2 Geckos Travelling Australia: Mon, 23rd Feb, 2015 Cooee Point to Tall Timbers Hotel camp area, Smithton (Stanley & The Nut sightseeing)

Wind and rain all through the night making it a warm night. Woke up to a heavy sky. Packed up. My chest is feeling a bit congested, hope I didn’t pick up anything from that Doctor’s Surgery!! Gave the car and van a hose off before we left as the sea spray had coated them in salt.

Headed off towards to West Coast. The clouds then opened up and we drove through the rain to Rocky Cape. Lots to explore along here but as it is raining we will do them on the way back. Turned into the Tavern where there is free camping area behind. It was still drizzly rain but I could see sun in the distance so we decided to keep going to Smithton.

Past Port Latta where the iron ore slurry is piped to from Savage River, then turned into pellets and loaded onto the ships parked at the end of a very long jetty.

The rain has stopped near Stanley. Lots of farmland, dairy cows etc. Mainly flat land after we climbed a hill near Rocky Cape.

Into Smithton. Everyone had told us to stay at Tall Timbers. On my camping sheet from Burnie Council it said that Tall Timbers was on West Esplanade. I had a Smithton map and off we went. Unfortunately we didn’t find any Tall Timbers just a dump point. Saw some vans across the river but that was the boat ramp. Some people heard us discussing it on the CB and said they were staying there and would give us directions. Rick put it in his Navman and off we went. There are two entrances to Smithton off the highway. Tall Timbers Hotel is actually on the main road which bypasses the town. What a laugh. Found it eventually and it is a lovely grassy spot with a little creek running through it. Set up and had lunch. The Hotel also allows access to their laundry – big machines for $2 a load and the dryer $1 for 25 mins. Might do some washing on the way back!! They have other facilities like tennis, pool, spa, sauna etc for $14 a day.

Drove back into Smithton to get me some cold flu tablets as I am getting all chesty – must have picked something up from that Doctor’s surgery.

Up the hill to check out the Tier Hill Scenic Lookout. Lovely view over Duck Bay with Perkins Island on the left. Robbins Island is in the distance. Trees stopped us looking over the town. Smithton was the first European settlement in the far NW region, established as “Duck River” in the early 1800s. It is well known as the base for a successful fishing, oyster and abalone industry.

Looking back over the farmland.

Back out again to drive back to Stanley. It is a historic fishing village with lots of colonial buildings and lying at the end of a peninsula dominated by the striking ancient rocky outcrop called The Nut. This lava plug rises 152m with sheer cliffs on three sides and is connected to the mainland by a 7km isthmus. Zoomed in on The Nut as we head along the highway.

On the way in we stopped at the Lookout.

Of course more info boards to photograph and read. At 152 metres the Nut is an intriguing landform, the solidified lava lake of a long-extinct volcano.

Looking over Sawyer Bay back towards Rocky Cape.

Another shot as we got closer.

Drove around to the wharf area first. Looking up The Nut.

Drove up to the chairlift area. $15 return or $10 one way, so we went return!! Will get our exercise walking around the top.

Steve even agreed to the chairlift which is something. Maybe he checked out the angle of the walk up to the top. Though he was hanging on pretty tight!!

Swung around to get a photo of Leanne and Rick coming up behind us.

Further up – view over Sawyer Bay.

Then the other side over Godfreys Beach to the Historic Homestead of Highfield.

Nearly up the top.

Leanne & Rick arrive.

In a little room was some more information on the area, flora and fauna. Interesting one about the telephone line coming across Bass Strait from Apollo Bay in Victoria to Stanley in 1935.

Absolute fabulous views though the wind is fairly strong. Highfield Point.

Sawyer Bay and Tatlows Beach.

On the other side of the isthmus is West Inlet.

This flows into Perkins Bay.

Through the buttongrass following the track, hang onto your hat Rick.

Stanley Trig Point at 143 metres.

More great views looking West to East.

Zoomed in on the ship at the end of the Port Latta jetty loading up with Iron Ore.

Zoomed in on Rocky Cape then Wynyard behind that.

Lots of mutton bird holes everywhere.

Further around I took some photos of the isthmus (the narrow neck) with West and East Inlets feeding out into their bays.

Stopped at Fisherman’s Wharf Lookout. We wondered why the signs are back away from the lookouts but as we walked up the wind blew us backwards so maybe it is so the signs stay up!!

Looking down over the wharf, of course. The wind just hurtles up the face of the cliff. I took a video to capture the sound of the wind and how it was shaking the poor old fence.

Off the buttongrass plateau for a walk through lush trees.

Next was Tatlows Beach Lookout. First looking down to the old railway station and wharf area then across to the beach and then over Stanley township.

The wind was so strong here that Rick tried the Titanic look.

Last lookout is called Highfield Lookout which of course was looking at the historic homestead and Godfreys Beach.

Looking down on the cars.

We saw this rock from the carpark and hoped it wasn’t going to fall off. Looks stable to me.

Back down again.

Whee

Drove down to Godfreys Beach for a cuppa overlooking Bass Strait. A couple in wetsuits were enjoying a long swim along the beach. There was no wind on the water, just the roll of the swell.

Zoomed in on the Zig Zag track with the crazy people going up and down the track. So glad we spent the money for the ride up. Maybe it would be have been ok coming down.

After a cuppa and reading the cairn about the different explorers and their ships we drove up to check out Highfield. Top view from the top.

Remains of convict barracks that were built in 1834 and used in 1836. There were 41 convicts assigned to the VDL Company (Van Diemen’s Land) to help establish Highfield. A number which rose to 73 before convict transportation ceased to 1853.

Drove around the corner to the entrance to Highfield Historical Homestead. It was closed but we can still see heaps of it and the surrounding farm buildings. In 1825 the Van Diemen’s Land Company was granted land in the north-western Van Diemen’s Land, including the Stanley area. Employees of the company from England settled in the area in October 1826.

Great view across the front of the house to The Nut.

Back out the sea side of the estate. Another great shot of The Nut.

Glad they left a gap in the trees. Would give them a great view of the ocean.

A bit further around looking at another angle of the house.

Back into Stanley to check out the old buildings. A port opened in 1827 and the first school opened in 1841. The Post Office opened on 1 July 1845; it was known as Circular Head until 1882. In 1880 the first coach service between Stanley and Burnie was established.

This is the Stanley Hotel established 1847.

Found the self-guided info boards.

Lovely little home.

This is was the Harbour Masters cottage, circa 1880.

This one was the Captains cottage, circa 1835.

This is Lyons cottage, the home of Tasmania’s first Prime Minister. Steve was impressed with the fact that the timber boards were made into planks with an axe rather than a saw.