The Burnie Inn (late 1840s)

Burnie
Substantial centre on the island's north coast
Located 152 km northwest of Launceston on the Bass Highway, Burnie is characterised by delightful wooden houses which cling to the hills and overlook the bay.

Like most of the north coast of Tasmania the area around Burnie was first explored by Europeans when Bass and Flinders circumnavigated Van Diemen's Land in 1798. As they passed the Burnie area they named Round Hill Point and noticed a 'peak like a volcano'. Bass and Flinders did not land on the coast and it was left to a party from the Van Diemen's Land Company to climb the 'peak like a volcano' on 14 February 1827 and name it, appropriately, St Valentine's Peak. The party, led by Henry Hellyer, reported that the area was agriculturally rich which resulted in Edward Curr applying for a series of grants which totalled over 100 000 acres. The land was densely timbered and this, combined with high rainfall, made it virtually useless for agriculture. This, however, did not stop the development of the district.

Later in 1827 a small settlement was established at Blackman's Point (it was named because of a large Aboriginal midden which was found in the area) at the western end of Emu Bay - near the present city centre. This settlement was established by Henry Hellyer who built a blacksmith's shop, a few cottages and a large store which measured approximately 20 m by 7 m and was used as the base for all the Van Diemen's Land Company operations in the district.

From the earliest days of the settlement Emu Bay (as Burnie was known) was a timber port. The timbers of the hinterland were felled and a sawmill was established near the port. Timber was exported across Bass Strait to Melbourne, to the new settlement at Adelaide and to Launceston along the coast. It was used for everything from roof shingles to road paving, from house building to ship building.

By 1842 the settlement, although still tiny, was opened up with land being surveyed and sold to settlers. The town was named after William Burnie who was the director of the Van Diemen's Land Company at the time.

It was around this time that the Burnie Inn (now located in the beautiful Burnie Park) was built to cater for the growing population. The inn gained its license in 1847 and is now the oldest standing building in the city.

The town grew slowly in the 1850s and 1860s. By 1863 there were still only 50 permanent residents. The discovery of tin at Mount Bischoff in 1871 did much to encourage the growth of the area. In 1878 the Van Diemen's Land Company, who were still dominating the economy of the town, built a tramway from the tin mine to the coast. It was a remarkable timber construction stretching over 75 km and using horses to pull the tin laden carriages.

Tin ensured the continued growth of the town. By the late 1880s the railway had been converted to steam locomotives and the port facilities had been greatly expanded. In the 1890s a railway was built through the difficult terrain between Zeehan and Burnie. Thus Burnie became the major port for the shipping of silver from Tasmania. And by 1901, when the railway arrived from Launceston, the town's population had grown to over 1500.

The combination of these factors - a port for both mining and rural products and a service centre for the surrounding area - ensured the continuing development of the town. By the 1930s the town's population was over 6 000. The construction of the Associated Pulp and Paper Mills in 1937 was instrumental in the town's population growing to 10 000 by 1941. In 1948 Australian Titan Products (now known as Tioxide Australia Pty Ltd) began operation. The town continued to grow. The port was expanded, the paper mill grew larger, container facilities were built. Burnie is now established as one of Tasmania's most important ports.

Things to see:  

Burnie Park
Burnie Park with its lawns, shady walkways, animal enclosures and Burnie Inn is one of the prettiest parks in Tasmania. The city is justifiably proud of the park and there is an interesting brochure Burnie Park and Tree Guide (available at the Information Centre in the Park) which details some of the more interesting trees as well as providing information about the old Burnie Inn. The park's animal reserve, with its ducks, swans, peacocks, emus, wallabies and rabbits, is an ideal stopover point for children.

The Blacksmiths Shop in the Pioneer Village Museum

Pioneer Village Museum
The Pioneer Village Museum is located between Wilmot and Jones Streets adjacent to the Burnie Civic Centre. This unique recreation of an old town is sensibly located in a large building and has an extensive number of authentic recreations of shops which would have been commonplace on the northwest coast of Tasmania around the turn of the century. There is a dentist's surgery with a fearful range of old equipment including a foot operated drill, a cottage sitting room, a kitchen with the usual array of antiquated cooking utensils, an old wash house with a cast iron copper and galvanised iron tubs, a carpenter's shop with examples of the art of joinery as well as good displays of tools, an old butter factory, the Wellington Times Printery, a general store and Post Office, a saddler and bootmaker, a blacksmith's and wheelwright's shop and a chemist's shop which has an excellent display of early equipment and medicines.

These buildings are merely facsimiles. The city's most elegant building is the superb Burnie Police Station (1907) in Wilson Street. A magnificent two storey brick Edwardian house with a huge verandah and magnificent ironwork it was originally built as a family residence and surgery for a dentist with the unusual name of Loucadou-Wells.

