Australia’s Scenic Public Toilet #38 – The Neck, Bruny Island

Last Updated on March 1, 2017 by Red Nomad OZ

The Neck from Truganini Lookout, Bruny Island, Tasmania
The Neck from Truganini Lookout, Bruny Island, Tasmania

If you like your landscapes complete with killer views, superb natural attractions, unusual wildlife and a touch of history, Truganini Lookout overlooking ‘the Neck’ on Tasmania’s Bruny Island ticks all the boxes.

Pretty good, huh?!

Car Park & Toilet at Truganini Lookout, the Neck, Bruny Island
Car Park & Toilet at Truganini Lookout, the Neck, Bruny Island

But this already FINE outlook is elevated from pretty good to perfect by its scenic public toilet. That’s it, right down there near the car park and the beginning of the OH-so-many steps to the viewing platform.

Perfect, right?!

The Loo, the Neck!
The Loo, the Neck!

Our day on Bruny Island just off the Tasmanian east coast south-east of Hobart hadn’t started so well. How could the Mirambeenavehicle ferry be merrily motoring across the D’Entrecasteaux Channel from Kettering to Bruny Island WITHOUT US? We’d got up early. We’d made good time on the drive south to the ferry departure point. We’d joined the queue. And when the car in front of us went up the ramp, we thought there’d be room for our smallish hire car too.

BUT THERE WASN’T!!

At least the 1.5 hour wait for the next service gave me a welcome opportunity to practice my water reflection photography skills. And my marina photography skills. And my ‘is-that-tiny-speck-on-the-horizon-the-ferry-coming-back-yet-please-goddess’ shots.

Not 'blurry' - ARTY!  Kettering Marina, Tasmania
Not ‘blurry’ – ARTY!  Kettering Marina, Tasmania

That ‘practice’ time was welcome to ME, anyway. I’ll leave you to judge by these snaps whether those 90 LONG minutes of my life I’ll never see again were 90 minutes well spent. Or not!

Reflections at Kettering Jetty, Tasmania
Reflections at Kettering Jetty, Tasmania

At least we were first in line for the next ferry service. And the day started to look a bit brighter – literally – as the morning fog and cloud rolled away and we disembarked at the Roberts Point ferry terminus AND BAKERY!! YESSSSSS!!!

But the day was to become even brighter.

Nearly half-way down Bruny Island’s 100km length is the (I can’t believe they called it that!) Neck – a (yes, you guessed right) narrow neck of land joining North and South Bruny Island and separating the D’Entrecasteaux channel from Adventure Bay.

Adventure Bay and Rookery Viewing platform from Truganini Lookout, The Neck, Bruny Island
Adventure Bay and Rookery Viewing platform from Truganini Lookout, The Neck, Bruny Island

It’s also a penguin and shearwater rookery – an apparently rare combo. And the area is significant to the Tasmanian Aboriginal people so the lookout is dedicated to the memory of Truganini, one of the last tribal Aborigines in Tasmania.

Aussie Loos With Views!
Aussie Loos With Views!

Of course we HAD to stop and check it out.

Just as well we did or we would have missed one of the most scenic Australian Public Toilets I’ve had the pleasure of doing my business in.

And I would have missed the chance to include it in my first book!

‘Aussie Loos with Views!’ is what’s kept me from this blog for so long.

That, and the ‘long service leave’ I’d earned from four years of blogging!

It’s hard to imagine that after a dramatic dunny like this that the day could get even better. IT DID! But that’s a story for another day!! Stay tuned!!!

Want MORE?

Mirambeena Ferry arriving at Bruny Island, Tasmania
Mirambeena Ferry arriving at Bruny Island, Tasmania
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61 comments

    1. Thank you Suki! My dunny detection skills are legendary – they should be after a decade of practice, but luckily they don’t stop me from admiring the view!

  1. Fantastic photos. Blog delightful. For me on the other side of the world your blog contains a lot of interesting things. I’ll be looked 🙂
    Regards from a small town on the other side of the globe.

    1. Hello, and welcome! I’m so glad you like my blog and I look forward to showing you more of what makes Australia such a wonderful place!! Greetings to you too – from somewhere in Australia! I’m on the road right now!!

    1. Other than the laws against public exposure, I can’t think of any reason why you couldn’t sit on the loo with the door open!!

    1. The jury’s out as to whether the view’s better on the loo, or from the lookout!!! Either way, you could probably tie it in with some birdwatching!!!

