Bruny Island, Tasmania

A few weekends back Matt and I went to Bruny Island with one of our couch surfing hosts. Bruny Island is about an hour and a half drive and then ferry ride from Hobart. It was so beautiful and peaceful there! Upon arriving to the designated camping grounds, we found it to be overcrowded and there was an unexpected camping fee (which had just been instated). Contemplating sleeping in the open air on the beach, we decided to drive around a bit and see if we could find a better spot. What we ended up finding was off the beaten path, and a secluded, fee-free camping spot next to some gorgeous cliffs overlooking the ocean. There was a comfortable amount of room to set up our tents and campsite, trees to our backs, and a rock shelf leading down to the ocean. The rocks in front of our campsite were stepped in some places, so they made perfect spots for sitting, like natural chairs built into the cliffs.

From Bruny Island

Not long after setting up camp, a lone dolphin swam by in the ocean, almost welcoming us. We set up a fire and admired the thousands of visible stars in the sky, catching a glimpse of falling stars from time to time. At first glance, the milky way sat like a cloud in the sky, but upon further investigation you could distinguish its subtle nuances. Each morning we were woken by fishing boats pulling up lobsters hidden under the waves. It was too cold to swim, but we spent our days walking along the beaches, and our nights beneath the brilliant night sky. I would find myself sitting on the rocks at the end of our camp site, mesmerized by the rhythmic movement of the waves as they ebbed and flowed. The waves would sometimes reveal the sea weed close to the cliffs, giving the illusion of an animal moving about in the water. It was so peaceful and beautiful, I could spend hours in admiration and awe (and I think I did, it was easy to lose track of time). It was a great time to reflect and relax, and spend some time in silent appreciation.

From Bruny Island

At one point, we were all sitting around the camp fire and we noticed some strange behavior of the ants. We had our fire going and a giant ant (probably three times the size of a normal ant) threw a regularly sized ant off a big rock down close to our camp fire. It then proceeded to repeat this action, with different small ants, several more times. I guess the giant ants are highly territorial, which I learned later when I got bitten by one on a different occasion. As a side note, the ant bite was like a huge welt on my leg, it was slightly ridiculous. Anyways, we were entertained by the whole ant show, it was good times.