Photo: nidelv·CC BY 3.0· Wikimedia Commons
Islands / Færder / Østre Bustein
Østre Bustein lies in the Busteinane group in the southern archipelago, singled out as important for plant life and insect fauna, and part of Færder national park.
Østre Bustein is the eastern of the Busteinane islets, in the south of the Færder archipelago. The sound between Østre and Vestre Bustein forms a sheltered bay, one of the good anchorages out here. Feskjær lies close by. South of here is the outer edge towards open sea.
Færder national park; check Naturbase for access restrictions. The boundaries and the rules are in Naturbase, and they are worth checking before you land anywhere outside the marked areas.
Own boat or kayak.
No scheduled boat comes here. You will have to find the nearest public quay yourself, and the rest is your own boat or a kayak. Check the wind and wave forecast before you set out; the open stretches in the outer fjord turn unpleasant in a fresh breeze.
Østre Bustein is among the islands singled out for plant life and insect fauna in the archipelago, and it lies within Færder national park, established on 23 August 2013. The islets were shaped by the ice sheet: rounded granite and gneiss, with vegetation in the crevices and shore meadows. No permanent settlement is known; this is bare rock and skerry rather than a farming island.
Østre Bustein is used for outdoor recreation: swimming, fishing and nights aboard your own boat. The bay between the two Bustein islets fills with pleasure craft on fine summer days.
You get here by your own boat or kayak. Anchor and moor in the sound between Østre and Vestre Bustein. The island lies in Færder national park (2013), and the usual conservation rules apply: no open fires, take your rubbish with you, spare the vegetation. Several islets in the park are seabird reserves closed to traffic from 15 April to 15 July, so check the national nature database (Naturbase) for whether the Busteinane are covered before you go ashore. This is law, not a matter of judgement.
The rounded rock is glacially scoured, shaped as the ice sheet withdrew around 12,000 years ago.
The sound between the two Bustein islets is a natural harbour: open enough to get in, narrow enough to lie sheltered.
Oslo Sea Experience passes Østre Bustein on its private fjord trips from Tjuvholmen.
The Norwegian version notes which facts were taken from each source: Østre Bustein på norsk.