During our first family trip to
Tasmania I had already had my mind made up to take the Bruny Island Safari even
before the family set foot on the Apple Isle... not only am I am self-confessed
foodie but so too is my husband and our kids have been raised to appreciate
food. I am really not sure what the
family actually thought I was obsessed that we were going.....
AND
THANK GOD WE DID!!!
From
the minute we were picked up from our designated location, our tour guide
Scotty made us feel welcome. Once
everyone booked was onboard and accounted for the fun began. From important local information, history and
the humorous stories of his past experiences and adventures we made our way
from Hobart to Bruny Island. More
importantly he made us all interact and get to know each other by involving us
all in conversation.
The
places that we visited for tastings were amazing... the Bruny Island Cheese
Company, our first stop, got the tastebuds rocking and of course we purchased
some of the amazing cheeses that we sampled.
Scotty soon realised why the Murray family came prepared with an esky!!
The Bruny Island Berry Farm was very
interesting and we were amazed at the amount of berries that Graham was growing
although sadly January isn't berry season.
The morning tea was delish especially the freshly baked scones served
with jam and cream. A necessary purchase
of "Jostaberry" jam was made.
Lunch was also a treat, local produce and freshly caught fish served at
Hotel Bruny - the staff were friendly and very helpful. Not only was the lunch yummy, so was the
Tassie wine and we came away with some souvenir wine glasses.
Next
stop was Get Shucked - fresh oysters. I
like oysters, couldn't really say I was a fan... but that was before
today. I now have a new found love of
oysters as does my 15 year old son who has never eaten one. He not only tried the tasters but went into
the shop and purchased two massive oysters, one for him and one for his
dad. I do believe an oyster monster has
been born!! Get Shucked also make their
own Homemade Worcestershire Sauce which is delish. Needless to say 2 dozen oysters and a bottle
of sauce made their way into our ever filling esky.
A
quick stop waiting for the ferry to return the local store was interesting and
also boasting the use of fresh local produce.
None of us were hungry, trust me we hadn't stopped eating all day but
the lure of the Wallaby Pie was too good to resist. Yes we purchased and ate and enjoyed.
Our
last stop was Nutpatch Nougat Chocolates was a hidden treasure.... I definitely
felt like "a kid in a candy shop".
The chocolates produced were amazing, the tasting of different chocolate
was amazing and we left privileged with the fact that we had a bag full of
these perfectly crafted little masterpieces in our possession.
Besides
the food.... yes we did take notice of the beautiful scenery rich in history
and wonder. Resolution Creek, where
Captain Cook came to shore which also had squeaky sand that was so soft to walk
on, Cape Bruny Lighthouse and it’s museum, the National Park, the Rainforest, the
wildlife including the white Wallabies and all the coastlines were
magnificent.
For
such a small island amazingly our day was full of much more than expected and
we had a fantastic time. For our first
"foodie" adventure we had the best time and today has definitely been
a highlight of our Tasmanian holiday.
Finally
I have to say, and my family will agree, Scotty - you rock!!! You made our day so memorable, enjoyable,
relaxing and very exciting. Not your
average tour guide there was never a dull moment even though you filled our
heads with information and made our imagination run wild. It was a pleasure to meet you and spend the
day in your company. We all extend our
thanks to you for an incredible day.
