Took a road trip out to Bruny Island today. I rented a Hyundai Getz and practiced my evasive driving maneuvers, including though not limited to: J-turns, e-brake turns, and top-speed runs. Wiki says the top speed is 176km/h with the 97HP 1.4L. I couldn't get it to top 150 because it was bouncing around so damn much. :laugh:
Anyway, I headed south to Bruny at 8 this morning so I could catch the 9:30 ferry. I somehow got lost and wound up finding bogan country and a gravel road. After an hour of driving in the wrong direction, I found the highway that goes to Kettering, where the ferry departs from. Kettering is a sleepy little fishing town of a couple hundred people. No doubt much of their business comes from tourists who stop in for a snack or drink.
Here is Kettering's marina, about 100 meters from the ferry's dock:
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny01.jpg
I believe this was the entrance to a shipbuilding facility or scrapyard of some sort. I saw a bunch of boat pieces and 5-6 old guys sitting in a circle drinking beers. This was at 10:30AM.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny02.jpg
Ahh! The Getz in all its glory, eagerly awaiting a spot at the front of the ferry.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny03.jpg
We were all loaded on and these two big logging trucks came flying down the hill, barely making it to the ferry in time for departure.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny04.jpg
...and onto the island.
I headed south, where the more varied scenery is. On the way, there was a lookout point for a penguin mating ground. I saw their nests (dens perhaps?) all over the place, but I didn't see a single bird. Nonetheless, it was a spectacular view of the area from the top.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny05.jpg
I continued south from there. The paved road turned into a gravel road and then back into a paved road, coming to a fork. I opted to go left because of the "7km of narrow winding road." I figured it would be a good opportunity to further evaluate the handling (in)capabilities of the mighty Getz.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny06.jpg
It was a little past noon and I wasn't sure how many options I'd have, so I went for the first cafe that I saw, the "Hothouse Cafe." It's a shack operated by a husband and wife right next to their house. Despite first appearances, the food was fairly upscale and absolutely delicious. I got a cheeseburger and a milkshake made with fresh strawberries from their garden.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...t/111108-bruny07-1.jpg
They were also selling horse poo.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny08.jpg
I opted against a long hike since it was looking like rain and I was really full. After looping back around the southeast corner of the island, I went up. Here's another view of the narrow strip of land between the north and south islands:
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny09.jpg
To get to this lookout, I had to drive up old minimal-maintenance logging roads. They were rutted, bumpy, and steep, but clearly I had a capable off-road vehicle so this was of no concern to me.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny10.jpg
There was another looking point further up the road. Had to trounce through some mud to get there. Again it was not a problem because of my rugged 13" tires.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny11.jpg
I should not be doing this.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny12.jpg
After this I went back down the mountain, much of the time sideways at excessive speeds.
I wanted to get to Cape Bruny before the rain came.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny13.jpg
I had to stop and take another photo of the Getz first though.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny14.jpg
Now I'm at Cape Bruny. Cape Bruny has Australia's oldest continuously-manned lighthouse. It was first lit in 1838 and was decomissioned in 1996 in favor of a solar-powered unit a few hundred meters away.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny15.jpg
The lighthouse protected ships for almost 160 years from cliffs like these:
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny17.jpg
After this, it started raining quite hard. Since Hertz wouldn't appreciate me getting the Getz stuck in the mud, I came back to Hobart and called it a night. Fun day.
Anyway, I headed south to Bruny at 8 this morning so I could catch the 9:30 ferry. I somehow got lost and wound up finding bogan country and a gravel road. After an hour of driving in the wrong direction, I found the highway that goes to Kettering, where the ferry departs from. Kettering is a sleepy little fishing town of a couple hundred people. No doubt much of their business comes from tourists who stop in for a snack or drink.
Here is Kettering's marina, about 100 meters from the ferry's dock:
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny01.jpg
I believe this was the entrance to a shipbuilding facility or scrapyard of some sort. I saw a bunch of boat pieces and 5-6 old guys sitting in a circle drinking beers. This was at 10:30AM.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny02.jpg
Ahh! The Getz in all its glory, eagerly awaiting a spot at the front of the ferry.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny03.jpg
We were all loaded on and these two big logging trucks came flying down the hill, barely making it to the ferry in time for departure.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny04.jpg
...and onto the island.
I headed south, where the more varied scenery is. On the way, there was a lookout point for a penguin mating ground. I saw their nests (dens perhaps?) all over the place, but I didn't see a single bird. Nonetheless, it was a spectacular view of the area from the top.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny05.jpg
I continued south from there. The paved road turned into a gravel road and then back into a paved road, coming to a fork. I opted to go left because of the "7km of narrow winding road." I figured it would be a good opportunity to further evaluate the handling (in)capabilities of the mighty Getz.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny06.jpg
It was a little past noon and I wasn't sure how many options I'd have, so I went for the first cafe that I saw, the "Hothouse Cafe." It's a shack operated by a husband and wife right next to their house. Despite first appearances, the food was fairly upscale and absolutely delicious. I got a cheeseburger and a milkshake made with fresh strawberries from their garden.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...t/111108-bruny07-1.jpg
They were also selling horse poo.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny08.jpg
I opted against a long hike since it was looking like rain and I was really full. After looping back around the southeast corner of the island, I went up. Here's another view of the narrow strip of land between the north and south islands:
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny09.jpg
To get to this lookout, I had to drive up old minimal-maintenance logging roads. They were rutted, bumpy, and steep, but clearly I had a capable off-road vehicle so this was of no concern to me.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny10.jpg
There was another looking point further up the road. Had to trounce through some mud to get there. Again it was not a problem because of my rugged 13" tires.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny11.jpg
I should not be doing this.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny12.jpg
After this I went back down the mountain, much of the time sideways at excessive speeds.
I wanted to get to Cape Bruny before the rain came. http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny13.jpg
I had to stop and take another photo of the Getz first though.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny14.jpg
Now I'm at Cape Bruny. Cape Bruny has Australia's oldest continuously-manned lighthouse. It was first lit in 1838 and was decomissioned in 1996 in favor of a solar-powered unit a few hundred meters away.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny15.jpg
The lighthouse protected ships for almost 160 years from cliffs like these:
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...art/111108-bruny17.jpg
After this, it started raining quite hard. Since Hertz wouldn't appreciate me getting the Getz stuck in the mud, I came back to Hobart and called it a night. Fun day.
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