Picture perfect Stanley, Tasmania

This town is every bit as picturesque as you expect from the tourist brochures. Up in the north west corner of Tasmania, Stanley is on land granted to the Van Diemen's Land Company for farming in 1825. It's history is visible everywhere. So is the familiar landmark, The Nut, the rocky volcanic outcrop on the headland. A friend and his son kindly walked with us to the top, explaining the local places of interest as we went. In summer there is a chairlift. We got lucky with the cold-but-sunny winter weather on the days we visited last week, not the normal pattern for this time of year, we were told. Stanley boasts several excellent places to eat (had a couple of good meals at the pub, the old Stanley Hotel) and a wide variety of accommodation too. It must be a busy place in summer. It was wonderfully peaceful in winter. We finished our stay with a visit to Highfield House, a restored historic home perched on the headland opposite The Nut. So glad we finally made it to this beautiful part of the state.