Burnie
Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, about 130km west of Launceston. The city faces Bass Strait and sits beneath the imposing Dial Range mountains. With a population of around 20,000, Burnie serves as a major regional centre for Tasmania’s north-west.
The Van Diemen’s Land Company established operations here in 1828. Early settlers named the settlement Emu Bay, and it functioned primarily as a port for the company’s inland farming operations. The town was renamed Burnie in 1866, after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen’s Land Company.
The discovery of tin at Mt Bischoff in 1871 transformed Burnie into a significant mining port. Paper manufacturing began in 1938 with the opening of Associated Pulp and Paper Mills (APPM). The paper mill shaped Burnie’s identity and economy for decades. Its closure in 2010 marked the end of an industrial era.
The Burnie Regional Museum provides insights into early colonial life. Its Federation Street recreation shows how the town looked in 1900. Original shop fronts and period items help visitors understand daily life in early Burnie. The museum holds significant Aboriginal artefacts and documents the region’s Indigenous history.
Nature enthusiasts can visit Burnie Park, which contains remnants of the original temperate rainforest. The park’s fern house displays native Tasmanian species. Between September and March, visitors can watch little penguins return to their foreshore colony at dusk. Qualified guides lead evening penguin-watching tours.
The Burnie Regional Art Gallery hosts changing exhibitions of contemporary and historical art. It holds a significant collection of Tasmanian prints and photographs. The gallery runs regular workshops and community events throughout the year.