Bruny Island
One vehicle ferry from Kettering is the only way across, and once you land there is no bus, no taxi and one fuel pump on the whole island, so almost everyone arrives in a car or on a tour coach from Hobart.
- Researched
- 28 September 2026
- Reviewed
- not yet
- Ways of moving
- 11, 24 sources
- Not confirmed
- 8
- Fares seen
- 2026
11 ways of moving, each with its rule
We confirmed seven ways of moving to, from or around Bruny Island: two by water, one by road, three hired or on demand and one under your own steam, from 24 sources. Four entries are not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. One of them runs only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be. One needs a phone call or a message before you turn up.
The fares were seen in 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. Four fares carry no year, because they could not be confirmed and the field says so. We rate 9 of the 11 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 28 September 2026, and ends with eight things we could not confirm.
By water
SeaLink Bruny Island ferry, Kettering to Roberts Point
Ferry Road, Kettering to Lennon Road (Roberts Point), North Bruny, across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel
Drive to the marshalling lanes at the end of Ferry Road, Kettering, about 45 minutes south of Hobart via Kingston. Join the queue, stay in the car, and pay the attendant who walks the lanes. Foot passengers walk on at the same ramp. Snacks, coffee and toilets at both terminals, none on board.
- When
- Every day of the year, roughly every 20 minutes at peak with a midday break around 12:30 to 13:20; a reduced winter timetable runs roughly May to late September. Last sailing is early evening, not late night.
- Takes
- 15 to 20 minutes; check in at least 20 minutes before departure
- Fare
- Vehicles pay by vehicle type and length, with cheaper off-peak rates; pedestrians travel free; Bruny Island residents and landowners can register for a discounted fare and pre-purchase tickets. The current dollar tariff could not be confirmed, so no figure is given here.
SeasonYear-round. Winter and summer timetables differ, and the winter cut in 2025 caused enough afternoon congestion that the Transport Minister ordered extra sailings back in June 2025. BookingNo booking. Travel is by order of arrival in the lane. The school bus, visiting doctors and emergency services get priority boarding. A booking system was written into the 2018 terminal contract but has never been switched on, and the Transport Commission would have to approve it. Run bySeaLink Travel Group under contract to the Tasmanian Transport Commission, vessels MV Nairana, MV Parrabah and MV Bowen.
Adventure Bay wilderness and wildlife cruise
Adventure Bay jetty south along the South Bruny National Park coast to the Friars and back
The visitor centre and departure point is at 1005 Adventure Bay Road, a 40 minute drive south of Roberts Point. If you are driving yourself, aim for the Kettering ferry two to three hours before your check-in time; the operator lists which sailings feed which cruise.
- When
- Daily except Christmas Day. 11:00 cruise all year; 10:00 and 13:30 cruises added 1 December to 28 April.
- Takes
- 3 hours
- Fare 2026
- A$190 adult, A$115 child 3 to 16, A$590 family of two adults and three children
SeasonYear-round, but it is an open boat in the Southern Ocean swell; warm layers are not optional. BookingEssential. Same cancellation terms as the coach tours. Run byBruny Island Cruises (Pennicott Wilderness Journeys).
Rules, permits and closures
Ferry queues, wind suspensions and single-vessel days
Kettering and Roberts Point marshalling lanes
Watch the queue, not the clock. Locals treat 08:00 to 10:00 out of Kettering and 16:00 to 17:00 off the island as the times to avoid. When the wind gets up, SeaLink suspends sailings and the backlog on the island side has stretched past Apollo Bay. Check SeaLink's Facebook page or phone the ferry hotline on 1300 127 869 before you set out.
- When
- Wind suspensions are most common in spring and autumn southerlies; mechanical days happen when one of the three vessels is out of survey
- Takes
- Waits of one to two hours at peak are normal; a full-day wind suspension can mean four hours
SeasonPeak queuing at Easter, Christmas and summer weekends; peak weather risk in the windy months. BookingNothing can be reserved, so the only lever you have is choosing an off-peak sailing. Run bySeaLink decides when conditions stop the crossing.
No public transport on Bruny Island itself
Roberts Point to Adventure Bay, Alonnah, Lunawanna and Cape Bruny
Nothing meets the ferry at Roberts Point. There is no island bus, no taxi rank and no car hire on Bruny, so a foot passenger who has not arranged a lift, a tour or a bike is stranded at the terminal. Hire cars must be picked up in Hobart, and some rental companies forbid taking their vehicles on the ferry at all.
- When
- not applicable, the service does not exist
- Takes
- 45 minutes by road from Roberts Point to Adventure Bay or Alonnah, another 30 minutes to Cape Bruny
Seasonyear-round. BookingArrange your transport before you cross, either a car, a tour coach or accommodation that collects guests. Run bynone.
