Pennicott Wilderness Journeys
An Australian wilderness-tourism company operating coastal wildlife and nature cruises in southern Tasmania.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys is a Tasmania-based tourism company headquartered in Hobart and focused on small-boat wilderness and coastal sightseeing experiences. The business began in 1999 as Bruny Island Charters, founded by Robert Pennicott, and later developed into a broader tourism operation under the Pennicott Wilderness Journeys name. Its core activities are represented by two major cruise products: Bruny Island Cruises and Tasman Island Cruises. Bruny Island Cruises operates from Adventure Bay on South Bruny Island, approximately 40 kilometres from Hobart. The experience follows the coastline of South Bruny National Park and travels toward the meeting point of the Southern Ocean and the Tasman Sea. The route is positioned around Tasmania’s rugged coastal scenery, marine environments, sea cliffs and wildlife rather than conventional urban or resort tourism. Bruny Island is a relatively small community, and the company has been described as one of the island’s largest businesses, a significant local employer and an important contributor to the island economy. The second major operation, Tasman Island Cruises, opened in December 2007 at Port Arthur near the entrance to the Port Arthur Historic Site. Its route runs along the Tasman Peninsula between Pirates Bay at Eaglehawk Neck and Stewarts Bay at Port Arthur. The cruise showcases high sea cliffs, natural rock formations and the coastline around the Tasman Peninsula, including cliffs reported to exceed 300 metres in height. The launch expanded the company’s geographic reach beyond Bruny Island and strengthened its position as a specialist operator of nature-based attractions in southern Tasmania. Pennicott Wilderness Journeys has built its reputation through tourism awards and recognition for the quality and distinctiveness of its cruise experiences. In 2008, the business received Australian First Generation Family Business of the Year, Tasmanian Business of the Year and Australian Small Business of the Year recognition. Bruny Island Cruises was named Tasmania’s Best Tourist Attraction in 2006, 2008 and 2009, and was recognised as Australia’s Best Ecotourism Attraction in February 2010. Travel + Leisure included the Bruny Island experience among its 100 Greatest Trips of the World in its 2008 yearbook. Tasman Island Cruises was named Tasmania’s Best New Tourist Development in 2008. The company has also linked its commercial tourism activities with environmental stewardship. In 2007 it established the Tasmanian Coast Conservation Fund in partnership with WILDCARE Inc. The fund supports conservation projects in southern Tasmania. The company donated $40,000 in July 2008 and a further $25,000 contribution in the following year, according to the referenced account. Both Bruny Island Cruises and Tasman Island Cruises have been described as 100 percent carbon offset operations. By the 2009–10 season, the business was reported to have carried approximately 50,000 passengers, illustrating its scale within Tasmania’s tourism sector. In February 2010 it opened a new booking office on Hobart’s waterfront, representing a reported $400,000 investment and giving the company a more visible customer-access point in the state capital. Its overall positioning combines adventure travel, scenic cruising, ecotourism and regional economic participation, with the natural landscapes of southern Tasmania serving as the central product asset.
History
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys originated in 1999 when Robert Pennicott founded Bruny Island Charters in Tasmania. The original business was built around marine tourism at Bruny Island, a destination southeast of Hobart known for its national park coastline, ocean scenery and wildlife-oriented visitor experiences. Over time, the operation developed from a local charter business into a larger wilderness-tourism company serving visitors to southern Tasmania. The company’s first principal tourism product became Bruny Island Cruises. Departing from Adventure Bay on South Bruny Island, the cruise follows the coast of South Bruny National Park and continues toward the waters where the Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea meet. Its appeal is based on direct access to dramatic coastal scenery and marine environments. The cruise also became economically important to Bruny Island: the company was described as the island’s largest business and largest local employer, as well as a substantial contributor to the island economy. A major expansion occurred in December 2007 with the opening of Tasman Island Cruises at Port Arthur. The new operation extended the company’s activities to the Tasman Peninsula and established a second distinct route between Pirates Bay at Eaglehawk Neck and Stewarts Bay at Port Arthur. The journey presents tall sea cliffs, natural rock formations and the rugged coastline near the Port Arthur Historic Site. Its launch represented a move from a single-island charter operation toward a multi-attraction tourism company with a wider presence across southern