The Tasmanian town of Wynyard - population 5000 - is a sleepy place known mostly for its cheese factory and views of Bass Strait.

But in the final six months of the Gillard Labor government, Wynyard became one of the epicentres of Australian politics.

Trips to Tasmania: Former prime minister Julia Gillard disembarking an Air Force jet. Credit:David Mariuz

An investigation by Fairfax Media has revealed a virtual aviation highway operating between Canberra and Wynyard. Independent senator Nick Xenophon has dubbed the route the ''pork barrel shuttle''.

According to the most recent disclosure log of ''special purpose'' government flights, at least six Labor cabinet ministers and then prime minister Julia Gillard flew into Wynyard, which services nearby Burnie, on Royal Australian Air Force-operated aircraft.