If you are visiting Tasmania and want a great day out where you can enjoy the local wildlife then consider the Stanley Seal Cruise. The boat will take you along the coast to Bull Rock, a little rocky island about 500m off shore from the historic Highfield House. Bull Rock is a small eroded remnant of columnar basalt. The rock is used as a haul-out by the Australian Fur Seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) and the occasional New Zealand Fur Seal (Arctocephalus forsteri). Personally, I've never seen a New Zealand Fur Seal. One was pointed out to me once but I could not see it among all the others.
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The skipper gets in nice and close and cuts the engine where possible. The seals do not seem at all disturbed with some even coming right up close to the boat. At a guess I’d say there are often two to three hundred seals on the rock. The short video below, which I made back in January, will give you an idea what the local scenery is like and how close you get to the seals.
Although not a breeding site, younger, inexperienced seals, occasionally attempt to rear their young on the rock and on one occasion we spotted two pups. Here's one of them in the next photo.
Australian Fur Seal Pup
A large bull on Bull Rock
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