Stanley And The North West Guides Attractions Events in Tasmania

Boat Harbour village is a short drive from Wynyard in the north-west. If your idea of heaven is a quiet bay with white sands and clear water, Boat Harbour is the perfect retreat.
The area has two small population centres – the town, high above sea-level, and the beach community below, nestled between rocky headlands.
From the winding road that descends to the water, views of the harbour are captivating. Bass Strait stretches to the horizon, its clear water ideal for swimming and diving. Bring your board for the days when the surf’s up.
The area between Boat Harbour and Rocky Cape near Stanley is a national park of rock pools, wildflowers and bushwalks to Aboriginal caves in rugged cliffs. The Postman’s Track here was originally used to deliver telegrams to Sisters Beach – another great spot for swimming.
Rocky Cape was named by Bass and Flinders in 1798 but Boat Harbour was not settled until the 1830s, when it was used as a port to transport potatoes to Burnie and Devonport. Today there is no evidence of its working past to compete with its serenity, and it has been voted one of Australia’s top 10 beaches.
Boat Harbour experiences similar weather conditions to Wynyard. A gentle coastal breeze is common, but the beach is protected from wind by the surrounding cliffs.
The village is a 10-minute drive from Wynyard or a 30-kilometre (18.5-mile) drive west of Burnie. The beach is a further five minutes’ drive down the C232.

Burnie overlooks Emu Bay, on the north-west coast. This proudly industrial city is Australia’s fifth largest container port and a vibrant place to visit.
Burnie was once surrounded by dense rainforest, but this slowly disappeared as fortunes were made felling and milling timber. The paper and pulp mill on the city’s outskirts operated from 1938 to 1998.
Today, Burnie has a population of almost 19,000. You can visit the Burnie Park and animal reserve, or Australia’s biggest eucalypt tree farm. The Pioneer Village Museum will provide you with a detailed account of the city’s history, while at Lactos Cheese Factory you can treat your palate to fine wine and the 2006 World’s Best Camembert.
One of the town’s most distinctive attractions is the Creative Paper Mill, which features the work of local and visiting artists, including roo poo hand-made paper and wonderful life-size paper sculptures. You can even get your hands wet making your own paper.
Test your stamina in Australia’s premier 10-kilometre (six-mile) road race, the Burnie Ten, held every October for runners and walkers of all calibres. Burnie is close to the Fernglade Platypus Sanctuary and Guide Falls, and approximately 90 minutes’ drive from Cradle Mountain.
Burnie was first explored by Bass and Flinders and was known as Emu Bay when it was settled by the Van Diemen’s Land Company in 1827.
Burnie experiences temperate conditions, with an average maximum of 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit) in January and 13.5 degrees Celsius (56.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in June.
The city is 30 minutes’ drive west of Devonport or 152 kilometres (94.5 miles) north-west of Launceston on the A1.

Corinna is a tiny historic mining town set in rainforest on the banks of the majestic Pieman River in Tasmania’s west.
You reach the town from a number of directions. The C249 Highway north from Zeehan is unsealed and when you reach the Pieman River you take the Fatman barge, which ferries vehicles across the River. It is the only cable driven vehicular barge in Tasmania. The barge operates in daylight hours all year round. You can reach Corinna from Waratah on the B23 linking to the unsealed C247 or from Marrawah on the unsealed C249 Highway.
Corinna sits at the southern end of the Tarkine protected area, the largest temperate rainforest in Australia, and is the northern most point where the famous Huon pine grows. The surrounding ancient unbroken tract of rainforest reveals a world beyond human memory and is a living link with the ancient super continent Gondwana.
The town is 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Strahan, 70 kilometres (43 miles) west of Cradle Mountain and 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the wild west coast.
Today, you can stay at Corinna – a wilderness experience, in one of the restored miners’ cottage and take a guided tour on the Pieman River out to the Southern Ocean.
Corinna, was once called Royenrine, and is the Aboriginal name for a young Tasmanian tiger. In the rip roaring days of the 1880s goldrush, Corinna had two hotels.
In 1883, the largest nugget of gold ever discovered in Tasmania (7.5 kilos) was found at Rocky River, a small tributary of the Whyte River (a tributary of the Pieman) near Corinna. It aroused considerable excitement and attracted many men from other Tasmanian goldfields.
The town rapidly declined from 1900 when the Emu Bay railway to Zeehan opened, and today it is a peaceful place to stay to explore the Tarkine forests and the history of the west coast.
Remember you are on the west coast of Tasmania, which receives the winds of the Roaring Forties, so no matter when you visit be prepared with warm clothes and raingear.

