My Visit to Bruny Island

I visited Bruny Island on 17th – 19th Nov 2014 and took the opportunity to visit the cemetery at Adventure Bay where Great Grandparents, John and Mary Craig as well as the Great Great Grandparents, Henry and Wihemenie Dunckel are buried. Also there are graves of children who died at childbirth or quite young plus graves of older children and grandchildren plus those of various relatives of the Hanssons, Kadens, Nicholls, etc.

I also visited Two Tree Point and Resolution Creek which were key aspects associated with both Highwood and Seaview and incredibly historic in terms of their connection to the 2nd and 3rd trips of Cook, and Bligh later.

I also visited the History Room at Alonnah and obtained some details of the Dillons and Hanssons who descended from the Dunkels as well as books on the area’s history. Thanks to Kathy Duncombe.

I also visited the Mens Shed at Alonnah briefly and walked the Flutted Cape walk at the SE end of Adventure Bay.

I also drove around some of the Island seeing Bennetts wallabies as well as a white albino one and some sub-tropical rainforest along the Mavista Walk.

I also connected with a couple of Craig Descendants still on the Island such a Kerry Nicolls and Andrew Kaden as well as more distant relatives such as Leigh Hansson and Janet Hannson. Leigh showed me the location of Highwood and Seaview.

I had some great help from Veronica McShane (nee Hansson) whom I connected with by email and on facebook originally through organising my meeting with Leigh Hansson and later Kathryn O’Keefe (nee Hansson) who owns the land on which the Berry Farm sits.

I also met with Christine Bleasel and Avril Madden at Christine’s house at Sandy Bay.  Christine was born in Canada but migrated to Australia and settled in Hobart.  Her dad Adrian Debnam was a cousin of my mothers and a Craig descendant.  Viv Madden is 3rd generation Craig descendant and helped Adrian in his research for the writing of the 42 page document “Descendants of John & Mary Craig”.

This, whilst a trip to a special place both because of its history, its environment and geography, was more a trip to connect with my origins and try and find exactly where my grandmother was born and grew up along with her three brothers who went to war in WW1, as well as the other siblings. In many respects this was more successful than I ever imagined and I have now have a wider understanding of the interconnections of my early ancestry and the wide connections that were created through to many others people.

After the trip I read up on the early explorers and what the Craig sons had done in WW1. It was interesting to read that Tobias Furneaux (the Captain of the 2nd ship of Cook’s 2nd voyage) was the first recorded Englishman to land on Tasmanian soil which was at Adventure Bay.  He obtained supplies there as well as taking water from Resolution Creek which he labelled Watering Point.  And that is 200m or so from where the Craigs and Dunkels/Hanssons lived.  And Resolution Creek swings south behind the Berry Farm and cuts across of the old Craig property.

I also learned that Captain Cook did land in Australia on his 3rd and last voyage, at Adventure Bay on 26th Jan 1777 and left for NZ on 30th Jan. I always thought he only reached Australia on his first voyage. And it’s very strange that he was at Adventure Bay on 26th Jan. Again he watered his two ships from Resolution Creek.

If you visit the Berry Farm you can look south across the first fence line into 562 Adventure Bay Rd and look up to grassy patch where the old house was and you can look further south to the new 1950’s plus house on the hill. You can wander out to Two Tree Point where Resolution Creek enters the ocean. It sort of dries up as it gets to the beach when I was there. You can also read the historic sign and cairn that are there and you feel like this is a special place. It’s also a nice beach between Two Tree Point and the small headland at Quite Corner.

And if you visit the small Adventure Bay cemetery at Coal Point you will find a small but intimate location with a fantastic view out over the Bay.  For those with relatives there it’s a special place.  Where in the world can you see the graves of your Great Grandparents and Great Great Grandparents nearly side by side. And this applied to Craigs, Hanssons and maybe some others.

Greg Hutchison, 23 Jan 2015