Tasmanian parks pass for South Bruny National Park
Cape Bruny Lighthouse, Fluted Cape, Grass Point, Labillardiere Peninsula and the Cloudy Bay tracks
Buy online at passes.parks.tas.gov.au before you cross, or at a Service Tasmania shop. There is no staffed gate on Bruny; rangers check at the trailhead car parks. The Bruny Island Field Centre on +61 3 6293 1419 is the local park office.
- When
- on demand, valid from purchase
- Takes
- Daily pass covers 24 hours; holiday pass covers two months
- Fare 2026
- Daily A$49.15 per vehicle for up to 8 people, or A$24.55 per person arriving by bus, bicycle or on foot. Holiday pass A$98.35 per vehicle or A$49.20 per person. Annual A$104.75, or A$53.50 for a single park.
SeasonYear-round; fees are reviewed annually against CPI. BookingBuy before you travel. Full-day tour operators include the pass in their fare, so do not buy twice. Run byParks and Wildlife Service Tasmania.
One fuel stop on the whole island
Adventure Bay Store, 712 Adventure Bay Road
The store at Adventure Bay is the only place on Bruny selling petrol and diesel. Alonnah has a general store but no pump. Fill up at Kettering or Margate on the mainland side before you board, because a round trip to Cape Bruny and back is roughly 150 km on roads that are part gravel.
- When
- Store trading hours, not 24 hours; phone +61 3 6293 1119
- Takes
- 45 minutes from Roberts Point to Adventure Bay
- Fare
- pump price, not published
SeasonYear-round, but owner-run island businesses do close in quiet periods. Run byAdventure Bay Store.
By road
Metro Tasmania routes 415, 416 and 417, Hobart to Kettering Ferry Terminal
Hobart Interchange to Kingston, Margate, Snug and Kettering Ferry Terminal, continuing to Woodbridge, Middleton and Gordon
The stop is signed Kettering Ferry Terminal, on the Channel Highway beside the terminal approach, so you can step off the bus and walk straight onto the boat. Southbound buses leave Hobart Interchange stop D1. Hail the driver, these are flag stops on much of the route.
- When
- Roughly eight trips each way on weekdays, clustered around school and commuter times, and only two each way on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays
- Takes
- About 1 hour 20 minutes Hobart Interchange to Kettering Ferry Terminal
- Fare 2026
- Free. Tasmanian general-access bus travel is free until 30 June 2027, and that includes these routes. The Bruny Island ferry itself is explicitly excluded from the free-fare scheme.
SeasonYear-round; a reduced public holiday timetable applies. Bookingnone, board and pay the driver or tap on. Run byMetro Tasmania, timetable set by Transport Services Tasmania, effective 3 May 2026.
Hired, booked and on demand
Bruny Island Cruises coach from Hobart or Kettering
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys booking centre, Franklin Wharf, Hobart, or Oyster Cove Marina, Kettering, to Adventure Bay and back
Check in at the Dock Head Building on Franklin Wharf next to the Constitution Dock lifting bridge for the 07:45 Hobart departure, or park free at Oyster Cove Marina in Kettering and meet the bus there by 08:30. The ferry crossing is included in the fare, so you never queue as a driver.
- When
- Daily except Christmas Day
- Takes
- 9 hours 45 minutes from Hobart (07:45 to 17:30); 8 hours 15 minutes from Kettering (08:30 to 16:45)
- Fare 2026
- From Hobart A$290 adult, A$215 child 3 to 16, including morning tea and lunch. From Kettering A$215 adult, A$140 child, A$690 family, food not included.
SeasonYear-round; the 10:00 and 13:30 cruise slots run 1 December to 28 April, the 11:00 slot runs all year. BookingEssential, places are limited. Full charge for cancellation inside 24 hours, half inside 48 hours. Run byBruny Island Cruises, part of Pennicott Wilderness Journeys.
Bruny Island Safaris day tour with Hobart hotel pickup
Hobart hotels to Cape Bruny Lighthouse, Adventure Bay, The Neck and Alonnah, returning to Hobart
Book ahead and give them your Hobart accommodation; they run a long list of city pickup points. If you are already on the Channel or the island they will also collect from the Oyster Cove Inn at Kettering and from Bruny Island Cheese Co, which makes it usable as a one-way transfer.
- When
- Daily, departing Hobart at 07:00
- Takes
- About 10 hours 30 minutes, back in Hobart around 17:30
- Fare 2026
- A$280 per person, adults and children the same, including the return ferry fare, the parks pass, the lighthouse tour and lunch. Priced 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027.