A surfer’s idea of heaven when the waves are pumping, Marrawah is on Tasmania's remote and rugged far northwest coast. The town is the most westerly settlement on the island. There are plenty of amazing coastal walks, good fishing spots and opportunities to find highly-prized abalone shellfish on the rocks.

The rugged interior of Tasmania and a coastline lashed by the Southern Ocean meets nature of a gentler kind, at the northern end of the World Heritage Area. From the jagged mountains and wild beaches of the west coast to the iconic Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, and rolling northwest pastures that make it one of Australia’s prime dairying areas, this region is full of surprises. Seaside towns give way to two cities, Burnie and Devonport (port of the Spirit of Tasmania ships that connect Tasmania to Melbourne and Sydney). Highlights include ancient rainforests, wild rivers, wildlife, world-class cheeses, and the planet's cleanest air - measured officially at the Cape Grim baseline station.

From the Spirit of Tasmania’s berth at Devonport to the rugged north-west corner of our island is a region of pretty villages, historic buildings, rocky shores, caves and fertile farmland. Life here is simple and sustaining – hosts are welcoming, meals are generous and the cares of the 21st century seem a lifetime away.
Close to Devonport itself are the picturesque beaches of Port Sorell and the historic town of Latrobe, famous for its chocolates and platypuses.
The backdrop to the main part of your journey, however, is the Great Western Tiers, known to the Aboriginal people as Kooparoona Niara. Behind this enormous escarpment sits the protected World Heritage Area of mountains and valleys, lakes and forests. Beneath the surface are extensive limestone caves in the Mole Creek Karst National Park.
Mount Roland looms magnificently over fertile pastures around Sheffield, known as the town of murals, You can discover the history of the Kentish district from the murals themselves, or in local museums, but there are also many galleries and studies to browse in.
Along the coast, Penguin and Ulverstone have a seductive beachside charm, and even the industrial port of Burnie has transformed itself into a creative centre. Look for Creative Paper, Lactos Cheese factory and tasting centre, and then top it off with a visit to Hellyers Road Distillery to try its superb single-malt whiskey.
Follow the coast westward, beside Bass Strait: massive bluffs nudge out into the sea - Table Cape, just beyond Wynyard, flat-topped and fertile, with flowering tulips carpeting its fields in spring and Circular Head, where the historic village of Stanley sits leeside of the steep-sided Nut.
Overlooking Stanley is Highfield Historic Site, built in 1832 for the Van Diemen's Land Company's chief agent. Continue west to Smithton, centre for the region’s productive agricultural and thriving forestry operations.
From Smithton, the highway begins its last leap westward to Arthur River and the legendary surfing beaches of Marrawah. On the far north-west tip is the historic property of Woolnorth and land’s end is Cape Grim, where sea air, tested as the world's cleanest, sweeps in on the winds of the Roaring Forties.

Stanley is the second largest settlement west of Wynyard on the northern coast. It is part of the Circular Head Municipality. Smithton is the main business area of this Municipality. Stanley’s iconic ‘Nut’, a volcanic plug rising 150 metres (492 feet), likened to an enormous Christmas cake by explorers Bass and Flinders.
Stanley has a population of 450. Its main industries are fishing and tourism.
For an aerobic workout Stanley-style – or to walk off the town’s speciality (fish and chips) – you can climb a winding path to the windblown plateau of the Nut. Alternatively, take the chairlift to appreciate the uninterrupted views of Bass Strait.
This is a great place for guided tours. The Tarkine Wilderness Area, to the south, has gained international recognition for its temperate rainforest, and you can travel there by four-wheel-drive with guides who know the area intimately.
Closer to Stanley, brave Highfield Historic Site to learn how the area’s first European settlers lived. Historic tours are also offered through Stanley’s streets, lined with stone cottages dating back to the town’s settlement.
Stanley is a good base to stay and explore the wilderness areas and take a wildlife tour.
Seal-spotting cruises and penguin watching at the foot of the Nut are a must. There are bushwalks in nearby Rocky Cape National Park. Tours of Woolnorth are popular – the historic property, still operated under its original Van Diemen’s Land Company charter, also has modern influences, including a large, productive wind farm.
Stanley was discovered by Bass and Flinders in 1798 and was named after the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Stanley.
The first telephone transmission from Tasmania to mainland Australia was made in 1936 from Stanley. The town was also the birthplace of Joseph Lyons, currently the only Tasmanian to ever hold the office of prime minister.
Stanley has an average maximum temperature of 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) in January and 12.5 degrees Celsius (54.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in June.
Stanley is an hour’s drive west of Burnie on the A2. Head for the Nut – you can see it long before you reach the town.