    1. Yes, they tell me that Australia leads the world in public dunny provision! Just as well for me, huh?!

  2. A book of loos with views… fantastic news:)
    I’m sure that won’t be the last book you publish, for example, I love the reflections in the shot of kettering jetty.

    1. Haha, yes, a LOO book is just what the world needs!! I always thought I’d publish a book one day – but who knew it’d be about dunnies??!! We’ll see about the ‘next’ book – but thanx for your vote of confidence!!

  3. Sorry to have taken so long to get back over here–it is my busy time at work. What fantastic shots! When does your book come out? I can’t wait!

    1. No apology required! I thought I’d be back in blogland with a vengeance – but it seems not quite yet!! Book due out on 1 July – I’ll publish availability details when I know them!

  4. Glad you´re finally back, Red – I was worrying something might´ve happened… Not loo-wise, but still 😉
    Great pics and congrats big on the book – where is it available?

    1. Iris, it seems I was only back momentarily!!! Thank you for your good wishes, and I’ll be publishing the details of availability when they are known – it’ll be online somewhere for sure!! Unless you need another excuse to revisit OZ??

  5. Fantastic, quirky and, very arty! Always stunning.
    Love the first photo of The Neck. And, especially the light captured in the photo of the Mirambeena Ferry.
    I adore Tassie, and would love to live there. Maybe one day.
    A friend has just come back from a few days on Bruny Island. Have put it on our next visit.

    Huge congrats on your book!! I’m sure it will do very well. Because, how many books feature dunnies in some of the most beautiful locations in the world?
    Wishing you much success with it 🙂

    1. Haha, it’ll be a perfect companion to the calendar??!! I also fell in love with Tassie … can’t believe I’ve spent so little time there on my travels!! It’s a heavy burden being known as ‘loo girl’!!!

  6. I have missed your bright beautiful pictures and witty words. Glad to know you had a good (and happy) excuse. Good luck with the book. Your loo posts are always so fun… it should do well.

    1. Thanx, Sallie! It’s hard for a wordy person like me to compress all they know about a loo into 50-odd words … but I tried!!

  7. Congratulations on your first book Red! I hope it is only the first of many! Where can we purchase said book? I wonder if some of the scenic loos I have seen are in it?
    Happy travels Red. and welcome back to blog land.

    1. Thank you, Jill! I’ll be publishing more details about availability when I know them – can’t wait to see if we’ve ‘shared’ some loos! And given the lateness of my response, I’m not sure that I’m fully back in blogland yet!!!

  8. It is a beautiful and wild place. It was too stormy for us to go across when we were there so it is nice to see it through your eyes and trip to the loo. Well done on your first book. It looks great. I too have slowed down in blogland as I am trying to put together a book of memories.

    1. What a shame you missed it! But there is WAY more to see than just the loo – you’ll have to put it down for another time!! I look forward to seeing your book!

  9. Gorgeous views and a beautiful place. Congrats on your book, I love the title.. I would love to see the penguins and shearwater. Sorry you missed the ferry, loved the photos.Happy weekend!

    1. So great to hear from you as usual, my friend! Thanx for your good wishes!! I too would like to see the penguins and shearwaters – but we didn’t that day, as they’re nocturnal! Lets visit them together sometime!!

  10. Red, it is great to see you back in action and I hope you enjoyed your blogging break! I hope your book is going well, and guess what! I recently found another scenic toilet which you may be interested in. We recently had to do a ‘run’ into an inner Sydney photo shop to replace my husband’s SLR camera (that he trashed when he got water splashed into it). We had to wait for an hour or so for them to bring the new camera over, and to pass the time we asked if there was anywhere local we could take our three very active children to wait. They suggested that we visit Blues Point Park which was close by. Picture this – the ‘crappiest’ toilet you have ever seen (picture 3/4 height doors without locks etc). As you exit the toilet you are gobsmacked by the amazing in-your-face view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House! I thought of you so I am glad I have the opportunity to share this location with you.

    1. Thank you Anne! I’m not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed that people now associate me with toilets! But … I’ll take it as a compliment!! Your loo find sounds AMAZING!!!! Do you have any pix?? Would LOVE to see them!!!! Have a wonderful weekend!

  11. Not sure you guys ever hear the news reports about how ignorant Americans seem to be about geography. Without going into details many don’t even know the names of American states, with a few thinking New Mexico is a country.

    Well you can imagine how bad things get when the question of other countries are brought up. A couple of years ago a group of guys were sitting around talking about old Warner Brothers cartoons. The character of the Tasmanian Devil was brought up with one person believing “Tasmania” was just some fictional place.

