Burnie

[Burnie is the fourth largest city in Tasmania, Australia, with a population around 20,000. It is located on the North West Coast of Tasmania.

West Beach

Once renowned as a single-industry town with scant concern for the environment, Burnie has undergone a significant transformation into an attractive coastal city with a diverse economy. Burnie retains an industrial deep-water port, but also enjoys the luxury of several attractive north-facing beaches upon which pleasant and functional public spaces have been and are being developed. Burnie is a good tourist location as it is fairly close to many great attractions, like the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, the Stanley Nut, the Mole Creek Karst National Park, and the Rocky Cape National Park.

Get in

By plane

Regional Express flies to Burnie Airport from Melbourne up to 6 times a day. Burnie Airport is located in the nearby town of Wynyard. Rental cars are available at the airport, as are taxis and a shuttle bus to Burnie.

By car

Burnie is located on the Bass Highway, which is part of the National Highway No 1. The highway is of a high standard with 4 lanes between Burnie and Devonport and varies between 2 and 4 lanes between Devonport, Launceston and Hobart. It will take around 40 minutes to drive to/from Devonport to Burnie, around 2 hours to drive to/from Launceston and around 4 hours to drive to/from Hobart.

Get around

Metro Tasmania operates scheduled bus services in the Burnie area, as well as services to Wynyard, Somerset, Penguin and Ulverstone. Timetables are available from Metrotas website Fares are around $8 for a single one way trip, per person.

See

Tasmanian native hen at the Romaine Reserve, Burnie

• Visitor Information Centre, 2 Bass Highway, Parklands (At the Makers' Workshop, see below). 
• Little Penguin Observation Centre, Parsonage Point (along the foreshore boardwalk), ☎ [phone]. Guides are present around sunset from September to March. Free. 
• Fernglade - few minutes drive east of the city, a ferny environment with picnic facilities, great for a BBQ and a walk along the banks of the Emu River.
• Makers' Workshop, West Park, Bass Highway, ☎ [phone]. Open 7 days a week from 9AM-5PM Mon to Fri and 9AM-4PM Sat and Sun. Tour times 9:30AM, 10AM, 10:30AM, 11AM, 11:30AM, 1PM, 1:30PM, 2PM, 2:30PM, 3:30PM. Includes Creative Paper Tasmania: a team of talented staff make beautiful handmade paper and paper gifts, with traditional, age old methods, including using roo droppings! Entry to the Makers Workshop is free. Creative Paper Tour prices $15 Adult, $8 Child, $12 Concession, $40 Family. 
• Burnie Regional Museum, Civic Centre Precinct, Little Alexander Street, ☎ [phone]. Open daily Monday to Friday from 10AM-4:30PM. Formerly the Pioneer Village Museum, it contains an indoor street interpreting the environment of the period 1890-1910 when Burnie was at the height of its first economic boom. It also has free temporary exhibitions. $6.50 adults, Concession $5.00, Children $2.50. 
• Burnie Regional Art Gallery, 77 – 79 Wilmot Street Burnie, ☎ [phone]. 10am – 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Located in the basement of the Arts and Function centre, the Art Gallery has three galleries featuring temporary exhibitions. Free. 
• Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden, 55 Breffny Road, Romaine (Turn left at Cascade Rd., 6 km south of Burnie on B18 and follow signs), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Daily 9AM–5PM (closed Christmas Day and Good Friday). 13 hectares of gardens, featuring 23,000 rhododendrons and other plants. Peak flowering Sept–Nov. Tea rooms. Entry fee applies. (updated Mar 2016)

Do

• Heritage town walk - brochure from Visitor Centre.

Buy

Eat

• Thai Smile Cafe and Takeaway, 4/18 Terrylands Street, Hillcrest, ☎ [phone]. (updated Nov 2015)
• Dave's Noodles, 129 Wilson Street. (updated Nov 2015)
• Fish Frenzy, 2 North Terrace (Burnie Surf Club Building), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. A variety of fish and chips, seafood and salad options. (updated Sep 2017)
• Bayviews Restaurant & Lounge Bar (On top of Fish Frenzy), ☎ [phone]. M–W 5PM–late, Th–Sa noon–late. Very nice food, or just for drinks. (updated Dec 2017)
• Indian Tandoor House, 6 Alexander Street, ☎ [phone]. Daily 5PM–9PM. Best Indian in town. (updated Dec 2017)
• food + brew, 1 Cattley Street (on the corner of Marine Terrace), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M–W 7:30–3:30PM, Th, F 7:30AM–late, Sa, Su 8:30AM–late. Good for coffee, drinks and meals for all sized groups. (updated Dec 2017)

Drink

Hellyers Road Distillery - Makes whisky and also has a cafe and restaurant.

Sleep

Go next

• West
  • Stanley
• East
  • Penguin
  • Devonport
• South
  • West Coast