After a lovely stay
at Wynyard we pack up the rig and drive the astronomical distance of 50
kilometres to the small fishing village of Stanley. Towering over the town is the ‘The Nut’ – a 152
metre high volcanic plug of a long-extinct volcano.
 |
| The Nut |
We check into the
caravan park and after lunch take a walk along the foreshore into town.
 |
| Walking along the foreshore at Stanley towards The Nut |
Near the marina we
spot a seafood café.
 |
| Hursey Seafoods in Stanley |
It looks like a good
place to try for a dinner of fish and chips one night. We wander around the marina where crayfish
trawlers are coming and going. Then we
meander up the main road into town and check out the houses along the way. We stop to take a look at Lyons Cottage where
Joseph Lyons was born.
 |
| Lyons Cottage |
Joseph Lyons was the
only Tasmanian born Prime Minister of Australia and served from 1932 to 1939
when he died in office. The cottage has
been sympathetically restored and there are many photos and facts
displayed. The life of Joseph Lyons’
wife is also covered - a remarkable woman who went on to become the first woman
to be a parliamentary representative after her husband died. There are lots of
B & B’s and quaint cottages for tourists to stay in. Many of the cottages have a seafaring theme
: eg.
The Captain’s Cottage, The Ark, Lighthouse View etc. The village dates back to the early 1800’s
and the buildings in the main street are very interesting.
 |
| Main Street in Stanley |
We spend a
pleasurable afternoon strolling around before returning to the campground. In the morning we go for a drive into the
hinterland to Dip River Forest Reserve where we find the Big Tree.
 |
| Wok is getting ready to give this tree a really big hug! |
Timber getting was
and still is a major industry in Tasmania and forest plantations can be seen in
most areas. With a large chunk of
Tasmania given over to National Park many large trees have been saved from the
woodsman’s axe and in the inaccessible south west there are areas that remain
pristine. Not far from the Big Tree lies
a fallen comrade.
 |
| When a tree falls in the forest does anyone hear it fall? If anyone is around - then YEP - you would definitely have heard this tree fall! |
The main reason for
visiting the reserve is to see Dip Falls.
 |
| Dip Falls |
These falls are
unusual because of the hexagonal basalt columns which the tannin stained water
cascades over. It’s an impressive
sight. We continue our hinterland
journey along the ridges through dairy land with vast coastal vistas until we
finally emerge at Smithton where we stop for a late pub lunch. Then we follow the coast east back towards
Stanley and stop at Seven Mile Beach to have a look at a dead whale that had
been washed ashore the previous day.
 |
| Dead Whale on Seven Mile Beach |
The 15 metre long whale
was a few kilometres up the beach so we drove Mitzi along the beach for a closer
look. The whale was dead when it washed
ashore and some predators had already enjoyed a meal before it hit the
beach. As this was a remote beach ‘the
powers that be’ had decided to leave the whale alone and let nature take its
course. There were going to be some very
happy crabs and scavengers about for quite some time with that decision. We had decided that a fish and chips meal was
going to be a great way to round off the day so we headed down to Hursey
Seafoods only to discover that we had missed out on the take away by ten
minutes – it was just after 7 pm. Oh
well - back to the caravan for a bacon/eggs/toast dinner! Note
to self : Remember – you are in Tasmania!
The following day we
visited historic Highfield overlooking Stanley. |
| Highfield |
In 1824 the Van
Diemen’s Land Company was established in London. A group of influential merchants and
politicians formed the company in the hope of making a fortune from fine merino
wool. The company had been promised
useable land in Tasmania but Lieutenant-Governor Arthur was wary of the company
consolidating its assets and becoming a threat to his official authority. The company was offered less than perfect
land in the far north-west which was a considerable distance away from their
inland land grant at Hampshire and Surrey Hills. The wool enterprise failed – the sheep
succumbing to the extreme cold and rain. The land however proved to be very
suitable for agriculture once it had been cleared of its dense timber. The move from wool to land sales proved
successful and the company remains in business today – operating from its New
Zealand headquarters and from its property ‘Woolnorth’ at Cape Grim on the far
north-west point of Tasmania. Highfield
was built as a residence with the help of convict labour for the company’s
chief agent – the first chief agent being Edward Curr. The main house and many
of the outbuildings have been sympathetically restored and the history of the
home, its inhabitants and the colonizing of the north-west is told in
informative panels. The grounds have
lovely gardens and even a vegetable patch.
Not far from the main house is a chapel
 |
| The Chapel at Highfield |
and in a loft room
over the chapel is a schoolroom where the children were given their
lessons. Stables and barns adjoin the
animal enclosures and in a quiet enclosed garden lies the grave of Juliana –
the three year old daughter of the Currs who died when the family dog (that was
pulling a cart with Julianna in) chased some sheep in the next paddock causing
the little girl to hit her head on the wooden fence as he raced through.
 |
| Julianna's grave |
The convicts barracks
now lie in ruins and a few of the original outbuildings are gone but Highfield
is definitely worth a visit. We spend our last afternoon enjoying the sunshine
and strolling around the property. The
views of Stanley and The Nut from Highfield are just wonderful …
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