Pennicott Gourmet Tasting Day

Cheese, honey, fudge and ale stops fill this 9.5-hour gourmet day from Hobart, with a beachside lunch and the ferry crossing included. Pennicott Wilderness Journeys operates it, rated 4.8 across 581 reviews.

Overview

This Pennicott Wilderness Journeys day trip departs daily from Hobart and spends the day crossing to Bruny Island to eat and drink your way around it. A local guide drives the group by bus, the ferry crossing to the island is included, and hotel pickup from selected CBD hotels is part of the package. The running theme is produce: cheese and hand crafted ale at Bruny Island Cheese and Beer Co., shucked oysters with wine at lunch, honey, mead, and handmade fudge tasted in the private gardens at HIBA.

Food is only half of it. Lunch is at Pennicott's beachside restaurant looking over Adventure Bay, and the route takes in The Neck, where you climb the Truganini Steps for the view along the narrow isthmus. The scenery then shifts from the light bush of the northern island to the dense rainforest of the south at Mavista, a pristine environment home to wildlife including rare white wallabies. There is also time on a quiet beach, plus entry to the Bligh Museum. The return leg is the ferry back to Kettering and a short drive to Hobart, with hotel drop-off available on request.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Hotel pickup, HobartPickup from selected CBD hotels, or meet at the Pennicott Wilderness Journeys Dock Head Building on Franklin Wharf.
2. Drive and ferry crossingTravel by bus south to Kettering and board the ferry to Bruny Island, with the crossing included in the tour.
3. Gourmet tastingsVisit artisan producers for cheese and hand crafted ale at Bruny Island Cheese and Beer Co., plus local honey and handcrafted mead.
4. HIBA gardens and fudgeAn exclusive tour of HIBA's private English and native gardens, with hand made fudge to taste along the way.
5. Beachside lunchLunch at Pennicott's beachside restaurant at Adventure Bay, including shucked oysters and two glasses of wine, beer or cider.
6. The Neck and rainforestClimb the Truganini Steps for the isthmus view, walk a deserted beach, and take in the Mavista Rainforest, home to wildlife including rare white wallabies. Entry to the Bligh Museum is also included.
7. Return to HobartFerry back to Kettering, a short drive to Hobart, and hotel drop-off on request.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points worth knowing before booking this one.

• What to wear. The listing asks for comfortable footwear and warm clothing, and comfortable clothes generally. Layers make sense given beach stops, a rainforest walk and time outdoors at the ferry and lookouts.
• Pace of the day. Expect a full day out, roughly 9.5 hours door to door. One reviewer noted there was plenty of time at each stop to see everything, so the schedule does not feel rushed despite the long list of stops.
• Food and drink. Tastings and lunch are covered by the booking. One reviewer called lunch spectacular and singled out the oysters, and the alcohol at lunch is capped at two glasses of wine, beer or cider per person.
• Your guide. Reviewers consistently described the guides as knowledgeable, friendly and passionate about the island and its wildlife, with several guides named and praised across recent reviews. One reviewer also mentioned the warm rapport between their guide and the producers at each stop.
• Wildlife and scenery. The Neck lookout, the rainforest and the beach walk are the scenic anchors.
• Photos. The Neck steps give the classic shot of the curving isthmus. Adventure Bay views from the lunch table and the ferry crossing offer more photo moments through the day.

Common issues. It is a long day at roughly 9.5 hours, so it may not suit travellers who want a short outing. Alcohol at lunch is limited to two glasses per person. Pickup only covers selected CBD hotels, so anyone staying elsewhere needs to make their way to the Franklin Wharf meeting point. Cancellation is only free up to 24 hours before departure, after which the listing gives no refund terms.

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