Tasmania

__ Information about Bruny Island __

Bruny Island is an island off the south east coast of Tasmania. Bruny Island is actually two islands joined together by a narrow stretch of land called the isthmus that the locals call ‘The Neck’. Bruny Island has three shops, four cafes, one museum, and a lighthouse.

A ferry called ‘The Mirambeena’ (which means ‘welcome’ in the local Aboriginal language) crosses between Roberts Point on North Bruny and Kettering. It can board up to eighty cars. The ferry has an upper deck as well as a lower deck. Most people drive their cars onto the ferry, although you can walk on for free or take your bike for three dollars. The ferry is Bruny’s main access to mainland Tasmania, and is also the way we get our groceries delivered to the shops.

A famous Aboriginal person called Truganini was born on Bruny Island in the year 1812. She was the daughter of the tribal chief ‘Mangana’. Sadly she died in 1876. She is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the last Tasmanian Aboriginal.

For tourists there are many sights to see and things to do, including penguin watching at a rookery on the isthmus. There is a specially made lookout to view the birds.

A trip to the fudge factory, breakfast, lunch and dinner at one of Bruny’s restaurants or cafes, or a boat trip on Bruny Island Charters, and there are many jetties for fishing.

Bruny Island is also a home to a number of endangered and rare species such as the forty spotted pardalote, the white wallaby, the eastern spotted quoll, the golden possum, the white bellied sea eagle, the white goshawk, the ring tailed possum and some other animals. Bruny Island is also known for its surf and beautiful beaches.

__ Bruny ____ Island District School __ Bruny Island District School has 53 wonderful students, three class rooms and 8 teachers, including three specialist teachers that teach German, P.E and music. We also have 4 classroom teachers. The school includes kinder to grade 6. We have a combined kinder to prep class, a grade 1,2,3 class and a 4,5,6 class.

We have a school farm with chooks, sheep, cows, turkeys and worms. The school also runs a vegetable patch gowing tomatoes, potatoes, basil, snow peas, lettuce, black currents and many more vegetables.

The school participates in the Hobart Show and the Campbell Town Show with our sheep and we have won lots of ribbons including Grand Champion and Reserve Champion. 

This photo shows Bruny Island District School in front of the school’s ball wall. We use this wall for many activities, including handball, cricket and tennis practice.

This is a picture of the 4/5/6 class with the vegetables from their edible garden. We started the edible garden in 2006 when we had the 2/3 class. Jacquie, our garden instructor, has helped us with planting the vegetables and looking after the chooks, turkeys and collecting the eggs. The vegetables we plant are corn, peas, pumpkins, carrots, Dutch cream potatoes, pink eye potatoes, lettuce, strawberries, blackcurrants, leaks and lots of flowers.

The above photo shows our school’s fair exhibition. At the front we have our school filming items including shoes, cameras, photos and lots more. Our school recently made a short film called “Shoes on the Run” for a competition. We all had fun making it.



__Surfing__ Every year the grade 3/4/5/6 students of Bruny Island District School go surfing. The bus takes us to either Cloudy Bay or the Neck Beach. It’s good fun! Our former principal bought six surf boards for us to use. We can only go surfing because our teachers have a Surf Coaching certificate and a Bronze Medallion. It’s a great experience.



__Sheep and Lambs__ Here you see our beautiful sheep and lambs. Every year we go to two shows that are the Hobart Show and the Campbell Town Show. The categories we enter are the Hampshire Downs. We work very hard each year to improve their looks. The sheep in the picture are Sweetie, Honey, Little Princess and our sweet little lamb with no name.



__ Science Fun Show __ This science activity shows a student demonstrating weight distribution. Aidan is standing on a board, spreading his weight evenly over the four boys underneath.

__ Bruny ____ Island ____ Charters Boat Excursion __ Every year our school is lucky enough to go on an excursion on Rob’s Boat. The trip goes around the bottom of South Bruny. You see all kinds of animals and birds. We see seals, dolphins, (maybe whales if we’re lucky), albatrosses, penguins and cormorants. It’s a great day out on the water.