Day 18 – Cradle Mountain to Stanley

Another really cold night, but we had the heater up a little more than the previous night and I use the remote to bump it up a bit more before getting out of bed.

We’re up a little earlier to get on the road by 9.  

We take the main highway that heads to Burnie.  There not much along this road, but plantation forests.  Closer into Burnie there’s a bit more farming and the like.

We stop in Wynyard for lunch and to do a bit of shopping.  A really nice town.  We do a run up to Table Cape lookout, which is pretty impressive.   The water is just so calm today.  A boat sails by 40 or 50mts below us, and it’s so calm, Justine can hear them talking on the boat.  There is a lighthouse on the next headland, but we’ve had our fill of lighthouses for the time being

We pull in the van park in Stanley around 1.  It’s OK, but for a location right on the beach, you can’t see the beach for the trees.  There is a RV camp up by the golf course, but this looked further away, and didn’t seem to have views either.  In hindsight, I probably would’ve chosen the RV park.

After setting up, I take a short walk out to the beach path.  The water is so clear.

We decide to do “The Nut” today, rather than wait for tomorrow.  The weather is fantastic, and maybe we can do a drive or fit something else in tomorrow.

We get the chairlift up on a one-way ticket, we figure we can walk down.  Up top, we start the 45min loop.  The view up here is sensational.  I was expecting it to be a bit windier, but it’s so calm.  Bringing the jacket may not have been the best idea.

On the return, the path leads through a small forest, we see a couple of pademelons in here feeding.  Neither Justine or I can recall this section from when we were here last time.

Finally, the walk down, and boy is it steep.  It would have 30° angle or more.  Liam races ahead.  Caitlin in the middle with Justine and I following up.  Just near the bottom Caitlin starts running and just about comes a cropper, actually a really good save by her in the end, but it gives her a hell of a shock (and Justine too).

So out of all this, I get conned into buying ice creams for them…. Something doesn’t seem right with that?

A drive back through town and out to the jetty we saw from the top of the Nut.   A great vista back, and from here you can really see the rock edges.   A quick photo of StanleyFish!

Here is a bit of a story.  20 years ago, here in Stanley, we were going out for dinner, but the restaurant was busy. They asked if we could come back in an hour.  So, we figure we’ll go to the pub and have a drink or two then come back.  We walk into the pub and it’s pretty quiet with what seem to be just a few locals drinking at the bar.  Like a few places, we may has well have been carrying neon “Tourist” signs on us. Anyway, the guys have a chat and ask us what we’re doing in Tassie, when we explain to them that we’re on our honeymoon, and we’d chosen to come to Tassie and on this night in Stanley the guys seem really proud of their state and town.   After a bit more of a chat, one of the guys asked if we like to see the Lobster fishery?  What the hell why not! (Why not, is because this bloke is half cut and drives us to the fishery!, halfway there Justine and I look at each other thinking if we’re just about to die!).  Anyway, we arrive in one piece. The guy, who’s apparently is the manager, unlocks the place and shows us all these pens with hundreds of live lobsters and crabs.  At the end he opens this fridge and gives Justine a full cooked lobster tail.  Back to the pub, we say our thanks and goodbyes and continue on to have a fabulous dinner.  Justine grabs a spare dinner roll and ends up having a beautiful Lobster Roll for breakfast the next morning.  Ever since Stanley has been a memorable place for us.

We’ve booked in for dinner tonight at the pub.  We’re not sure what will be open tomorrow, being Anzac Day, but we’re pretty sure the Pub will be the last place we want to be tomorrow.

Back to the van, the kids pike out and go inside, Justine and I take a walk by the beach, only there is no beach now, at high tide the water is right up to the rocks.  So far up that we spot a Ray swimming by just near the rock wall.

A bit of blogging and reading.

We start to walk up to the pub, a guy stops us, and let us know there is a penguin on the beach front, sure enough this little guy is hiding in the rocks.

We arrive at the right time and enter the Bistro.  Boy is it packed, and guess what?  Our table isn’t ready! “You can wait in the Bar!”  we’re told.  The place has had a bit of a face lift since we were here last, but it’s still so recognisable.

The dining room, is like a oven, it’s so hot.  Justine has one of her best seafood chowders, which Liam has now decided he likes, that kid is starting to get expensive tastes.   The rest of the meals are OK.   Then the short walk back.

We thought about going to the Dawn service, but that’s over the other side of town at Godfrey’s Beach.  The 9am service is in the middle of town.  We’ll try and get to that one.