An Amazing Visit to Cape Bruny Lighthouse!

Wow!  A lovely winter day at the end of summer in Tassie!  Brrrr…..  We were somewhat dressed for it, and were able to enjoy the experience.  This blog post is on the Cape Bruny Lighthouse on Bruny Island in southern Tasmania.

Cape Bruny Lighthouse: Background

Bruny Island is a wild, old island rich in history.  From 40,000 years ago with the indigenous Nueonne settlements, to Captain Cook and other explorers, there is a lot to explore.  In 1792, Bruni D’Entrecasteaux established that Bruny was an island. In 1838, the lighthouse was built at Cape Bruny, in what became Australia’s longest serving lighthouse.  The light itself is approximately 200m above sea level.  

It is an amazing structure. The lighthouse was built by convict labour using locally quarried dolerite over two years.  It was first lite in March 1838. It was decommissioned in 1996.

For more background, check out:

• Cape Bruny Lighthouse: https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/south-bruny-national-park/cape-bruny-lighthouse

• Cape Bruny Lighthouse Tours : https://www.capebrunylighthouse.com

Current Tour

Cape Bruny Lighthouse Tours offers 30 minute tours of the lighthouse on a daily basis, on the 1/2 hour. You should keep in mind when bus tours may be arriving to avoid the crowds. Or, book online to ensure a spot.  The capacity for tours is 1-10 due to the small space within the tower.  And, mind that you need to walk up a steep, somewhat slippery walkway to reach the lighthouse itself for the tour.

Shane, a local Bruny Island resident guide was enthusiastically passionate about this historic landmark. He gave us a wonderful overview of the region, and the historical background of the lighthouse. 

We climbed the first set of the cast-iron spiral stairs to the first landing.  Then the second set of stairs. At this point, we were able to observe the air vents (there from when the lighthouse was powered by whale oil).  Following that, it went to kerosene and then finally Chance Brother lanterns which it has today.  From the old phone to the weight and weightways time management system (check out this link for more information: https://uslhs.org/sites/default/files/articles_pdf/WeightsandWeightways.pdf), very interesting background and reference points were shared.

We braved the elements and a very brisk wind to walk around the rail outside the top of the lighthouse! 167 km/hour – we held on very tight to that rail, and the door shut smartly behind us once we were in.

Summary

An excellent visit and we highly recommended.  Take some time to walk around the base of the lighthouse, as well as to visit the museum.  Maybe try for a day with less rain.  Unless you want the full experience we enjoyed!

For more travel recommendations, check out our travel posts here.  

Enjoy!