Wynyard is a beautiful and accessible town on Tasmania's northwest coast. You'll find it just 17 kilometers west of Burnie along the absolutely stunning Bass Highway. This town serves as a pitstop for those exploring the rugged beauty of Tasmania's northern coast and is also a hub for the nearby rural areas. 
With a healthy population, Wynyard has its own airport that can take you to Melbourne on Australia's mainland. You'll also find the mouth of the beautiful and dangerous Inglis River in this coastal town. Image credit: Wynyard-Sunset
Hire a car in Devonport and head West about 60 kilometers to get to this beautiful seaside town. You'll drive along the Bass Highway next to the rail tracks. In the space between the highway and the tracks, you'll find plenty of manicured gardens that are almost as beautiful as the coastal views.
You can also take advantage of the Wynyard-Burnie Airport. Flights run between this airport and the mainland city of Melbourne. You can also drive the 165 kilometers from Launceston to the east, or the 344 kilometers from Hobart to the south.
A Town of Tulips
Follow the roaring Inglis River to where it pours out into the Bass Strait and you'll find this lovely little town known for its tulips. It is quite a popular destination for a holiday as it boasts a stunning landscape, local swimming beaches, Bass Street fishing, water sports and coastal walks.
In town, you'll find interesting nicknacks in plenty of secondhand shops. The local cafés serve up great coffees and you can always take advantage of the Wynyard Foreshore Market. Taking place on the first and third Sunday of every month, this market sells local wares to a tourist population.
Off in the distance, you'll be able to see Table Cape. This colorful plateau rises out of the sea and creates a breathtaking backdrop for this northern coast holiday town. And if you walk toward that plateau you'll run into Freestone Cove, a small sheltered bay. There you'll find massive sandstone cliffs known as Fossil Bluffs. Take a walk down the beach and you might find a fossil that is 25 million years old. Image Credit:Â Kevin O'Daly
Wynyard is a seemingly a practical town that serves as a hub for the rural areas beyond, but it also has its share of quirks. This robust coastal town hosts a classic car show every year.
Head on down to the Wynyard Yacht Club at the mouth of the Inglis River to partake in some sport. Established back in 1961, this sports club has been nationally recognized for its inclusiveness. Don't be afraid to rock up and say you'd like to partake as everyone is welcome.
Wynyard also has its own volunteer radio station called Coast FM. The studio is based in town and provides some of the most original radio programmings in the country. Image Credit:Â Tourism Tasmania and Rob Burnett
Bass Highway Travellers, Fisherman, Golfers and Nature Lovers
Wynyard sits right on the Bass Highway and is a major pit stop for those travelling along the coast. Bass Highway travelers love the town for its incredible infrastructure and friendly citizens. But the natural surrounds of this important northwest coastal hub often inspires them to stay a bit longer.
The Bass Strait offers up some of the best fishing in the country. Charter a deep-sea fishing boat, hire a boat for an afternoon of fishing or just drop in a line; Wynyard's fish are always plentiful.
Golfers flock to Wynyard for its coastal course. The Wynyard Golf Club is just south of Fossil Bluff and sits on its own Peninsula at the mouth of the Inglis River. The roaring river, the deep blue Bass Strait and the towering Bluffs give this golf course an incredibly rugged feel.
 
Wynyard is known for its jaw-dropping fields of tulips, and you'll see plenty of gardens along the Bass Highway coming into town. The town also boasts an abundance of coastal walks as well as the Table Cape off in the distance. Image credit:Â Tourism Tasmania & Tony Crehan
You'll find a handful of hotels and bed and breakfasts just south of the Inglis River along the coast. You'll also find a few caravan parks for those driving the Bass Highway just to the north and south of town along the ocean.
Table Cape is just 4 kilometers north of town and is a stunning geological feature. This volcanic plug rises straight out of the water towering 170 meters above sea level. And tulips bloom in spring all around this incredibly colorful plateau. The plug serves as a geological warning feature for ships in the area and is capped by the Table Cape Lighthouse which is still in operation today. The lighthouse stands another 25 meters above the plug and can be seen for 16 nautical miles on a clear day.
Fossil Bluff Conservation Area is just north of town. Sandstone cliffs rise 30 meters above the beach and erosion of the cliffs exposes more and more fossils. If you happen to pick up a unique shell on the beach, you might just be holding 1 million-year-old fossil. 
Head on down to the Wonders of Wynyard Exhibition and Information Center to check out 14 beautifully restored Ford vehicles. This is a one-man collection and features a rare 1903 Model A Ford which is the vehicle that launched an empire.
The Doctors Rocks Conservation Area is on the Bass Highway just east of town. Carefully head down to the water in this rocky area to see if you can find flecks of gold floating in the surf. A gold reef just off the coast gives off flecks that washup on this beautiful basalt outcropping. You'll also be able to experience tremendous sunsets over the Bass Strait from this golden shoreline.
Experience the Created from Chaos roadside geological trail. This trail takes you 60 kilometers up the shoreline and through all 13 of Tasmania's northwestern coast's unique geological features. Image credit:Â Tourism Tasmania & N.R. Goldsmith
Wynyard features a local café, restaurant and bar, and Chinese food restaurant. There are also a few recognizable fast food restaurants just south of the Inglis River near the water.
A surveyor from the Van Diemen's Land Company discovered and named the Inglis River in 1827. But first settlements did not arrive until 1841. Unfortunately, the original settler, John King, drowned trying to traverse the roaring Inglis River.
The mainland Victoria gold rush in 1850 sparked a demand for timber. Wynyard was happy to supply that demand and became one of Tasmania's most important ports. Its fertile soil was able to create large timbers and the cleared land was used to farm potatoes and onions. Railway reached Wynyard in 1913, and by 1936, the town had its own airport.
Wynyard has wonderfully mild temperatures all year round. It never gets too hot nor too cold. But you can always expect rain and the rain has an inverse relationship with the temperature. As the temperature goes down in the winter, rainfall rises.
The Table Cape Tulip Farm is an incredibly beautiful place to visit between September and October of every year. The flowers are in bloom and create stunning colours across the coast.
Download the Backyards Walks of Waratah-Wynyard and check out some of the best nature walks the northwest coast of Tasmania has to offer. Image credit:Â Tourism Australia & Graham Freeman
Head inland from Wynyard to experience some of Tasmania's most stunning farmlands. You'll be able to pick up some fresh produce while sampling some of Tasmania's best artisanal foodstuffs.
