Burnie

Burnie patawayor burdurway Tasmania
Burnie CBD and port
Burnie
Coordinates	41°03′49″S145°52′31″E / 41.06361°S 145.87528°E /-41.06361; 145.87528
Population	19,918 (2021)[1]
Postcode(s)	7320
Elevation	19 m (62 ft)
Time zone	AEST(UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT(UTC+11)
Location	47 km (29 mi) fromDevonport 134 km (83 mi) fromLaunceston 154 km (96 mi) fromQueenstown 296 km (184 mi) fromHobart
LGA(s)	City of Burnie
State electorate(s)	Braddon
Federal division(s)	Braddon
Mean max temp[2] Mean min temp[2] Annual rainfall[2] 16.9 °C 62 °F 9.3 °C 49 °F 947.4 mm 37.3 in

Burnie(pirinilaplu/palawa kani:patawayorburdurway^[3][4]) is aport cityinTasmania,Australia, located inEmu Bayon thenorth-westcoast, 47 kilometres (29 mi) west fromDevonportand 17 kilometres (11 mi) east fromWynyard. With an urban population of 19,550 in 2019,^[5]Burnie is the fourth largest city in Tasmania, serving as a major port for north-western agricultural and mining industries.

Named in 1827 as Emu Bay byHenry Hellyer(the surveyor for theVan Diemen's Land Company, who sighted emus along the banks of the associatedEmu River), it soon after became an outpost for the Company which had a store and a small port built at Blackman's Point (known asburdurwayto the local Aboriginal clans) on the western side of Emu Bay.^[4]

Alexander Goldie, the first superintendent of the Company's land assets around Emu Bay, led armed attacks against the local Indigenous Plairhekehillerplue clan. In 1828, Goldie and his men massacred several people inland from the settlement and in August 1829 they murdered a native woman at Emu Bay by shooting her and cutting her neck with an axe. Goldie then kidnapped the woman's five-year-old daughter and another woman. After an investigation, Goldie resigned from his position.^[4]

The township was renamed Burnie in November 1842, after William Burnie, then director of the Van Diemen's Land Company.^[6]

Burnie is governed by theCity of Burnielocal government area.

The key industries are heavy manufacturing, forestry and farming. The Burnie port along with the forestry industry provides the main source of revenue for the city.^[7][8]Burnie was the main port for the west coast mines after the opening of theEmu Bay Railwayin 1897. Most industry in Burnie was based around the railway and the port that served it.

After the handover of the Surrey Hills and Hampshire Hills lots, the agriculture industry was largely replaced by forestry. The influence of forestry had a major role on Burnie's development in the 1900s with the founding of the pulp and paper mill by Associated Pulp and Paper Mills in 1938^[9]and the woodchip terminal in the later part of the century. The Burnie Paper Mill closed in 2010 after failing to secure a buyer.^[10]

The population of Burnie is 19,918, of which 1,692 (8.5%) areFirst Nations people.^[11]

84.4% of residents were born in Australia. 2.4% were born in England, 0.9% in New Zealand, 0.8% in India and 0.4% in Nepal and Philippines and 0.3% in mainland China.^[12]

90.2% of people speak only English at home. 5.9% of households use a non-English language.

In the 2021 census, 53.4% of residents nominated no religion. 38.8% specified a Christian religious affiliation (including 11.4% Catholicism and 11.2% Anglicanism). Other religious affiliations include Hinduism (0.9%), Buddhism (0.7%), Islam (0.6%) and Sikhism (0.2%).

Tasmania's third largest hospital, TheNorth West Regional Hospitalis on Brickport Road. It provides both in and outpatient services for general medicine, general surgery, orthopaedics, psychiatry, and paediatrics.

The formerBurnie Theatreclosed in 1965 and was replaced with the multi-function "Burnie Arts and Function Centre" (formerly known as the Civic Centre). Other facilities includepost office,police station,Supreme Court, public and private hospital, as well as numerous sporting and social organisations.

Burnie is also home to the Cradle Coast campus of theUniversity of Tasmania, and campuses of theTasmanian Polytechnicand theTasmanian Academy. The University of Tasmania campus includes the Cuthbertson Research Laboratories run by theTasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research.

Burnie Airportis located in the adjacent town ofWynyard, a 20-minute drive from the City of Burnie.

Burnie Port is Tasmania's largest general cargo port^[13]and was once Australia's fifth largest container port. It is the nearest Tasmanian port to Melbourne and the Australian mainland. As with other ports in Tasmania, it is operated by the government ownedTasPorts.^[14]

The port currently operates as a container port with a separate terminal for the exportation of woodchips. The port was planned to be expanded in 2013 so that it could accommodate extra freight from the proposed north-west mines in theTarkine.^[15]

Burnie was the terminus of the formerEmu Bay Railwaycompany operations. The railway line is now known as theMelba Line.

Burnie is connected withDevonportvia the four laneBass Highwayand a rail link which is used for freight purposes. Burnie is also connected to thewest coast of Tasmaniaby theMurchison Highway.

