The historic town of Stanley is home to a number of tourist attractions along its remote but striking coastline.

Located in the far north-west of Tasmania the town has undergone a number of transformations since it was first established as an administrative centre for the Van Diemen's Land Company – a group of London merchants specialising in wool.

In recent years however, it is the area's natural beauty and a sheer-sided bluff known as The Nut rather than business nous that has caught the eye of would-be residents and visitors to the north-west.

The Nut is thought to be the remains of an ancient volcanic plug – the lava neck of a volcano – that was once active in the region. One thinks, if this was the central core, it must have been one heck of a great little volcano.

Walks to the top of The Nut cater to a range of ability levels and are a great way to explore another dimension of the whole area, but if your knees are hinting at being troublesome, you might want to take the chairlift to the top so that you don't risk missing out on seeing spectacular views across Bass Strait.

Stanley has another side to it other than history. There is fascinating local flora and fauna to get to know: seals, penguins, sea birds and many other native animals call this less populated part of Tasmania home. And it is base for a small fishing fleet which in season brings all manner of bounty to shore. You’ve seen the photos of fish being sold from the trawlers – this is where it happens!