Our tour consisted of 13 others, all packed neatly into a small bus, with a very nice young man who was very knowledgeable and very patient, particularly when late in the tour the battery failed on the bus and he needed to source some jumper leads – luckily Mick was able to help him work out how to use them.

We were the last to be collected from where we are staying, so we then headed straight to Kettering to catch the for ferry to Bruny Island.

Our first stop was for a cheese and beer tasting. While it was only 10.00am, Mick did enjoy their beer and we both really enjoyed the cheeses. They were fantastic, and we left with one of their soft, runny French-style cheeses – 1792, named after the date when the French first set foot on Tasmanian soil. The story behind this cheese manufacturer and his beer making venture was inspiring.

We then stopped at ‘The Neck’ – the small stretch of land connecting the north part of the island to the south part. This view is looking out to Adventure Bay. Others on the tour opted to climb the 250 stairs so they could see both sides of the land strip, to Isthmus Bay as well. But not me or Mick.

In order to work up an appetite for our lunch we were taken for a walk through a rainforest in the southern part of Bruny Island. Not that it was a very long walk, but it was a treat to see the size of some of the trees and the tree ferns.

We stopped for lunch in a beautiful location just near to where Captain Cook landed in 1777. We were treated to some oysters grown in Bruny Island: deep-water-grown oysters, apparently very different to the mainland.

I really enjoyed them too, and we bought a dozen for dinner.

There was some history included in the tour as well. We spent a short 20 minutes at the Bligh Museum. Mick found a copy of the crew from the HMS Sirius – which showed his relative Owen Cananough listed. The Sirius was the flagship of the first fleet. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed at this museum.

After lunch we stopped at a Resolution Bay that depicted a painting of the bay completed in 1792 during an expedition lead by Captain Bligh. Sensibly named Two Tree Point – the two trees are still standing more than 250 years later.

Our next stop was the Bruny Island Chocolate Co. and the gardens surrounding it – known as Hiba.

We were taken for a tour through the gardens – 25 acres in total built along the edge of the shores of Adventure Bay.

Ispirational.

The two men who own this business have brought their skills to making chocolate and fudge as well as whisky.

Mick had a taste of the two whiskies made by one of the owners – Bob.

Mick was very impressed, but decided against buying a bottle. Whisky is not something either of us normally drink.

Tomorrow we are off to Mona.

Very much looking forward to it.

Apparently it is a must!

We will find out.