stanley
One of the most magical and memorable places we stayed at! We thought that the penguin experience on Phillip Island was amazing, but this was something unforgettable.
This leg of the run was all about the penguins. As we left Devonport on route to Stanley, we drove along a coast road and stopped at Penguin for lunch. Here you can tick off another 'big thing' from your list. The big penguin of course! This quaint little town made for a lovely seaside stop for some toasties in the van followed by a peruse through the shops. Our warriors loved the train signals in the main street.
With full bellies, we hit the road again to finish the 1.5hr drive to Stanley. The drive into Stanley is stunning. You are mesmerised by the size of The Nut. We stayed at Big4 Stanley Holiday Park which was right on the water at Tatlows and at the base of The Nut. Once we checked-in, the receptionist informed us that there were people on the original site they had put us on as they extended their stay. She suggested that we drove around the caravan park and find a site that suited us and the size of our van. The park is quite tight for larger vans as it is predominately filled with cabins, but there are 50 powered sites. Once we laid our eyes on site 12, we instantly fell in love! Uninterrupted views of the water and it was quite generous in size. As it was located at the end of one of the park streets, it made for an easy reverse onto the site. Sites 13 - 22 have direct beach access but views are interrupted by shrubs, however it does create privacy from the public footpath behind the caravan park.
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Just outside of the park is a fuel station with some grocery supplies, otherwise everything in Stanley is only a short stroll from the caravan park. We didn't use the car the entire time we were there! The small fishing village has a nostalgic vibe. With every small town, you can find the necessities such as a chemist, general store, cafes, seafood restaurant, but also a lolly shop! We went to the Stanley Hotel Bistro for a yummy pub dinner overlooking the bay.
There are two main reasons why Stanley made our list and one of them was to visit Munatrik (The Nut). The origins of the name The Nut is speculated to be from the traditional Palawa Kani Aboriginal name 'munatrik' (moo-nut-re-ker) meaning circular head, or because in 1892 locals deemed it a 'hard nut to crack' when explosives were not successful in yielding rocks for the breakwall. The Nut Chairlift is a 5min ride to the summit and is opened September - June. You can purchased a return chairlift ticket for $50 for a family pass, or a single trip ticket for a family for $35. We decided to conquer the walk up the mountain which was a super steep footpath but only 450m long. Once you hit the summit, it's a 2km stunning loop walk named Plateau Circuit that gives you endless views over Stanley and Bass Strait. It is well worth the trek up!
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The other reason for visiting is for the penguins! As breeding season is September to March, we were unsure as to whether we would see any penguins as we were visiting early into their breeding season. After seeing a penguin print in the sand, we were hopeful! We sat and waited at dusk, patiently in anticipation at The Nut Reserve which is at the eastern end of the beach. After waiting almost an hour expecting to see penguins swimming into shore, it turned out that we were the ones being watched by the penguins! The colony of penguins climbed into sneaky holes in the breakwall! Once the sun goes down, that's when the magic happens! Plentiful penguins walk the public footpath behind the caravan park and nestle into their burrows in the shrubs. We had penguins walking through our site and into the caravan park! Our warriors sat for hours watching these curious creatures. We all fell asleep to the lapping sounds of the ocean and penguins calling to each other. The footpath is lit with sensitive red lights to protect the penguin's vision. Be sure to not use flash photography or lights.
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We absolutely loved our time in Stanley. It is a place that our warriors still speak of today! After two nights, it was time for us to head inland to Cradle Mountain.
Peace + love,
Peace + love,