Tasmania. The business received extensive recognition during the late 2000s. Bruny Island Cruises was named Tasmania’s Best Tourist Attraction in 2006, 2008 and 2009. It was also included by Travel + Leisure in its 2008 list of the 100 Greatest Trips of the World. Tasman Island Cruises received the award for Tasmania’s Best New Tourist Development in 2008. In the same year, the wider company was recognised with Australian First Generation Family Business of the Year, Tasmanian Business of the Year and Australian Small Business of the Year awards. These distinctions reinforced the company’s identity as both a family-founded enterprise and a leading Tasmanian tourism operator. Environmental conservation became an explicit part of the company’s activities in 2007, when it established the Tasmanian Coast Conservation Fund in partnership with WILDCARE Inc. The fund was intended to support conservation work in southern Tasmania. The company reported contributions of $40,000 in July 2008 and an additional $25,000 in the following year. Its Bruny Island and Tasman Island cruise operations were also described as fully carbon offset, aligning the commercial products with an ecotourism positioning. The company’s reported passenger volume reached approximately 50,000 during the 2009–10 season. In February 2010, it opened a new booking office on Hobart’s waterfront in a project reported to have cost $400,000. The office strengthened the company’s connection with Hobart, the principal gateway for many visitors to southern Tasmania. The available reference material documents the company primarily through its two cruise operations, conservation programme, awards and regional economic role. It does not provide detailed information about later ownership, management changes, financial results, fleet composition or expansion beyond the Bruny Island and Tasman Peninsula activities. Accordingly, the documented history is strongest for the company’s founding period and its growth through the first decade of operation.
- 2010
Hobart waterfront booking office opened
[1]A new booking office opened on Hobart’s waterfront in February, expanding the company’s customer-facing presence in the state capital.
- 2008
Major business and tourism awards received
[1]The company and its cruise operations received multiple Australian and Tasmanian business and tourism awards.
- 2007
Tasmanian Coast Conservation Fund established
[1]The company created the conservation fund in partnership with WILDCARE Inc. to support southern Tasmanian conservation projects.
- 2007
Tasman Island Cruises opened
[1]The company opened its Port Arthur-based Tasman Island Cruises operation in December, adding a second major coastal route.
- 2006
Bruny Island Cruises named Tasmania’s Best Tourist Attraction
[1]The Bruny Island cruise received the first of several cited awards as Tasmania’s Best Tourist Attraction.
- 1999
Business founded as Bruny Island Charters
[1]Robert Pennicott founded the tourism business that later became Pennicott Wilderness Journeys.
Products and positioning
A specialist Tasmanian nature-tourism operator offering scenic coastal cruises built around wilderness landscapes, marine environments, dramatic cliffs and regional ecotourism.
Wilderness coastal cruise · 1999
Bruny Island Cruises
A scenic coastal cruise departing from Adventure Bay on South Bruny Island. The route travels along the coastline of South Bruny National Park toward the waters where the Southern Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. The experience is centred on rugged shorelines, marine environments and the natural scenery of southeastern Tasmania. It became the company’s signature operation and an important tourism and employment enterprise on Bruny Island.
Wilderness coastal cruise · 2007
Tasman Island Cruises
A Port Arthur-based cruise along the Tasman Peninsula, running from Pirates Bay at Eaglehawk Neck to Stewarts Bay near Port Arthur. The journey showcases the peninsula’s high sea cliffs, distinctive rock formations and exposed coastline. The operation was introduced as a second major tourism product and broadened the company’s reach across southern Tasmania.
Brand decisions
2007
Expand from Bruny Island into the Tasman PeninsulaStrategyBackground
The company had established its original tourism business around Bruny Island and sought to develop a second major coastal attraction in southern Tasmania.
Action taken
It opened Tasman Island Cruises at Port Arthur in December 2007, creating a route along the Tasman Peninsula.
Aftermath
Tasman Island Cruises was named Tasmania’s Best New Tourist Development in 2008, according to the cited reference.
2007
Formalise conservation support through a dedicated fundStrategyBackground
The company operated nature-based tourism experiences in environmentally sensitive coastal areas of southern Tasmania.
Action taken
It established the Tasmanian Coast Conservation Fund with WILDCARE Inc. and later made documented contributions to the fund.
Aftermath
The fund supported conservation projects in southern Tasmania, while the company’s two cruise operations were described as fully carbon offset.
Sources1 sources
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