From Burnie, with its industrial heritage and busy port, the Bass Highway follows the coast westward, almost always within sight of Bass Strait. Massive bluffs nudge out into the sea: Table Cape, just beyond Wynyard , flat-topped and fertile, with flowering tulips carpeting its fields in spring; Rocky Cape, with its native orchids, bushwalks and sea cliffs; and Circular Head, where the historic village of Stanley sits leeside of the steep-sided Nut.
At Boat Harbour and Sisters Beach, green fields sweep down to the water.
Overlooking Stanley, is Highfield Historic Site, built in 1832 for the Van Diemen’s Land Company’s chief agent. Continue west to Smithton, centre for the region’s productive agricultural and thriving forestry operations.
From Smithton, the highway begins its last leap westward to Marrawah. Here the last Tasmanian tiger was captured in the wild - it happened long ago, but there have been many intriguing reports of sightings in the same area. On the far north-west tip is the historic property of Woolnorth. Land’s end is Cape Grim, where sea air, tested as the world’s cleanest, sweeps in on the winds of the Roaring Forties.
Southwards from Marrawah - is the entrance of Arthur River and the Tarkine Wilderness Area, where a river cruise takes you to see sea eagles or the elusive Azure kingfisher. At the Edge of the World, if you kept travelling west you would reach South America.
At fishing settlements of Couta Rocks and Temma the sea can rage - fishermen winch their boats out of the water on slips rather than risk them on moorings. The Western Explorer route through the Arthur-Pieman Protected Area penetrates the Tarkine forest wilderness and crosses the lower reaches of the Pieman by vehicular barge on its way to the west coast.

Waratah sits on the edge of the Tarkine Reserve in north-west Tasmania 40 minutes' drive south of Burnie and 50 minutes from Burnie/Wynyard Airport.
The town with its magnificent waterfall - in the main street - was once the richest tin mine in the world. Today, Waratah offers visitors a rare insight into an original mining town. The town remained isolated from the rest of Tasmania until 1963 when a connecting road was finally completed.
On December 4, 1871, a prospector, James ‘Philosopher’ Smith, discovered tin at Mount Bischoff. His discovery triggered a mining boom and the birth of Tasmanian mining.
When the mine closed in 1935 it had produced 81,000 tonnes of tin and provided a dividend equal to £200 for every £1 initially invested. At its peak the town, which now has only a few hundred residents, had a population in excess of 5,000.
While you can no longer visit the Mount Bischoff mine you can visit the Kenworthy Stamper Mill a working historical artefact and the last mining operation to be conducted on Mount Bischoff. The Stamper was relocated from Dead Mans Gully to a purpose-built facility in the centre of town.
You can also visit the Courthouse Museum with its collection of local historical artefacts, photos and personal stories. A replica of 'Philosopher' Smith's Hut sits next to the Museum, demonstrating the conditions of miners during those early days.
Visitors can picnic by the waterfall or enjoy the views from the comfort of the café, take a stroll around the lake and look out for platypus, or try your hand at fishing for trout.
Every Australia Day the town holds the Annual Australia Day Duck Races and a reunion for the former Luina, Waratah and Savage River residents.
Waratah is a good base for exploring the Tarkine, and you can choose from bed and breakfast, caravan and camping ground and hotel accommodation.
Waratah's weather is subject to the prevailing west coast weather patterns and its lush rainforests are fed by the Roaring Forties winds and rain. Make sure you bring a jacket and all-weather gear.

Wynyard is a centre of agriculture on the A2 about 60 kilometres (37 miles) west of Devonport. The city is on the banks of the Inglis River sheltered by Table Cape - flat-topped and fertile and during spring it is carpeted in tulips.
Take a boat out, go fishing, ride a horse, swing a golf club or a tennis racquet, or just go walking or driving. This is a beautiful stretch of coast, with beaches and bays in either direction.
The Wonders of Wynyard is the local visitor centre with a world class collection of vintage Ford cars and local art.
Behind the town you’ll pass village after tiny village as you explore the country roads among the farmlands, patchworked in green, gold and dark chocolaty brown.
Wynyard has a direct link to Melbourne from Burnie Airport. You can fly to King and Three Hummock islands from Wynyard.