12 kms of easy walking track along the banks of the Inglis River is maintained by the Council. The walkway can be accessed from many points in Wynyard and provides scenic vistas of local native flora and fauna. A branch of the track can also lead you to Fossil Bluff.
Full walk runs from Gutteridge Gardens to Inglis River Bridge, Bass Highway
Distance: Approx 5.5 km one way (or full loop return walk approximately 12 km). The walk can be commenced or exited at several places (Jenner Street, Gibbons Street, Hales Street, York Street or Gutteridge Gardens car park). The walk can be done in its entirety – or in small sections. The first section is described below.
Gutteridge Gardens to Cape Bridge (2 km return)
This easy walk commences from Gutteridge Gardens and passes by many areas planted with Australian native plants. Across the river you can see the Wynyard Golf Links the site of the first settlement in Wynyard where John King took up land in 1841.
Leaving the Gardens you will see the Showground and the original Cenotaph, a memorial to those who fought in the 1st and 2nd World Wars. A little further on is the Wynyard Cemetery, containing the tombstones of some of Wynyard’s pioneers such as the Quiggin, Moore and Stutterd families. (Quiggin and Moore built the first Saw Mill in Wynyard in the 1850’s and Stutterd built the first store).
From the Cemetery cross Jenner Street and take the path, along the Inglis River to the Cape Bridge where you will pass by teh Cape Bridge Reserve – a pleasant rest area. Along the track there are many splendid Eucalypts, and Melaleuca thickets and the birdlife includes Green Rosellas, Honeyeaters in the tree tops, superb Blue Wrens, Brown Thornbills, and Grey Fantails in the lower scrubby places.
A boardwalk crosses over a swampy area, where at low tide you can see thousands of crabs scurrying around. On the tidal flats you’ll probably see several pairs of White Faced Heron, Pacific and Silver Gulls. Overhead, Sea Eagles or Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos can sometimes be seen.