Wynyard, Tasmania
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Wynyard ( /ˈwɪnjərd/) ''wi-nyuhd'') is a rural town located on the North West coast of
Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
, Australia. Wynyard is situated west of
Burnie Burnie ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Pataway'') is a port city located on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately north ...
. As of the 2021 census, Wynyard has an estimated population of 6,296. The town is a regional hub servicing the surrounding rural areas. The main council offices for the Waratah-Wynyard
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
are located in Wynyard. The Burnie Wynyard Airport provides commercial flights to
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
and other districts.


History

Three ex-convict Alexander brothers established a settlement, Alexandria, on the west, or Table Cape, side of the
Inglis River The Inglis River is a river in North West Tasmania, Australia, it extends approximately from the Campbell Ranges near Takone before discharging into Bass Strait at Wynyard, Tasmania, Wynyard. The Flowerdale River is the largest tributary, trib ...
in the 1850s. They bought large areas of farmland on
Table Cape Table Cape is an extinct volcano located near Wynyard, Tasmania, Wynyard on the North West Tasmania, North West of Tasmania, Australia, it is also the name of the locality which encompasses the geological feature. Table Cape is a more or less ci ...
and built several small ships for produce and timber trading. Shortly afterwards, a town was laid on the east side of the river. Originally called Table Cape, it lagged well behind Alexandria which had a church and several shops including a blacksmith and general store. After the Inglis River was bridged in 1861, Alexandria began to fade and Wynyard, with better wharfing, became the district's centre of commerce. Wynyard was probably renamed after Major-General
Edward Buckley Wynyard General Edward Buckley Wynyard (1788 – 24 November 1864) was a British Army officer. History He was born in Kensington Palace, London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city ...
in the early 1850s. Table Cape Post Office opened around 1856 and was renamed ''Wynyard'' in 1882. Wynyard handled more shipping than Burnie in the late nineteenth century and its population reached 500 by 1900. However, in the 20th century Burnie flourished and become the dominant regional and industrial hub for the region.


Demographics


Ancestry and immigration

As of the 2021 census, the most common ancestries were English 46.4%, Australian 45.1%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 8.9% and Australian Aboriginal 8.7%.


Religion

Residents reported religious affiliation as: no religion 50%, Anglican 12.7%, Catholic 12.5%, not stated 7.2% and Uniting Church 5.1%.


Community


Radio

Coast FM is a volunteer community radio station servicing the North-West coast of Tasmania, with the studio based in Wynyard.


Sports

The Wynyard Yacht Club was established in 1961 and is situated near the mouth of the Inglis River, the club has received national recognition for its inclusiveness programs. The Wynyard Cricket Club was admitted to the NWTCA competition for the 1952/53 season. The club has produced some outstanding players, and many state representatives.


Wonders of Wynyard

The Wonders of Wynyard visitor information centre hosts a substantial classic vintage cars collection which was donated to the Waratah-Wynyard Council by the collector and restorer, Francis Ransley.


Coastal pathway

The development of a coastal pathway will connect Wynyard and
Burnie Burnie ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Pataway'') is a port city located on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately north ...
to Latrobe as part of a state government and local government council initiative to upgrade infrastructure on the north-west coast of Tasmania.


Arts

A community art centre, Artscape, has been operated by a volunteer committee since 2007. The centre hosts community groups, exhibitions and provides a space in which the community can foster their own artistic events.


Infrastructure


Education

There are currently two government funded
public schools Public school may refer to: *Public school (government-funded), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging private schools in England and Wales *Great Public Schools, ...
in Wynyard, Table Cape Primary School and Wynyard High School. There is also a Catholic primary school, St Brigid's, adjacent to the Catholic church of the same name. Previously, Wynyard Primary School (located at Gibbons Street) and Inglis Primary School (located at Bowick Street) existed separately. Both were renamed to Table Cape Primary School in 1998. The two school
campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...
es were then merged in 2009, with the closing of the Bowick Street campus.


Geographical features


Freestone Cove

Freestone Cove is a small sheltered bay on the northern fringes of Wynyard, towards Table Cape.


Fossil Bluff

Fossil bluff is a small protrusion of sandstone cliffs rising about from the coastline at Freestone Cove. In the 19th century, it was the discovery site of Australia's oldest fossil marsupial, ''
Wynyardia bassiana Wynyardiidae is an extinct family of possum-like marsupials from the early Miocene of Wynyard in Tasmania, long been considered to display skeletal features that are intermediate between the primitive polyprotodont and the advanced diprotodont ...
'', an extinct possum-like animal from the early
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
(about 25 million years ago). Also recovered was an extinct genus of whale, ''
Prosqualodon ''Prosqualodon'' is an extinct genus of Early to Middle Miocene cetacean from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and Venezuela. Description ''Prosqualodon'' was related to and looked like modern toothed whales. It was about long and resembl ...
''.


