Launceston to Stanley Self Drive Tour

Self Drive Tour Itinerary from Launceston to Stanley Tasmania

The Self Drive Touring Itineraries in this section of Tasmania.com are designed to give you assistance in planning a great holiday in Tasmania. Finishing several hours travel away from the starting point, they are meant to move you from overnight stay to overnight stay as you explore Tassie.

The drives have been written by a local who has covered all the roads, enjoyed the sights and wants to show you the easy way to get around. It is about time and distance. It is about enjoying yourself.

>>> Interactive Drive Map of Launceston to Stanley

Things To See on the Self Drive Tour from Launceston to Stanley

Woolmers Estate, Brickendon, Longford, Hagley, Westbury, Pearn's Steam World, Deloraine, Elizabeth Town, Ashgrove Cheese Outlet, Latrobe, Devonport, The Don River Railway, Lactos Cheese Factory, Penguin, Burnie, Boat Harbour, Table Cape, Port Latta, Stanley, The Nut Stanley.

Launceston to Stanley Self Drive Tour Directions

From Launceston, take Hwy#1 Midland Highway south to Bredalbane, and instead of going to the Launceston Airport, stay on Hwy#1 Midlands Highway through Perth and continue on towards Hobart. Watch for the C520 Woolmers Lane on the right, and turn west and drive across the very attractive farmland to Woolmers Estate. As the road passes some woodland and then starts to curve down to the Macquarie River, watch for the turnoff to Woolmers Estate on the right.

Set high above the Macquarie River, Woolmers Estate was first established in the 1820's. The buildings have all been restored and the whole Estate gives a very good feel for the history, farming and lifestyle of the area. A feature is the fabulous Rose Garden with over 180 varieties of Old Roses, and the old trees and the hedges give Woolmers a very rural feel. Woolmers Estate, and its neighbour, Brickendon Estate, have both been inscribed into the Australian National Heritage List.

From Woolmers, turn right onto Woolmers Lane, follow it down across the bridge over the Macquarie River, and then into Longford. The fertile farming area around Longford was first settled as Norfolk Plains from 1807 onwards, but was renamed Longford in 1833 as the township grew up around the Longford Hotel, established in 1827.

Leaving Longford, turn left onto the B52 Illawarra Road and then turn left onto Hwy#1 Bass Highway. Watch for the turnoff to the right onto the B54 and after leaving Hwy#1, turn hard left onto the old road that is the main street of Hagley. The road runs back under Hwy#1, and then comes to Westbury. These old villages were established in the early 1800's and you can get a very good feel for the lifestyle of the area.

Pearn's Steam World, on the right as you drive through Westbury, is worth a visit by those interested in old steam driven machinery. This is widely regarded as the finest collection of steam driven machinery in the Southern Hemisphere.

The park on the left just before the road dips down across the river is an interesting stop. Rather than return to Hwy#1 Bass Highway, stay on the B54 Meander Valley Road as it winds its way into Deloraine. Cross the Meander River at Deloraine (stop at the Riverside Park for a few minutes?) and climb the hill through this rather pretty, historic township. Stay on the main street, Emu Bay Road, until it joins Hwy#1, the Bass Highway and continue on towards Devonport and Burnie.

After driving through Elizabeth Town, watch for the Ashgrove Cheese Shop on the left. A little commercial, but a good presentation of local produce if interested. The scenery in this part of Tasmania varies from open farmland with mountains on the horizon, to woodland and replanted forests that are commercial timber growing operations. It is an area of rolling hills, gentle valleys and pleasant scenery.

Stay on Hwy#1 Bass Highway past Latrobe and cross the Mersey River at Devonport. If wishing to stop and look around Devonport, take Formby Road off to the right and follow it through town and along the Mersey River to its mouth and some pleasant coastal scenery where it meets Bass Strait. Return to the Bass Highway and head for Burnie.

As you leave Devonport, watch for the turnoff lane to the right to Don, and the Don River Railway and Museum. If interested in railways and railway history, this working museum and railroad is well worth a visit.

Stay on Hwy#1 Bass Highway as it comes down to Bass Strait and then follows the coastline towards Burnie. At Ulverstone, leave the Bass Highway and drive through the township on Main Street, cross the river and then turn right to West Ulverstone and follow the Bass Strait frontage road (now called Penguin Road) along the shores of Bass Strait to Penguin. At Penguin, stay on the Old Bass Highway road as it winds along the coast before rejoining Hwy#1 Bass Highway at Sulphur Creek. This is a well worthwhile diversion from the more direct, but far less scenic Hwy#1 Bass Highway route that bypasses Penguin.

Hwy#1 Bass Highway will now follow the coast into Burnie. Stay on Hwy#1 through Burnie and out to Stanley. The countryside varies between farmland (note the colour of the earth out here - an incredible brown) and forests that stretch inland to the hills. As you come along the coast, you will see The Nut dominating the horizon to the right as the backdrop to Stanley. Turn off onto the B21 and follow it out to the Nut and the old whaling and fishing township of Stanley.

Find more information here on Stanley and Northwest Tasmania as a destination.

>>> Interactive Drive Map of Launceston to Stanley.

There is lots of good accommodation at Stanley. Check out the Stanley Accommodation Options.