Next morning, feeling vitally alive on another blue sky day, we drove to the gathering point for the award winning Pennicott’s Bruny Island Cruises at the southern end of Adventure Bay.  The reception centre with a quality retail outlet was relaxing and generous.  The building, designed to mellow into the landscape, impressed us with its simple, practical and attractive structure with deliberate landscaping comprised of native plants.Thick with layers of thermal clothes, beanies, scarves, gloves and jackets we stepped on board the waiting craft. On board, we donned the head-to-toe length red ‘dresses’ to cover and protect us from the wind and water, and listened to the safety instructions. Then we motored off and out from Adventure Bay. First, we passed Penguin Island apparently named for one lost Antarctic penguin, and since then never has a penguin been sighted on or around it.  Later we learnt that Captain Bligh saw Penguin Island at high tide and thought a future sailor might be stranded there. He left goats and chickens on the island as a survivor food source.  Of course, at low tide the goats and chickens crossed to mainland Bruny seeking food; they were welcomed by the local aboriginals.

Our trip took us from Adventure Bay southwards the length of South Bruny to Tasman Head and The Friars, a set of islands off the southern tip.  The return trip lasted about three hours.