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When people talk about Australia’s great foodie road trips, they usually picture cruising through rolling vineyards or pulling over for pies along a long coastal drive. But tucked at the very bottom of the world, just off Tasmania's east coast, is Bruny Island – a tiny, rugged slice of wilderness that might pack more delicious stops per kilometre than anywhere else in the country.
Within a few winding kilometres, you can slurp freshly shucked oysters, sample artisan cheese with locally brewed beer and sip cool-climate wine at Australia’s southernmost winery – all while cruising past some of Tasmania’s most spectacular coastal scenery.
Getting to Bruny Island is all part of the adventure. My road trip began in Hobart, from where I drove 35 minutes to Kettering and boarded a 20-minute car ferry (which runs every 20 minutes from 6.10am to 7pm during summer). It’s worth noting that there’s only one petrol station on the island, so fill up beforehand – and don’t expect a pit stop for servo sausage rolls or Krispy Kremes once you arrive.
After departing the ferry, the first essential foodie stop you need to make is Get Shucked. Surrounded by some of the world’s most pristine waters, it’s no wonder the oysters here are as pure and fresh as they come. Get Shucked’s oyster bar operates much like a winery cellar door, except the vineyards are swapped for views of the telltale buoys of the oyster farm bobbing in the glittering bay across the road. The mixed dozen (four natural, four kilpatrick and four panko) was easily the most popular order during my visit, but if you’re short on time, you can pull up at the world’s first oyster drive-through and grab a box of freshly shucked oysters to snack on as you continue your road trip.
Drive one minute down the road and you’ll arrive at stop number two: Bruny Island Cheese and Beer Co. This 23-year-old boutique cheesery specialises in handmade, small-batch dairy products inspired by traditional European techniques. Milk comes from their small mob of cows in the Huon Valley, raised with best-practice animal husbandry – something I reckon makes the cheese taste even better. My tip? Pair your cheese platter with a locally brewed beer from their onsite Bruny Island Beer Co, and enjoy it under the shade of the eucalyptus trees.
The next stop on my foodie road trip was probably the most anticipated: the Bruny Baker Bread Fridge (note: the dirt road it’s on is super uneven, so take care when pulling off the main road). Here, you’ll find three retro fridges filled daily with freshly baked sourdough from local legend and baker John Bullock. It’s a simple self-serve system – check what’s in the fridge, pop your cash in the tin or do a bank transfer, and take the obligatory photo of this most picturesque setting. On my visit, the fridges had just been restocked with the still-warm 12pm bread drop, with a few bags of chocolate-coated Anzac biscuits leftover from the morning batch. I suggest having a bite while it’s warm, then saving the loaf for breakfast the next day (you’ll need to save room for the rest of Bruny’s delicious pit stops).
If you’re looking for a lovely lunch stop, I’ve got two great recommendations. Just a two-minute drive from the Bread Fridge is The Izzy Bar, a hidden gem restaurant and bar that overlooks Isthmus Bay and spills onto local owners Jen and Phil’s beautiful 22-acre garden. I ordered the wild-fermented Argentinian fugazza, which is pretty much a slice of thick, fluffy woodfired bread topped with caramelised onion, smoked meats and cheese, then finished with homegrown greens. Add a glass of Tasmanian wine, a local beer or one of their signature cocktails, and you’ve got the perfect long lunch in the sun.
My second lunch recommendation is Bruny Island Premium Wines, Australia’s southernmost vineyard. More than 20 years on, the Dillon family still handpick their grapes and hand-bottles their cool-climate wines, producing award-winning chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. The cellar door opens daily from 11am, serving grazing platters (Tuesday and Wednesday) and seasonal mains (Thursday to Monday) that hero local producers. On my visit, I savoured the pillowy gnocchi, fried with confit garlic, pine nuts and juicy king oyster mushrooms grown at Bruny Island’s very own off-grid mushroom farm. I recommended pairing your meal with a self-guided flight, featuring any three wines or ciders. If you’ve never had a blapple (blackberry and apple) cider, this is your sign to try it.
Wherever you land, it’s worth continuing a little further down the west coast to the newly launched Cookie Fridge. A fun (but unrelated) sibling to the Bread Fridge, it’s stocked with a surprise selection of treats, from homemade chocolate chunk cookies and vegan cardamom buns to layered carrot cake slices, plus local apple juice. The Cookie Fridge is run by Wishful Thinking, a newly opened mobile micro bakery and coffee cart by experimental baker Anita Tsangaris that pops up at Lunawanna Hall every Friday to Sunday from 8am to 1pm – so you can also swing by in the morning for baked goods with a cup of locally roasted coffee or cocoa.
For more sweetness, there are a handful of other gourmet artisans to explore between bites. Don’t miss the honey ice cream from Bruny Island Honey, the famous fudge from Bruny Island Chocolate Co., and the freshly baked scones from Bruny Island Raspberry Farm.
Bruny winds down early, with most cafés and restaurants closing by 5pm. If you’re looking for a meal after sunset, the Bruny Island Hotel is your best bet – they also offer takeaway, which is perfect if, like me, your accommodation is on the other side of the island. That way, you can get a good night’s sleep and be ready to tick off all the foodie stops you missed the next day!