ACTIVITIES STANLEY

Joseph Aloysius Lyons was born in this tiny cottage in Stanley in 1879. He was a teacher before joining the Workers' Political League and this led him into politics. By 1914 he was deputy leader of the Labor Party. In 1923 he was elected State Premier. The Party lost power in 1928 but Lyons headed to Canberra, where he held a number of offices before resigning from the ministry in 1931. Two months later, "Honest Joe" as he was known, was leader of a new movement - the United Australia Party - and within nine months he was Prime Minister. The school house where he taught for nine years has been restored by the National Trust. Home Hill, the home of Joe and Dame Enid Lyons, in Devonport, remains exactly as Dame Enid left it, and it is open to the public.

Mark Bishop, an internationally-renowned designer and furniture-maker works in the centre of Stanley. Working with rare Tasmanian timbers, Mark can be seen at the former Stanley Artworks Gallery. With many previous exhibitions held in Europe and America and as a former artist in residence at the Wood Turning Centre in Philadelphia, USA, Mark is well-known internationally and his commissioned furniture can be found all over the world. The workshop is open weekdays, throughout the year, or by appointment. Stanley is a 90 minutes drive west of Devonport (127 kilometres/79 miles) and an hour west of Burnie (78 kilometres/48 miles).

The historic village of Stanley, in far north-west Tasmania, is nestled at the base of The Nut, a sheer-sided bluff - all that remains of an ancient volcanic plug. A walking track climbs to the summit of The Nut, or you can take the chairlift, with its spectacular views across Bass Strait beaches and over the town.There is accommodation and an excellent campground in Stanley, and the town is a good base for exploring the forests and coastlines further west. See seals, penguins, sea birds and other wildlife close to Stanley local operators offer a range of observation tours. The town was once the administrative centre for the Van Diemen's Land Company, a royal charter company, formed in 1824 during the reign of George IV. Highfield House, an imposing Georgian home was once the VDL Managers' residence. It is open to the public and overlooks the town below. To reach Stanley, turn off the Bass Highway (A2) 15 km east of Smithton.

Highfield Historic Site offers a historically accurate vision of a gentleman's home and farm of the 1830s. It sits on a hillside overlooking the lands the manager would have once controlled, with views across to Stanley, the Nut and Bass Strait beyond. The house is being restored over time and its elegant Regency design, convict barracks, barns, stables, and a chapel were once surrounded by a large ornamental garden. Edward Curr, the chief agent of the Van Diemen's Land Company, started construction in 1832, and later additions were made by John Lee Archer, the colony's first important architect. Archer retired to live out his last days in Stanley and his grave can be found in the protected cemetary at the base of the Nut. The VDL settlement began in 1826 on 250,000 acres granted under Royal Charter by George IV. Today, the original farm has reduced and covers around five acres, which is open to visitors.