Bruny Island

Distinguished and Famous people from Bruny Island

Bruny Island's human history includes the enduring Country of the Nuenonne people and later visits by European ships. These are different relationships with the island: one a homeland, the other a series of recorded encounters.

📚 Truganini

Truganini was a Nuenonne woman born on Bruny Island around 1812. Her life was profoundly affected by violence, dispossession and forced relocation during the colonisation of Tasmania. She worked with George Augustus Robinson during the so-called Friendly Mission and was among those removed to Flinders Island. She later reconnected with Bruny Island and surrounding waters. After her death in 1876, her remains were taken and displayed despite her wishes; her ashes were finally scattered near Bruny a century later. She was not the last Tasmanian Aboriginal person, a false description that obscures the survival of Palawa people and culture.

⚓ William Bligh

William Bligh called at Adventure Bay in 1788 while commanding HMS Bounty and returned in 1792 with Providence and Assistant. The bay provided water and wood during these Pacific voyages. His link with Bruny is therefore that of a visiting navigator and expedition leader, rather than a settler or permanent resident. The Bligh Museum of Pacific Exploration at Adventure Bay preserves records of his visits alongside those of other navigators. These encounters form one part of the island's history, following thousands of years of Aboriginal occupation.