Classified an historic town, Stanley has a busy fishing port at the base of an unusual land formation called The Nut - a flat-topped rock outcrop 150 metres high. Take the chairlift or the walking track to the top for panoramic views. Historic Highfield House, built in 1835 with wooden shutters to deter marauding bushrangers, was headquarters for the giant Van Diemen's Land Company, which once controlled 200,000 hectares (half a million acres) of land in north west Tasmania. The area's natural beauty and wildlife inspires local artists and craftspeople, with their work on display in local galleries and studios.