SeasonYear-round; a separate sunset lighthouse tour exists but there is no ferry back that late, so it needs island accommodation. BookingCompulsory, by phone on +61 3 6144 3045 or online. Run byDay Tours Tasmania Pty Ltd trading as Bruny Island Safaris.
Hire car from Hobart, taken across on the ferry
Hobart city or Hobart Airport to Kettering and onto the island
Hire in Hobart, there is nowhere on Bruny to hire a car. Ask the desk two specific questions before you sign: whether the vehicle may be driven onto the island at all, and whether you are covered for damage on the ferry ramp and for hitting wildlife between dusk and dawn. Several Hobart firms say no to one or both.
- When
- Hobart depots open daily
- Takes
- 45 minutes Hobart to Kettering, then the crossing, then 45 minutes to Adventure Bay or Alonnah
- Fare
- Hire rates vary by company and season and were not confirmed for this entry; the ferry vehicle fare is charged on top
SeasonYear-round. The island speed limit tops out at 90 km/h, not the 100 km/h of mainland Tasmania, drops to 45 km/h on much of the main road between dusk and dawn for wildlife, and 80 km/h on gravel. BookingBook the car in Hobart; no booking needed for the ferry itself. Run byHobart rental companies, terms vary.
On foot, by bike, or otherwise
Cycling Bruny, bring your own bike
Roberts Point down Bruny Island Main Road (B66) over The Neck to Alonnah, Lunawanna and Cape Bruny
There is no bike hire on the island, so bring one from Hobart. Foot passengers cross free, which makes the ferry the cheap way on. The Neck isthmus is the flat bit; South Bruny is hilly and forested, the main road turns to gravel in places, and there are no sealed shoulders anywhere.
- When
- Ride whenever the ferry runs
- Takes
- About 60 km top to bottom; two hard days, or one very long one to Cape Bruny and back
- Fare
- The bicycle rate on the ferry was not confirmed; foot passengers themselves travel free
SeasonBest late spring to early autumn. The Channel weather turns fast and phone reception fails on parts of South Bruny. Run byno hire operator on the island.
What we could not find out
8 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.
- 01
The current SeaLink Bruny Island vehicle tariff could not be confirmed. sealink.com.au/bruny-island and sealinkbrunyisland.com.au both sit behind a Cloudflare block that returns 403 to every user agent tried, including the robots-friendly ones, and the Tasmanian Government page links to SeaLink rather than publishing the fare itself. Ask on the ferry hotline, 1300 127 869, Monday to Friday 08:30 to 16:30.
- 02
The brief said there is no bus to Kettering. There is: Metro Tasmania routes 415, 416 and 417 call at a stop signed Kettering Ferry Terminal, and 422, 412 and 413 cover the Margate and Snug part of the corridor. Weekend service is only two trips each way.
- 03
The brief asked whether a booking system now exists. It does not, for general traffic. One was promised in the 2018 terminal contract, was still not operating when it was raised in the Legislative Council in November 2024, and both Tourism Bruny Island and Parks Tasmania said in 2026 that no booking is required. Residents and landowners can pre-purchase tickets, which is a different thing.
- 04
Whether a bicycle carried by a foot passenger is free or charged on the Kettering ferry could not be confirmed. Ask SeaLink on 1300 127 869.
- 05
The Mercury reported on 20 September 2026 under the headline 'The Bruny Island ferry just got a new US-backed owner' that ownership of the operation has changed. The article is paywalled and could not be read, and the Tasmanian Government page still names SeaLink Travel Group as contractor. Kelsian Group put SeaLink Tasmania up for sale in April 2025. Check with Transport Services Tasmania before quoting the operator name.
- 06
Island Scenic Flights, listed on Wikivoyage as operating from the Bruny airstrip, no longer has a working website; only a cookie notice loads. Scenic and charter flights to the island could not be confirmed and are not listed here.
- 07
Wikivoyage says the island is about 100 km end to end; Tourism Bruny Island says about 60 km. The travel-time chart on the 2026 visitor map is consistent with the shorter figure.
- 08
No scheduled water taxi or private boat transfer to Bruny was found, only the vehicle ferry. If one exists it would be run informally out of Kettering or Dennes Point; ask at Oyster Cove Marina.
What the planner can route today
The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Bruny Island is this.
- Y
- Scheduled flightsHobart (Cambridge) (HBA), 55 km
- F
- Trains and coaches34 feeds listed in the Mobility Database, not compiled yet (Translink Magnetic Island, TransLink Maryborough-Hervey Bay, TransLink North Stradbroke Island)
- N
- Ferriesno crossing within 25 km
- Y
- Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
- N
- Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
- N
- Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere
Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known. Nearest place with more: Hobart, 47 km.