Explore Stanley

Stanley has plenty to offer, and its story is worth knowing before you arrive.

The town sits at the foot of The Nut, a striking 143 metre volcanic plug rising straight out of Bass Strait, the solidified core of a volcano formed millions of years ago. Long before European arrival, the area held deep significance for the local Aboriginal people, who knew The Nut as Munatrik. Visitors can reach the summit via the Zig Zag Track or the chairlift, then follow the circuit walk for sweeping views out to Rocky Cape, with a scallop pie from the café at the base a fitting way to finish.

Stanley’s origins as a town trace back to the Van Diemen’s Land Company, a wool growing venture established by London businessmen in 1824. Convict labourers and company personnel settled the area from 1826. Highfield House, built using convict labour from 1832, is regarded as the birthplace of European settlement in the north west. The property is now open to the public.

On Church Street, a modest cottage was the childhood home of Joseph Lyons, born in 1879, who rose from a difficult upbringing to become Premier of Tasmania and, in 1932, the first Tasmanian to serve as Prime Minister of Australia. The cottage now operates as a small museum. Nearby, the volunteer run Stanley Discovery Museum holds photographs and records dating back to the 1850s, and the town’s historic cemetery, set below The Nut, offers a quiet reflection of the hardships faced by Stanley’s early settlers.

Beyond its history, Stanley offers two beaches, e-bike and paddleboard hire, seal cruises, a nine hole golf course, and a stretch of boutiques and galleries along Church Street. Little penguins also come ashore here each evening between September and March, and can be watched, quietly and from a respectful distance, from the viewing platform at Godfreys Beach.