Burnie Town

Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania founded in 1827. The settlement was originally named Emu Bay but later renamed for William Burnie a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company in the early 1840s.

Burnie is governed by the City of Burnie local government area. At the 2011 Australian Census the local government area recorded a population of 19,329.

Economy

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. Burnie was the main port for the west coast mines after the opening of the Emu Bay Railway in 1897. Most industry in Burnie was based around the railway and the port that served it.

After the hand over 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 Burnies development in the 1900s with the founding of the Burnie Paper Mill in 1938 and the woodchip terminal in the later part of the century. The Burnie Paper Mill closed in 2010 after failing to secure a buyer.

Facilities and education

Tasmania's third largest hospital, The North West Regional Hospital, is located on Brickport Road, in Burnie. It provides both in and outpatient services for general medicine, general surgery, orthopaedics and paediatrics.

Burnie has a central business district with several national retailers.

Just outside the CBD there are other major retailers such as; Harvey Norman Superstore, Spotlight, Godfreys and SuperCheap Auto.

Other amenities include multi-function "Burnie Arts and Function Centre" (formerly known as the Civic Centre), post office, police station, supreme court, public and private hospital, as well as numerous sporting and social organisations.