Climate
Average Temperatures: January max 21C (70F) - min 13C (55F); July max.
13C (55F) - min 5C (41F). Average annual rainfall approximately: 900mm
(354 in); wettest six months - May - October. Sunshine hours: Summer 7,
Autumn 4, Winter 3 and Spring 6.
Characteristics
A thriving industrial centre and deep water port which handles more than
2 million tons of cargo each year. It is the terminal for ANL sea road
vessels, and trades directly with more than 40 overseas ports. Burnie
is in the centre of lush dairying area and is surrounded by a wide forest
belt that runs parallel with the coastline, about 50km (31 miles) inland.
About 22 million super feet of quality timber is produced each year from
this area.
How to Get There By Road
The distance from Launceston along the Bass Highway is 150 km (93 miles)
which takes about 2 and a half hours. From Queenstown the distance is 176km
(109 miles) which again takes around 2 and a half hours. The drive from
Smithton 86km (53 miles) away takes an hour and a half.
By Bus
Redline offer a service from Hobart connecting Oatlands, Launceston, Abel
Tasman, Devonport, Burnie, Wynyard to Smithton four times a day, with
special services between Wynyard and Burnie another 4 times a day.
Tourist Information
The Visitor Information Centre is in the Burnie Civic Centre Precinct (Museum),
Little Alexander Street, (03) 6434 6111.
Accommodation
Burnie has about 12 hotels and motels and a number of holiday flats plus
two caravan parks in the area. Prices do vary depending on the standard
of accommodation and the season. In the selection below we give prices
for a double room per night which should be used as a guide only. The
telephone area code is 03.
Caravan Parks
Treasure Island Caravan Park, 253 Bass Highway, Cooee, 6431 1925. Powered
sites $16 for two, on-site vans $42.
Eating Out
You can have a decent night out at one of Burnie's restaurants. Listed
below are a few with their specialities.
Mandarin Palace, 63 Wilson Street, 6431 7878 - Chinese, licensed,
open daily.
Hodgy's Restaurant & Wine Bar, 8 Alexander Street, 6431 3947 - a la
carte, licensed, open Mon-Sat.
Renusha's Indian Restaurant, 28 Ladbrooke Street, 6431 2293.
Fortuna Garden Chinese Restaurant, 68 Wilson Street, 6431 9035.
Rialto Gallery Restaurant, 46 Wilmot Street, 6431 7718 - Venetian, BYO,
open Tues-Sat.
Wellers Seafood Restaurant, 36 Queen Street, 6431 1088.
Gianni's Restaurant & Wine Bar, 104 Wilson Street, 6431 9393.
Points of Interest
The Pioneer Village Museum in High Street, Civic Centre Plaza, is Burnie's
premier attraction. It is close to the centre of the city, and the entire
village is under one roof. It has more than 30,000 individual items on
display. There is an inn, newspaper office, general store, blacksmith
shop, and many authentic replicas of a commercial centre of the 1890-1910
period - open Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, and Sat-Sun 1.30pm-5pm. Admission $4.50
adult, $1.50 child, 6430 5746.
Burnie Park is only a few minutes walk away. It has shady trees, a rose
garden and the old Burnie Inn which was first licensed in 1847. It is the
oldest building in the city, and is open daily for inspection during the
summer. They only sell light refreshments and Devonshire Teas - a little
different from days of yore. There is also an animal sanctuary.
The Civic Centre and Regional Art Gallery in Wilmot Street, open Tues-Fri
10.30am-5pm, Sat-Sun 2.30pm-4.30pm, are also worth a visit. Admission is
free, 6431 5918.
The Australian Paper, Marine Terrace, 6430 7777, has free guided tours
at 2pm Tues-Fri of the processing of wood into paper. Children under the
age of 12 are not admitted, and women are asked to wear slacks and low
heeled shoes. Booking is essential.
The Lactos Factory, Old Surry Road, has chese tastings Mon-Fri 9am-5pm,
Sat-Sun 10am-4pm. Admission is free, 6433 9255.
Round Hill Lookout, 6.5km on the Stowport/Natone Road, and Fern Glade are
only 3km from town and well worth a visit.
Festivals
In late July there is the Burnie Two Day Cycling Tour, and in early September
the Burnie 10 Kilometre Fun Run is held. The Agricultural Show is held
early in October, and the famous Athletic Carnival including the Burnie
Gift, is staged every New Year's Day.
Facilities
The city and district caters for lawn bowls, boating, fishing, sailing,
swimming (pool or sea), golf, bike and horse riding, as well as squash,
the various football codes and cricket.
Outlying Attractions Helleyer Gorge
The Gorge is 52km (32 miles) from Burnie on the Waratah Highway, which
links the north-west with the west coast. The gorge itself is older than
time, and is a scenic reserve. Nearby are glorious white sandy beaches,
tidal inlets, freshwater streams and pools where campers can pitch their
tents in near solitude, and enjoy nature in an undisturbed and timeless
area.
Wynyard
16km (10 miles) from Burnie with a population of around 4500 people, Wynyard
is a pretty town, and is almost more English than England. The town is
located on the Inglis River, and the airport for Burnie is found here.
It is a major gateway to the north-west coast and offers superb panoramic
views, while Fossil Buff (just beyond the Wynyard Golf Course) is a unique
area rich in rare and ancient fossils. Among the important finds made
here is that of a whale bone some 2 million years old.
The waters around the town are popular with divers and underwater photographers
because of their clarity. Equipment for scuba diving can be hired in town,
6442 2247.
