Three ex-convict Alexander brothers established a settlement, Alexandria, on the west, or Table Cape, side of the Inglis River in the 1850s.

They bought large areas of farmland on Table Cape and built several small ships for produce and timber trading.

Originally called Table Cape, it lagged well behind Alexandria which had a church and several shops including a blacksmith and general store.

[3][4] After the Inglis River was bridged in 1861, Alexandria began to fade and Wynyard, with better wharfing, became the district's centre of commerce.

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.

Fossil bluff is a small protrusion of sandstone cliffs rising about 30 metres (98 ft) from the coastline at Freestone Cove.

In the 19th century, it was the discovery site of Australia's oldest fossil marsupial, Wynyardia bassiana, an extinct possum-like animal from the early Miocene (about 25 million years ago).

[18] Wynyard is located around the mouth of the Inglis River, which extends approximately 61 kilometres to the Campbell Ranges near Takone.

[19] Table Cape is a volcanic plug located about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) 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.

[22][23] Wynyard has a oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), with very mild, relatively dry summers and cool, rainy winters.