Stanley and The Nut

The Nut is one of the better known bluffs dotted along Tasmania's north coast. The steep sides of the 143m high extinct volcano are quite dawnting when you are standing at it's foot. There are two ways to reach the flat top.

1. The easy way. Take the chairlift.

2. The hard way. Walk up the steep zig-zag trail.

Stubbornly, we opted for the hard way. I'm going to say that the challenge of the climb was the driving factor. The reality was probably more finacial.

Fortunately, the reward for effort is significant. The unobstructed views from the circuit trail around the rim of the knoll are breathtaking.

There werre plenty of things to see as we made our way around the circuit.

We encountered abundant wildlife including a blue tounged lizard and a family of show-off fairy wrens.

Just as we were admiring the last of the spectacular scenery before decending into Stanley, one more creature decided to impress us with a flying display.

This Autralian Kestrel was hovering completely still in the face of a considerable breeze.

Truth be told, we found decending the steep zig-zag trail more difficult than the climb.

We didn't stop in Stanley itself. There wasn't much of a draw and we had lots still to do.

We did make one stop at the lookout point on the top of the hill that overlooks Stanley before moving on to our next attraction.