Nestled 50 kilometres south of Hobart on the southern tip of Bruny Island is the South Bruny National Park, which, in addition to its amazing landscapes, it is known for the Cape Bruny Lighthouse, Australia's second oldest lighthouse. The highest point of the park and the island is Mount Bruny (504 metres). The park, established in 1997, also includes the Labillardière Peninsula, named in honour of French botanist Jacques Labillardiardière, author of the first description of Australia's flora.
Much of the park's vegetation is hard-leaved plants such as eucalyptus and heather. Only occasionally do wet eucalyptus and rainforests occur. The park's inhabitants are typically Australian fauna - wallabies, Possums, red-bellied kangaroos, but there are no famous Tasmanian devils or wombats. Whales and seals inhabit the waters of the park. The bird kingdom is also diverse, with all 12 species of Tasmanian endemics found in the park, the rarest of which is the spotted rainbow bird. Small penguins and plovers can often be seen on the shore.
For thousands of years, the park was inhabited by various aboriginal tribes until 1773, when Captain Tobias Furneaux discovered the safe and convenient for anchorages, which he named after his ship. For the next 30 years, the cove was used by mariners, including the famed James Cook. In the first half of the 19th century, Adventure Cove was used for whaling, and remnants of whaling stations can still be seen today.
Despite rapid European colonisation, traces of its aboriginal past can still be found in the park: the island's indigenous people called the area "Lunnawannalonna" and today the word can be heard in the names of two settlements, Alonna and Lunawanna. And along the coast there are stone buildings left over from the aborigines.
The main thing that attracts thousands of tourists to the park is the spectacular views: giant cliffs, bird markets, lush tree stands, long sandy beaches. You can see the diversity of landscapes by travelling along one of the hiking trails. You can see the diversity of the landscape by following one of the hiking trails, such as to the ruins of the old whaling station at Cape Grass Point or to the remote Labillardiere Peninsula. Adventure Cove Adventure Cove offers the perfect setting for a relaxing beach holiday, while Misty Cove is incredibly popular with surfers of all stripes. This cove is home to one of Tasmania's four median spits, which separates Misty Cove from its namesake lagoon.
