North Bruny Loop

Sea Eagles, Cormorants, Octopus in sheltered coves, and a rich population of Quolls are found in North Bruny

This is a beautiful section of Bruny, with a mix of open farmland to coastal forests and grasses and variegated beautiful coastline from thin sandy sheltered beaches to inlets and some rocky coastline

Locals and conservationists have been increasingly concerned about the impact that industrial salmon farming in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel is having on the fragile coastal environment and underwater marine life of this part of the Bruny Island coastline.

The infamous George Augustus Robinson, the government appointed 'conciliator' once lived on this part of Bruny Island, and the Quarantine Station you pass along the way was once a place where returned soldiers and other visitors from overseas were quarantined first before being allowed onto mainland Tasmania

From the Robert’s point Ferry Terminal on North Bruny, wait until the vehicular traffic has departed first, before heading east on Bruny Island Main Road (B66) for [x km] through undulating pasture and patches of Eucalypt forest, before turning left onto Missionary Road. Missionary Road is a dirt road that heads north, tightly hugging the coastline of North-West Bay before reaching Barnes Bay. Missionary Road is so named, as this is where infamous ‘conciliator’ George Augustus Robinson, lived here whilst conducting his various trips on behalf of Governor Arthur to try to coax Tasmanian Aboriginal people off their ancestral homelands. From the northern end of Missionary Road, turn right onto Church Road, then left onto Barnes Bay Road as it winds its way north-east back to Bruny Island Main Road. Follow this north for a couple of hundred metres before then turning left onto Killora Road. Killora Road then heads west, through a mixture of pasture and patches of remnant bushland, before winding its way in a north-western direction out to the coast near Killora. Here you will head north through a lovely mix of coastal forest with glancing views out to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, before winding north to the lovely Dennes point, a favourite coastal hamlet with the Nebraska beach a perfect spot for the kids to paddle. At the northern end of the C625, at the Jetty, the road makes a U-turn and starts to head back south, back up the hill, through the forests and farmland of north Bruny, with this time some views east out to Storm Bay and towards the Tasman Peninsula, before arriving back at Bruny Island Main Road, where you can turn right to return to the Ferry Terminal at Robert’s point. If you wanted to make this an overnight adventure, there are plenty of B&B style accommodation places in Dennes point. There is also a café at Jetty Point, which has irregular hours but tends to be open on weekends.

The North Bruny loop takes its name as it circumnavigates the northern part of Bruny Island

The northern end of Bruny Island has a rich human history stretching back for 40,000 years. Dennes Point at the Northernmost point of Bruny Island was once an important meeting point for the Nueononne people. At Dennes Point also were many famous and important meetings between Bruny's first peoples and Europeans. There are a number of significant historical sites to explore along this trip

There are a number of interesting historical features of note along this trip, from the Quarantine station, to the former residence of George Augustus Robinson, to the heritage trail at Dennes Point

North Bruny and much of the coastline you follow during this trail, being on the western side of Bruny and facing the relatively sheltered D'Entrecasteaux Channel and mainland Tasmania, tends to be calmer and more protected than South Bruny from the wilder squalls that hit the Eastern and Southern ocean facing parts of Bruny Island

This bike trail is shared with vehicular traffic and so caution and high visibility gear is important. Be very mindful of the traffic particularly on the section of road from the Ferry to the turnoff to Barnes Bay. It tends to be quieter once you get off the sealed road.

As this is on sealed and dirt roads shared with cars, it is not for kids to complete without adult supervision.