    So when I showed him a map of Australia with the island of Tasmania comfortably positioned to the south the look on that guy’s face was on of utter astonishment. I might as well showed him Atlantis.

    1. Hahahaha! I think you have inadvertently stumbled across the truth, my friend! I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that Tassie (as we call it down here – pronounced ‘Tazzy’) really IS Atlantis! Did your friend know that the Tasmanian Devil is a real animal too??

    1. Don’t leave it as long as I did for your first visit! And make sure you schedule more than a day – you’ll need it if you’re anything like me!

  12. Tassie is my old stomping ground – at least for a couple of years anyway. It seemed to be/is my soul place. Travelled to many spots but did not trial Bruny Island. I visited Maria Island and loves the uncivilised feel of the place. But I think I have missed a grand adventure at Bruny by the looks of your lovely photos.

    1. Wow! I’m sure it’d be interesting to live there and I can well imagine it being my ‘soul place’ too. We’ll have to exchange recollections, because I did Bruny, but missed Maria! Next time … and there SO will be a next time!

  13. Congratulations on your book. You will let us know where it is available, won’t you? Any 90 minutes you spend with your camera is well spent, I’d say. The second reflection is lovely. And the loo at The Neck is a beauty.

    1. Thank you, Pauline! It is due out in July, and I’ll be publishing availability details as soon as I know them! Thank you for your lovely comments – and have a great weekend!

    1. Dank je, mijn vriend. Ik weet niet zeker wat je bedoeld met je reactie omdat Google translate niet geef me een goede vertaling. Dank u voor het bezoeken van mijn blog, en hebben een heerlijk weekend!

  14. Welcome Back!!
    The idea of “one of the most scenic Australian Public Toilets” is……so fun!
    And congratulations on your first book. Seriously I have a dream to publish books, so I’m so happy to hear your Great News.

    1. Thank you!! Most people think I’m joking when I say I’ve written a book about Aussie toilets 🙂 Ever since I was small I thought one day I’d publish a book – I just didn’t think it would be about toilets!!!!

  15. Welcome back, Red. I’ve missed your posts and excellent photography of your adventures and travels. Bruny Island looks to be wonderful place. I’m glad you missed the ferry as it gave you an opportunity to shoot some interesting pictures, and I assume you took advantage of the local bakery. Congratulations on the new book. Can I order it on Amazon?

    1. Thank you! You’re too kind – but it is kinda nice to be missed 🙂 And it’s a no-brainer about the bakery, as you no doubt guessed! I’ll be publishing details of the book & where to get it from when I know them!! So … stay tuned!!

  16. Congratulations on your book.
    Lovely down there on Bruny and great views from the tops of a few hills.
    That happened to us once when catching the ferry, it drove off without us 🙂

    1. Thank you! One (incomplete) day on Bruny Island was SO not long enough! I could easily stay there for at least a week, probably more. Those darned ferries – don’t they know better than to stick around to wait for US??!!

    1. Thank you, my friend! It’s an unusual place – and I hope to get back one day and see it in more detail!

  17. G’day REd, welcome back! so, that’s what you’ve been up to – a book! Congratulations, well done!
    Ah, the early bird catches the……ferry? Nope. During the wait you got some great shots, and when you finally arrived you were rewarded with a BAKERY.
    May you and Pilchard have a fabulous weekend.
    R.

    1. Thanx Rose!! But don’t say ‘well done’ until you’ve seen it for yourself!!!! Yes, every cloud has a silver lining – there’s always something to do with a bakery on offer!! You have a great weekend too!

  18. Glad you aren’t stuck in some toilet somewhere – we were starting to worry… like I can talk!

    1. HHHMMMmmm… so how do you know I WASN’T just stuck in some toilet somewhere?!?!?! Have a great weekend!!

  19. That long view down the neck and walkway has to be the best yet and I’d say that 90 minutes practice was well worth it.
    A book you say? Hmmm.

    1. Thanx River! As usual, you are WAY too kind! But I hope you can also tell I was enjoying myself!! Yes – look out for the book if you want a quirky but inexpensive gift for someone!

  20. Bruny Island. How interesting. And here I was thinking you were travelling around in the desert. The ferry photo looks ‘warm’, even though as it is Bruny Island, it probably isn’t.

    1. Hahaha, it WAS pretty dry in Tassie, but I don’t think anyone would mistake it for a desert! It was late evening when the ferry shot was taken, so the ‘warmth’ you describe is the late pm golden glow of setting sun! Have a great weekend!

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