
4391 Main Rd, Lunawanna, South Bruny, tel: +61 (3) 6293 1088