Wynyard

Wynyard, town, northern Tasmania, Australia, at the mouth of the River Inglis on Bass Strait. It is located about 40 miles (60 km) northwest of Devonport and just south of Table Cape, a high promontory on the coast that is a regional landmark.

Settled in 1841, it was gazetted a town in 1861 and named for Major General Edward Wynyard, who had served as commander in chief of British forces in Australasia around 1850. From 1907 the town was the centre of Table Cape Municipality. In 1945 the municipality was renamed Wynyard Municipality, and after 1993 it was part of the Waratah-Wynyard local government area.

Located on a rail line and the Bass Highway to Launceston (80 miles [130 km] southeast) and near major roads southwestward, Wynyard is a service centre for a dairy, timber-growing, and mixed farming district. It has a large milk-processing factory and a moderate fishing industry. Its airport offers flights within Tasmania and to mainland Australia. The town holds an annual tulip festival (October). Pop. (2006) urban centre, 4,812; Waratah-Wynyard local government area, 13,411; (2011) urban centre, 5,061; Waratah-Wynyard local government area, 13,708.