Axe men try their hands at a competition in front of the Associated Pulp and Paper Mills at Burnie

The Timber Industry
Today Burnie is a substantial city (it became a city in 1988) which is driven by its port and by the surrounding timber industry. The huge Associated Pulp and Paper Mills produce much of Australia's writing, printing and special wrapping papers. It is possible to visit the paper mill. Enquiries should be made to (03) 6431 1222.

Bushwalks and Waterfalls
Behind the town are a number of waterfalls and interesting bushwalks. The most accessible falls are the Guide Falls which are clearly marked beyond the township of Ridgley which lies south of Burnie.

	Tourist Information
	Tas Travel & Information Centre Civic Square Precinct off Little Alexander St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6434 6111
	Motels
	Emu Motel 12-14 Main Rd Wivenhoe Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 2466 Rating: ***
	Murchison Lodge Motor Inn 3 Bass Hwy Somerset Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6435 1106 Rating: ***
	Ocean View Motel 253 Bass Hwy Cooee Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 1925 Rating: ***
	Voyager Motor Inn 9 North Tce Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 4866 Rating: ****
	Weller¹s Inn 36 Queen St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 1088 Facsimile: (03) 6431 1088 Rating: ****
	Hotels
	Bay View Hotel 10 Marine Tce Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 2711
	Beach Hotel 1 Wilson St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 2333
	Burnie Town House 139 Wilson St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 445 Facsimile: (03) 6431 1026 Rating: ***
	Club Hotel 22 Mount St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 2244
	Greens Hotel 27 Marine Tce Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 1922
	Hillside Motor Inn Menai St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 3222 Rating: **
	Seabrook Hotel/Motel Bass Hwy Somerset Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6435 1209 Rating: ***
	Somerset Pub 25 Wragg St Somerset Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6435 2346 Rating: ***
	Top of the Town Hotel/Motel 195 Mount St Upper Burnie Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 4444 Facsimile: (03) 6431 4529 Rating: ****
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Bairds Bed & Breakfast 22 Cunningham St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 9212
	Jacob's Creek Bed & Breakfast Challis St Somerset Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6435 2350
	Glen Osborne House Bed & Breakfast 9 Aileen Cres. Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 9866 Rating: ****
	Apartments
	Apartments Down Town 52 Alexander St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6432 3219 Rating: ****
	The Duck House Apt 26 Queen St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 1712
	Wellers Inn Apts 36 Queen St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 1088 Rating: ***
	Holiday Homes & Units
	West Beach Villas 43A North Tce Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 5708 Rating: ***
	Cottages & Cabins
	Hide-Away Cottage Retreat 500 Ridgley Hwy Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6435 7330
	Caravan Parks
	Somerset Cabin & Caravan Park Bass Hwy Somerset Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6435 2322 Rating: ***
	Treasure Island Caravan Park 253 Bass Hwy Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 1925 Rating: ***1/2
	Backpackers
	Treasure Island Caravan Park 253 Bass Hwy Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 1925
	Restaurants
	Burnleigh Restaurant 8 Alexander St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 3947 or 0412 032 721
	Emu Motel 12-14 Main Rd Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 2466
	Fortuna Garden Chinese Restaurant Wilson St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 9035
	Glo-Pots Restaurant Wilson St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 4455
	Golden Palace Chinese Restaurant Terrylands St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 8133
	Hillside Motor Inn 20 Edwardes St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 3222
	Kadies Kitchen Wilson St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 5926
	Kineses Health Eatery Mount St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 5963
	Mallee Grill North Tce Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 1933
	Mandarin Palace Restaurant 63 Wilson St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 7878
	Moods Restaurant 139 Wilson St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 4455
	Murchison Lodge Motor Inn 3 Bass Hwy Somerset Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6435 1106
	Napoli Restaurant Wilson St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 4433
	Poppet's Coffee Lounge City Square Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 3616
	Raindrops Restaurant 9 North Tce Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 4866
	Rialto Gallery Restaurant 46 Wilmot Rd Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 7718
	Roses on the Park Historic Burnie Inn Bass Hwy Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 9463
	Sacha's Coffee Lounge Shop 1 Mount St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 9091
	Seabrook Hotel/Motel Bass Hwy Somerset Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6435 1209
	Shelleys Coffee Shoppe K Mart Complex Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 9148
	Sheridans Bar & Restaurant Wilmot St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 9795
	Somerset Pub 25 Wragg St Somerset Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6435 2346
	Top of the Town Hotel Motel 195 Mount St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 4444
	Weller Seafood Restaurant Queen St Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 1088
	Cafés
	The Terrace Licensed Cafe Voyager Motor Inn 9 North Tce Burnie TAS 7320 Telephone: (03) 6431 4866