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Wynyard accommodation, restaurants, history, things to do

Wynyard was originally named Table Cape by Bass and Flinders and then, on first settlement, the area was referred to as Ramsay.

A certain Mr. King had a farm on the Inglis River by 1843 and the Alexander Brothers took up land nearby shortly afterwards. The Inglis River was named by Captain Henry Hellyer, a surveyor for the Van Diemen's Land Company who explored the coastline in 1827.

The new town site was named Wynyard about 1850 by surveyor Peter Lette after General Edward Wynyard (1788 – 1864) who was Commander of all troops in New South Wales, Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand from 1847 to 1853. He visited Tasmania in 1850 and 1851.

The town grew rapidly. A store, a wharf and a timber mill were built in quick succession. They were followed by a hotel, a blacksmith's store and a tramway. The gold rush in Victoria saw demand for local timber boom. For the next 50 years Wynyard was the most important port on Tasmania's north-west coast. The area was cleared of timber. Dairy and potato farmers (later onion farmers) quickly realised the richness and fertility of the soils.

In 1892 Wynyard saw the opening of Tasmania's first butter factory, the Table Cape Butter and Bacon Factory, and has continually produced export butter, and later cheese, under the Table Cape brand.By 1900 the town had a population of 800.

In 1913 the railway reached Wynyard and by 1936 it had its own airport. These days it is host to the Burnie Airport. (Some visitors still find it strange that the Burnie Airport is in Wynyard, but, hey, that’s Tasmania!) It is possible to get amazing views up and down the coast from Table Cape Lookout which is perched above the ocean. The cape is actually a volcanic plug which rises to about 190 metres above sea level.

The Table Cape Light Station is part of a network of navigational aids and the lighthouse was established in 1888. The last lighthouse keeper was withdrawn in 1923 and the cottages were demolished in 1926.

The original source was an oil wick lamp which was converted to acetylene operation and in 1979 converted to mains electric power. It can be seen from 16 nautical miles on the red range and 19 nautical miles on the white range. It is elevated 190 metres above sea level and the tower height is 25 metres.

The Wynyard Tulip Festival is an event staged in September and October annually. The festival is one of the town's greatest attractions to tourists, whether from Tasmania itself or from the mainland. The views from the Table Cape lighthouse back over the tulip fields are an amazing rainbow of vivid colour. In the 2006 Census, the population was estimated at 4812.