7km (4 miles) south is the Oldina Forest Reserve which contains a virtual
museum of superb trees. At the Reserve are spacious lawns and picnic facilities.
30km (18.6 miles) east from Wynyard is Rocky Cape National Park. Some of
its geological formations are 700 million years old, and some Aboriginal
remains found there indicate that the area was occupied at least 9000 years
ago, before Bass Strait was formed. There are also some interesting caves,
and several bushwalks in the park. The walk from Sisters Beach to Rocky
Cape is noted for its spring displays of wildflowers.
Tasmanian Scenic Flights, 6442 1111, out of Wynyard Airport, offer daily
scenic flights to Cradle Mountain in the south over incredible gorges,
farmland and various peaks, and shorter duration flights along the north
coastline.
You can find good accommodation in Wynyard -
Waterfront Wynyard Motor Inn, 1 Goldie Street, 6442 2351, licensed restaurant
- $85.
Inglis River, 10 Goldie Street, 6442 2344, licensed rstaurant - $50.
Alexandria Guest House, 1 Table Cape Road, 6442 4411, unlicensed restaurant
- $110-120.
Leisure Ville Holiday Units, 145 Old Bass Highway, 6442 2291, tennis, indoor
heated pool,spa - $90-115, powered sites $19 for two, cabins $70-75.
Wynyard Caravan Park, Old Bass Highway, 6442 1998 - powered sites $16 for
two, on-site vans $45 for two, cabins $65 for two.
Boat Harbour
On the way to Boat Harbour from Wynyard is the Shannondoah Cottage, 6445
1141, that is essentially a craft centre, but also has tea rooms. Built
in an old family homestead, it stocks Tasmanian craft items - patchwork,
applique wall hangings, etc.
Boat Harbour's permanent inhabitants number about 300, but that number
swells during the summer. Only 16km (10 miles) from Wynyard, it is a popular
holiday resort with beautiful beaches, facilities for boating, fishing,
water skiing and is close to a number of national parks.
Boat Harbour Beach Caravan Park, 6445 1253, on the beachfront has powered
sites $18 for two. There are various flats and guest houses which can be
booked through Tasbureau in Burnie.
Stanley
Only a one hour drive from Wynyard Airport, Stanley is an historic town
as it was the site of the first settlement in north-west Tasmania. It
has changed very little since its early days. Its most distinctive feature
is 'The Nut' which rises 152m (500 ft) sheer on three sides, and is on
the end of a 7km (4.3 miles) long isthmus. This landform has a 35ha (80
acres) summit that dominates the landscape, and affords a superb view
of the countryside. If you wish to climb it, there is an easy walking
track which begins opposite the post office and ends at the summit cairn.
Alternatively, you can take the chairlift that operates from the rear
of the Nut Shop Tea Rooms, 6458 1286. There is good fishing in the bay
and along the coast around Stanley.
Smithton
The administration of the Circular Head Municipality of the far north-west
is based at Smithton. It has a large modern butter factory as well as
a bacon factory, a large piggery and several saw mills. The district
has an ideal climate for growing peas, and the town boasts of a pea freezing
factory.
Lacrum Dairy Farm, 6452 2653, is 6km (4 miles) west of Smithton. Visitors
are welcome to this 275ha (679 acres) property, where they have a Wombat
Tarn, picnic and barbecue facilities, bush walks, and milking between 3pm-5.30pm
every day from October to the end of June. There is an admission fee, and
groups of 10 or more should book.
Driving directly south, you can visit Allendale Gardens at Edith Creek
(botanical gardens in miniature), Balfour Track Reserve, Julius River Reserve,
Lake Chisholm, West Beckett Reserve and Milkshake Hill Forest Reserve.
You would have to do this independently, though, as there are no guided
tours to these parts.
Montagu is some 20km (12 miles) north-west of Smithton, and is the site
of the Van Diemen's Land Co which was founded in 1825 by Royal Charter
of King George IV. This historic cattle and sheep property provides access
for visitors seven days during summer months and 10am-2pm on weekends in
winter. They have a multitude of displays, activities, walks, and refreshments
are available.
Marrawah
Situated at the western end of the Bass Highway, 48km (30 miles) from Smithton,
and very close to Green Point on the west coast, the settlement of Marrawah
is well worth a visit, as wildflowers and native fauna are plentiful.
There are several important Aboriginal rock carvings at Mt Cameron a
little to the north. The carvings of circles and bird tracks are similar
to ones found in the deserts of the Australian mainland.
King Island
The island is a region on its own. 64km (40 miles) long and 27km (17 miles)
wide at its widest point, it has 145km (90 miles) of coastline. In addition
to its wildlife, the island is very famous on the mainland for its cream,
which causes queues in some Sydney shops when it becomes available.
There are two main towns on the island - Currie on the west coast and Grassy
in the south-east. Currie (population 700 approx.) is the administrative
centre, and has almost all the available accommodation, among which are
the Boomerang by the Sea, 6462 1288 - 16 suites, $100-135 for two; the
guest house, Parers, 6462 1633 - $90-110 for two; holiday units at Naracoopa,
6461 1326 - $90 for two; and the Bass Caravan Park, 6462 1260 - on-site
vans $45 for two.
Grassy (population 600) is a deepwater port, and the site of the scheelite
mine. The island would appeal to travellers and those who enjoy skin diving,
surfing and shooting. The pheasant shooting season is in June; the duck
shooting season in March and April; and mutton-birding takes place in the
autumn. For more information about King Island, visit www.kingisland.net
.au