Bus serviceMetro Tasmaniaprovides transport around the city and its suburbs.,^[16]Redline coaches used to service the North-West through to Hobart, but ceased this service in January 2021.

The development of a coastal pathway will connect Burnie andWynyardtoLatrobeas part of a State Government and Local Government Council initiative to upgrade infrastructure on the north-west coast of Tasmania.^[17]

The city of Burnie consists of a number of small suburbs including Parklands, Park Grove, Shorewell Park, Acton, Montello, Hillcrest, Terrylands, Upper Burnie, Romaine, Havenview, Emu Heights, South Burnie and Wivenhoe.

Burnie has aoceanic climate(Köppen:Cfb), with very mild, relatively dry summers and cool, rainy winters.Seasonal variationis low due to moderation from theBass Strait. Average maxima vary from 21.3 °C (70.3 °F) in February to 12.8 °C (55.0 °F) in July while average minima fluctuate between 13.3 °C (55.9 °F) in February to 6.0 °C (42.8 °F) in July.^[18]Mean average annualprecipitationis moderate: 947.4 mm (37.30 in), spread between 158.0 precipitation days, and is concentrated inwinter. Expectedly, the town is not very sunny: with 141.1 cloudy days and only 51.7 clear days per annum. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −2.0 °C (28.4 °F) on 14 July 1967 to 33.8 °C (92.8 °F) on 31 January 2009. Sunshine data was sourced fromElliott, a rural locality 14.3 kilometres (8.9 mi) west-northwest of Burnie.

Australian rules footballis popular in Burnie. The city's team is theBurnie Dockers Football Clubin theTasmanian State League. Their ground isWest Park Oval.

Rugby unionis also played in Burnie. The local club is theBurnie Rugby Union Club. They are the currentTasmanian Rugby UnionStatewide Division Two Premiers and were promoted to the Statewide First Division for the 2008 season.

Socceris also represented in Burnie, withBurnie United FChaving four teams compete in the northern premier league; the women's team, under 18 team, reserve team and division one team. They also have youth sides in the under 14 and under 16 competitions. Their ground is located inMontello, Tasmania.

Burnie hosts an ATP Challenger Tour tennis event, theBurnie International, during the week following the Australian Open.

Athletics events include the annualBurnie GiftandBurnie Ten.

Archeryis also represented in Burnie, withBurnie Bowmen Archery Club. They were founded in 1958 and have influenced the development of archery along the northwest coast of Tasmania. Its first target championship was held in 1959. In 1972 Burnie Bowmen Archery Club was given the honour of holding the first national championships to be held outside of a capital city. In 2017 Burnie Bowmen Archery club hosted Archery for the XVI Australian Masters Games. In 2020 and 2021 they were to host the National Youth Archery Championships and National Archery Championships, but due to COVID-19 these events were cancelled. Presently, Target and Clout shoots are conducted at Parklands High School Oval in Romaine, Burnie. Indoor is conducted at the Upper Burnie Memorial Hall. Field is conducted at the Blythe Scout Camp at Heybridge.

The Advocatenewspaper was established in 1890 servicing the North West region. The mailroom is located in Burnie whilst the local press operations ceased in mid-2008 and were relocated to Launceston.

Burnie has access to theABC,SBS,WINandSouthern Crosstelevision stations as well as all new free to air television stations.

There are two commercial radio stations,7BUat 100.9 MHz on the FM band and Sea FM on 101.7 on the FM band. Many Melbourne radio stations can be received in Burnie.^{[citation needed]}

• Country music singerJean Stafford OAMwas a resident of Burnie in the 1960s and early 1970s when she was a young wife and mother at the beginning of her career. Her family still reside in the area.
• Zima Anderson – actress inNeighbourswho playedRoxy Willis^[20]
• Cameron Baird– Australian soldier, posthumously awarded the VC for actions in Afghanistan
• Jamie Cox– cricketer
• Josh Earl– Comedian and former host ofSpicks and Specks
• Dale Elphinstone – Founder ofElphinstone Groupand Tasmania's wealthiest person as of 2019^[21]
• Brendon Gale– AFL playerRichmond Football Club
• David Guest– Australian field hockey player. 2008 Olympic bronze medalist
• Justin Heazlewood– Australian songwriter, author, actor and humourist also known as The Bedroom Philosopher
• Eddie Jones– Current head coach of the Australian Wallabies National Rugby Team and former coach of the English and Japanese rugby union football teams.
• Matthew Knight– basketball player
• Jacqui Lambie– Senator for Tasmania –Jacqui Lambie Network
• Marcus Marshall– Australian racing driver
• Brody Mihocek– AFL player-Collingwood Football Club
• Vicki O'Halloran– Administrator of the Northern Territory
• Eli Templeton– AFL player-St Kilda Football Club
• Lachie Weller– AFL player-Fremantle Football ClubandGold Coast Suns
• Maverick Weller– AFL player-Gold Coast SunsandSt Kilda Football Club

• Burnie City Council
• Watch historical footage of Burnie, Hobart, Launceston and the rest of TasmaniaArchived2 October 2013 at theWayback Machinefrom theNational Film and Sound Archiveof Australia's collection.