Fork in the Road: A culinary tour of Bruny Island

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jan 7, 2009 | by Laurel Miller

IMAGINE AN island the size of Singapore, with only 600 permanent residents -- not counting the sheep. Picture miles of deserted, white sand beaches, towering sea cliffs, and swathes of forest and pasture land. Yours is often the only car on the winding country roads.

Despite the isolation, incredible foodstuffs abound: Wild apple orchards, cherries, massive crayfish (actually a species of lobster), oysters, mussels, wine grapes, and some of the most sublime cheeses anywhere.

Where is this paradise? At the edge of the world; closer to Antarctica than nearly any other speck of land on earth. A local chocolate-maker tells people that his public gardens and specialty food shop are "situated on an island ... at the edge of the world."

Welcome to Tasmania's Bruny Island, a popular weekend and holiday escape for the residents of Hobart, the state capital 25 miles away. A 15-minute ferry ride from the "mainland" town of Kettering will deliver you across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel to Bruny, which is actually two separate islands connected by an isthmus.

The stunning scenery, abundant wildlife (Bennett's wallabies, fairy penguins, wombats, birds, whales, and dolphins), a notable National Park (South Bruny NP), and outdoor activities from sea kayaking and fishing to bush walking have made seasonal tourism Bruny's top economic industry outside of fishing and farming. In summer (which, in the Southern Hemisphere, is now), the population can swell to up to 4,000, as visitors retreat to holiday homes, B & B's, and a variety of quirky, self-contained lodgings that range from farmhouses to cottages. Yet Bruny is blissfully free of commercialism, despite being just 30 miles long.

I visited Bruny last October, in what is their early springtime. My plan was to take a little culinary tour of some of the Island's top food artisans and growers over the course of a weekend; top on my list was cheesemaker Nick Haddow of Bruny Island Cheese Co. Haddow has been described as one of Australia's preeminent cheesemakers, with no less a culinary authority than Anthony Bourdain proclaiming Haddow's Oen, a washed-rind cow's cheese, as "the best thing (I've) eaten in Australia." Haddow produces cheeses from local cow's milk and goat cheeses from milk purchased from a dairy in the Huron Valley on mainland Tasmania. Unfortunately, Haddow's cheeses aren't currently available for export due to his small scale production.

My visit coincided with the official opening of Haddow's new cheesery and Cellar Door. The impressive production facility is fused with an adorable retail space and 10-seat patio, off of which is a wood-burning oven for Haddow's breads and pizzas and for crisping the exterior of his exquisite, prosciutto-wrapped cow's milk cheese, Otto.

In true artisan fashion, Haddow was gearing up to begin making his own prosciutto from heritage breed pigs fattened on the leftover whey from his cheeses. The Cellar also features wine from Tasmania's Domaine A vineyard, house-made preserves and other condiments, and seasonal ice creams such as Quince Ripple, Leatherwood (an indigenous tree that is the source for outstanding honey) and Walnut, and wild Elderflower Sherbet.

After departing Bruny Island Cheese Co., I drove to Get Shucked (yes, really) Oyster Farm located on Great Bay. Get Shucked, one of a handful of aquaculture farms on Bruny, is open to the public and sells shucked oysters, as well as gloves and knives for do-it- yourselfers. Joe Bennett and his parents run the farm, growing Pacific oysters, a Japanese species that does well in the area's chilly waters.

As of this writing, Bennett was about to debut his first native Angasi oysters. The oysters are grown on a tray system in the bay year-round, and harvested when they are two to three years of age. The purity of the water makes for a sweeter flavor than that of most oysters, and the Bennetts export their harvest to Australia as well as supplying Tasmania's top restaurants, such as Hobart's Marque IV.

After sucking down oysters, it was time for a bit of wine tasting. I hit Bruny's only winery, Wayaree Estate in Lunawanna, which is also Tasmania's southernmost vineyard and a place that offers farm-stay accommodations. It's run by vintner Richard Woolley and his wife and winemaker, Bernise, who produce an unwooded Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir under the label "Bruny Island Premium Wines."

Departing Lunawanna, I headed for Bruny's dramatically beautiful Adventure Bay. It was here, in 1788, that Captain William Bligh of the ill-fated H.M.S. Bounty stopped to replenish his fresh water supplies. During his visit, Bligh's crew, including chief officer and future mutineer Fletcher Christian, planted the first fruit trees on the island; today Bruny is graced with wild apple orchards descended from those seedlings.

There, I headed for the community of Hiba (an Arabic word meaning "gift from heaven,"), the home of Bruny Island Fudge and Bruny Island Providore -- a specialty shop devoted to Tasmanian food products. Owner and former chef Michael Carnes has the rare distinction of being a seventh-generation Tasmanian, whose ancestors "came over in 1803 as convicts." Carnes handcrafts fudge, truffles and chocolate sauces made with Tasmanian cream and butter.