Two short self-guided walks: an easy loop through the colonial town and working harbour, and the steep climb up the Nut — with honest timing, effort grades and local etiquette.
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Two short self-guided walks around Stanley: an easy loop through the old colonial town and down to the working harbour, and the steep climb up the Nut. You can do both on your own, for free, at your own pace. The times and effort grades below are honest — read them before you set off, especially for the Nut.
The chairlift closes in winter and in strong wind
Much of the town is quiet in winter
A flat, easy wander through Stanley's colonial streets and down to the fishing wharf and Godfreys Beach.
Godfreys is a penguin beach after dark — no white torches, no camera flash, and keep to the platform and the paths.
The small weatherboard cottage where Joseph Lyons was born on 15 September 1879. He became Premier of Tasmania and then, in 1932, Australia's 10th Prime Minister — the only person to have held both offices. His wife, Dame Enid Lyons, was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives.
The short, steep climb up Stanley's flat-topped headland, and the loop around the top for views right across Bass Strait.
The top is a nature reserve and part of the town's daily life — keep to the path and carry everything back down with you.
The Nut is a 143-metre basalt plug: the hard core of an old volcano, left standing after the softer cone wore away over millions of years. The walking track zig-zags straight up its side in about 20 minutes; the chairlift carries you up in a few.
Town Tools builds free, public tools for Stanley and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.
It opens as a free heritage cottage, but the hours are seasonal — check 'What's Open in Stanley' before you count on it.
Stanley has one of the best-preserved colonial townscapes in Tasmania. Most of these sandstone and weatherboard cottages went up in the 1800s, and the quiet century that followed left them standing rather than replaced.
These are people's homes. Enjoy them from the street and stay out of the gardens.
A pub since the 1840s and still trading as a hotel and bistro — one of the few places open right through the year.
A reliable stop for a meal in winter, when much else is closed.
One of the oldest bank buildings in Tasmania. The Bank of Van Diemen's Land, founded in 1823, was among the colony's first, and a branch reached this remote port early in the town's life.
Look for the older stonework along the older part of the street.
The port opened in 1827 and the wharf is still a working one — crayfish (rock lobster) boats tie up here, and Hursey Seafoods has run on this waterfront for generations. The seal cruise leaves from here too.
It's a workplace. Watch for vehicles and give the boats and crews room to work.
The calmer, south-facing beach at the foot of the Nut, and where little penguins come ashore at dusk from September to April. The viewing platform has soft red lighting and is reachable by wheelchair.
If you've come for the penguins, read the ground rules at the top first, and see 'Penguins Tonight' for tonight's arrival time.
Take water and a windproof layer. The track can be slippery when it's wet.
The flat top covers about 12 hectares, with a loop path around the rim. On a clear day you can see across Bass Strait to King Island, about 80 kilometres north, and south toward the Tarkine. Locals walk and run this loop as their daily exercise.
Stay on the track — it's a reserve, and the edges drop away sheer.