7:44 PM Thu 19 Feb 2009 GMT
 | | 'BWA Vessel - Bruny Wildlife Adventure'
Joe Shemesh
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Tasmania's new Bruny Wildlife Adventure expedition is not for the faint-hearted. It takes visitors to the stunningly remote and rugged southern coastline of Bruny Island, where wildlife frolic in the way they have for centuries. Looking out from here you see the expanse of the Great Southern Ocean, and the last land mass expeditioners pass on their way to Antarctica.
So it is not difficult to imagine the challenge Bruny Wildlife Adventure's product development team faced when designing boats for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. They needed to be tough, powerful, open-air to allow 360-degree viewing and easily manoeuvrable into rocky bays on the coastline.
But at the same time Bruny Wildlife Adventure demanded their customers be treated to uncompromised levels of safety, and of course, the utmost comfort - under-floor heating, plush 'elevated' seating to maximise sight-seeing, quality restrooms and even the ability to walk off the boat and onto a beach without getting your feet wet!
It was a challenge heartily embraced by Woody Marine in Brisbane, an Australian company that leads the industry in the construction of Rigid Inflatable Boats, or RIBs. Woody Marine have adapted their existing design used only twice before, fitting the two new 14 metre eco-vessels Adventure and Wildthing II out to achieve the highest levels of guest comfort, viewing amenity, safety, speed and excitement. Adventure and Wildthing II are truly world-first vessels.
 | RIBS Speeding away - Bruny Wildlife Adventure - Joe Shemesh |
RIBs are renowned for their stability and comfort in any weather and Adventure and Wildthing II are powered by four 350HP V8 Yamaha engines producing 1400HP of true ocean expedition power. The 4-Stroke Yamaha outboard engines are designed to be ultra-quiet allowing for up close and personal interactions with wildlife in wild places. The new vessels are only the third and fourth hulls in the world to be equipped with a V8 Yamaha quad engine set-up, another Woody Marine first.
Adventure and Wildthing II are true expedition craft, fast and comfortable and designed to take you into the wilderness where the 360-degree viewing will allow you to see all manner of wildlife on the water and in the air. In another Australian first, the RIBs have been fitted with a Remote Operated Underwater Vehicle equipped with a video camera.
The skipper and guide deploy the ROV into the clear waters surrounding Bruny Island, beaming back intimate live footage of wildlife such as seals cavorting under water, rock lobsters hiding under crevasses and sea anemones' gardens.
 | Experience Adventure TTAS Bruny Wildlife Adventure - Joe Shemesh |
The expedition vessels are purpose-built to take you deep into the coastal wilderness, but the guest's creature comforts have not been overlooked. Luxury features include ducted floor heating throughout the RIB, spaciously and beautifully appointed guest restroom and a choice between Expedition and Premium Expedition seating.
The Star Wars-inspired glass nose cone keeps the wind chill at bay without compromising viewing opportunities. The RIBs have been fitted with a reinforced keel system that allows the skippers to land the boats onto remote beaches, not spoiled by man-made development, and the nose cone opens up so guests can walk straight onto the beach.
In another first, the vessels have been fitted with military-grade FLIR thermal imaging cameras. The cameras are mounted on the canopy and beam picture-perfect images back to the skipper of what lies ahead on the even the darkest nights, allowing the boats to be used at all times.
For bookings visit www.brunywildlifeadventure.comor phone 1300 137 919
by Paula Catchpole
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
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Double Is Pt, QLD
