The early history of Bruny Island

The Southern part of Tasmania came in for a considerable amount of attention in the early days, mainly owing to the fact that the existence of Bass Straits was not known, and all vessels coming from the westward had to weather the South-West Cape in order to reach the East Coast of the Continent and the seas beyond. Nearly all the navigators of whom we have record, however, left some trace of their visit by naming the prominent features of the locality wherein they stayed. In the present instance it is desired to place on record a few facts that have been compiled in relation to Bruny Island and its early explorers. In doing so it must be remembered that the records will be merely those of whom we have knowledge. While they were undoubtedly the chief ones, it is well to recall that there were probably many ships that set forth to explore the Southern seas, but which never returned. Includes notes on the nomenclature of Bruny Island