Aboriginal fish traps

It is believed the Aboriginal Tommeginer clan built tidal fish traps with rocks at Freestone Cove, the rocks are still evident today and are protected under the ''Aboriginal Relics Act''. The Tommeginer tribe lived in the region along the coastline around Wynyard and Table Cape until soon after the arrival of Europeans in the 19th century. A considerable number of tidal fish traps have been found in the north and north-west of the state. This phenomenon is attributed to the mean
tidal range Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun, by Earth's rotation and by centrifugal force caused by Earth's prog ...
of two metres along this stretch of coastline, which is ideal for this type of construction. Whilst some of these traps were certainly built by Europeans, there is good reason to believe others were of Aboriginal construction, such as at Freestone Cove. Three other traps located at nearby Rocky Cape,
Sisters Beach Sisters Beach is a locality and small town located in the Waratah-Wynyard municipality of Tasmania within fifteen minutes of Wynyard, in Tasmania's North West. It is located within the Rocky Cape National Park and is situated on the old horse t ...
and Boat Harbour do not have established European origins, furthermore, all are located within the territory which was occupied by the Tommeginer tribe. Tidal fish traps must be located close to settlements or camps so that they can be monitored. Because as the tide ebbs, any fish caught in the shallows fall easy prey to scavenging seabirds. The Freestone Cove traps are located a considerable distance from the nearest early European settlement of Alexandria, but were close to known Aboriginal campsites and several
midden A midden is an old dump for domestic waste. It may consist of animal bones, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human oc ...
s have been located along the shoreline nearby.


Inglis River

Wynyard is located around the mouth of the
Inglis River The Inglis River is a river in North West Tasmania, Australia, it extends approximately from the Campbell Ranges near Takone before discharging into Bass Strait at Wynyard, Tasmania, Wynyard. The Flowerdale River is the largest tributary, trib ...
, which extends approximately 61 kilometres to the Campbell Ranges near Takone.


Table Cape

Table Cape Table Cape is an extinct volcano located near Wynyard, Tasmania, Wynyard on the North West Tasmania, North West of Tasmania, Australia, it is also the name of the locality which encompasses the geological feature. Table Cape is a more or less ci ...
is a volcanic plug located about north of Wynyard, the northern and eastern faces of the geological feature rise steeply from Bass Strait to a height of approximately 170 metres (560 ft) above sea level. The area is renowned for the annual flowering of tulips during spring and accompanying tulip festival. Situated on the edge of Table Cape is the heritage-listed Table Cape Lighthouse, which remains in operation today. The lighthouse stands about tall and has a maximum range of .


Climate

Wynyard has a
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
( Köppen: Cfb), with very mild, relatively dry summers and cool, rainy winters. Average maxima vary from in January and February to in July while average minima fluctuate between in February and in July. Mean average annual
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
is moderate: , but is frequent: spread between 179.5 precipitation days. The town is not very sunny, with 147.6 cloudy days and only 45.9 clear days per annum. Extreme temperatures have ranged from on 31 January 2009 to on 6 July 2024. Sunshine data was sourced from Elliott, a rural locality southeast of Wynyard.


Notable residents

* F. M. Alexander the creator of the
Alexander technique The Alexander technique, named after its developer Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869–1955), is an alternative therapy based on the idea that poor posture causes a range of health problems. The American National Center for Complementary a ...
was born on the northern bank of the Inglis River at a settlement called Alexandria, situated about three km upstream from the river mouth. He later moved to
Waratah Australia’s famous waratah (genus ''Telopea'') is an Australian-endemic genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees, native to the southeastern parts of Australia (New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, and Tasmania). The be ...
, Melbourne, London and New York to pursue acting and teaching. *
Carla Boyd Carla Boyd (born 31 October 1975) is an Australian former professional basketball player in the WNBA as a forward for the Detroit Shock. She won a bronze (1996) and a silver (2000) medal with the Australian Women's Team at the Summer ...
is a retired Australian women's basketball player who was born in Wynyard. Boyd Competed at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, and the 1998 World Championship, winning medals at all three events (1 silver and 2 bronze).


Gallery


References

{{authority control Localities of Waratah–Wynyard Council Towns in Tasmania