Stanley is a small historical town set on a peninsular on the north west of Tasmania. The township is nestled around the base of the Nut which is a 143 m high buff. The shops in the main street look like they are out of a movie set for an old western.
After driving around the country lanes on the headland opposite the Nut looking for a nice spot for sunset we settled on a reverse sunset over the Nut from Highfield House.
Looking at my sun direction app I was hoping to get a shot of the sun setting over the water but we couldn’t get anywhere close to the water on that side of the headland. I am glad we didn’t because The Nut made a beautiful backdrop and the clouds were fantastic. I was worried because the wind was blowing them away but luckily it was blowing in new ones to replace them just as quickly.
We had a good look around on the headland driving down some gravel and dirt roads but we couldn’t get close to the water on the west side. We did, however, find some very quaint buildings that reminded me of an English village.
The history is rich in Tasmania and the cruelty of the English to the convicts is evident everywhere. Here on the northern coast of Tasmania on a headland stand the ruins of a convict barracks. They would have been cramped and bitterly cold and subject to howling winds. Not to mention the inhumane punishments convicts faced daily. This building housed up to 73 convicts in the mid 1800’s.
Braving the cold and the wind we were rewarded for our efforts when the clouds caught a bit of reflected light giving us a pretty reverse sunset over The Nut and Tatlows Beach at Stanley as well as a pretty glimpse of the sunset over the back of Highfield house and grounds.
We were not the only people up on the headland chasing a sunset that evening. There was another photographer who was a fair bit younger and more agile than me. He tried out our spot but was not happy with it. He ended up climbing over a fence, running across a paddock and down onto a ledge to get a view of the Nut from a more front on perspective. I would love to see his shots and compare the view.
Looking towards where he was set up there was a nice view of the moon rising over the ocean.
We spent the night at the pub in Stanley in a nice en-suite room complete with double doors leading to a large balcony. Dinner in the restaurant downstairs was a treat. I had an amazing homemade pink ling and leak pie. The place was busy for such a small town with plenty of locals and visitors enjoying the meals and friendly service.
After a good night’s sleep we had a quick breakfast in our room. Making do with tiny mugs as bowls before heading to the Nut.
Rain and wind delayed our walk up the Nut. When the rain stopped we made up for lost time by catching the chair lift to the top.
It was cold and windy but worth braving the weather for the walk around the track at the top of the Nut. There were Tasmanian pademelon (like a small wallaby) that are found in bushy areas. Their name comes from the Dharuk word badimaliyan. They are the smallest of the macropods. These guys were super cute and while shy not afraid as we walked nearby. They would have few predators high on the bluff.
The 2km walk was not too challenging and the reported 45mins was generous allowing plenty of time for taking in the view as you went. We took about 30 mins taking our time to check out the wildlife and the views. Be warned there are some hills and plenty of stairs along the track. The views are worth the trip up and not to be missed on a visit to Stanley.
Stanley was worth the trip to the top of Tasmania for the magnificent views.
Next stop Strahan….
My blog photos are a mix of iphone snaps and edited shots from my Nikon D500.