Burnie

For other uses, see Burnie (disambiguation).

Burnie
Tasmania
Burnie CBD and port
Burnie is located in Tasmania
Burnie
Burnie
Coordinates41°03′49″S 145°52′31″E / 41.06361°S 145.87528°E / -41.06361; 145.87528
Population19,918 (2021)[1]
Established1827
Gazetted1967
Postcode(s)7320
Elevation19 m (62 ft)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST)AEDT (UTC+11)
Location
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 (/ˈbɜːrni/ BER-nee;[3] pirinilaplu/palawa kani: pataway)[4][5] is a port city located on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately 325 kilometres (202 mi) north-west of the state capital of Hobart, 147 kilometres (91 mi) north-west of Launceston, and 47 kilometres (29 mi) west of Devonport. As of the 2021 census, Burnie has a population of 19,918, with a municipality area spanning 600 square kilometres (230 sq mi), administered by the City of Burnie.[6] Founded in 1827 as Emu Bay, the township was renamed in the early 1840s after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company,[7] and proclaimed a city by Queen Elizabeth II on 26 April 1988.[8]

Burnie's economy has historically been driven by heavy manufacturing, mining, forestry, and farming. Situated on the coastline of Emu Bay, the city’s fortunes are closely tied to its deep water port. An intermodal freight transport facility, the Port of Burnie handles over 5,000,000 tonnes (4,900,000 long tons; 5,500,000 short tons) of freight annually, including nearly half of Tasmania's containerised freight. As Tasmania's most north-westerly city, it provides the shortest sea lines of communication between mainland Tasmania and mainland Australia. The city is a key exporter of Tasmanian minerals, including copper, silver, gold, tin, lead, zinc, iron, tungsten, and ultra-high purity silica, alongside forestry products such as logs, pulpwood, and wood chips. The Burnie Chip Export Terminal, often referred to as the "Pyramids of Burnie", surpassed 1,500,000 tonnes (1,500,000 long tons; 1,700,000 short tons) of annual wood chip exports in 2017.[9][10]

During the 1970s and 80s, Burnie faced pollution challenges linked to titanium dioxide production.[11] From the 1990s, the city experienced significant industrial decline, with the closure of several manufacturing plants and the eventual shutdown of its pulp and paper mill.[12][13] This downturn led to population decline and high unemployment, presenting economic hardships and uncertainty for the community.

In recent years, Burnie has been positioning itself as a future leader in Tasmania’s renewable energy sector. By 2024, the city is set to be a key player in the proposed North West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), a project designed to foster investment in large-scale wind and solar energy developments. The Marinus Link, a high-voltage direct current submarine power cable, is also planned to connect Tasmania’s renewable energy supply to mainland Australia, potentially generating 1,400 local jobs and bringing an estimated $3 billion in economic investment.[14][15][16] Current proposals for the region include the Guildford and Hellyer Wind Farms, as well as Australia’s first synthetic electrofuel facility.[17][18] Other growing sectors in Burnie include education, healthcare, and logistics, contributing to its economic diversification.

  1. ^ "Burnie - 2021 Census All persons QuickStats". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Burnie (Round Hill) Climate Statistics (1944-2018)". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  3. ^ Cox, Felicity; Fletcher, Janet (2017). Australian English Pronunciation and Transcription. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781316995631. ISBN 9781316639269.
  4. ^ "Burnie - pataway (pah-tah-why)". palawa-places.org.au. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  5. ^ Plomley, NJB; Robinson, George Augustus (2008). Friendly Mission, the Tasmanian journals and papers of George Augustus Robinson. Hobart: Quintus. ISBN 9780977557226.
  6. ^ Puustinen 2011, p. 9.
  7. ^ Burnie Chamber of Commerce 1949, p. 4.
  8. ^ Woods, Rodney; Watson, Chad (19 September 2022). "Memories of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in Burnie and Devonport in 1988". The Advocate (Tasmania). Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  9. ^ Bennett, Lachlan (4 September 2020). "TasPorts on why Burnie's infamous woodchip pile might be good for the cruise ship industry". The Advocate (Tasmania). Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  10. ^ Mihai, Neagoe; Taskhiri, Mohammad Sadegh; Turner, Paul (18 September 2024). Terminal Appointment System Project (TASP): An analysis of Burnie Chip Export Terminal unloading operations and related industrial supply chains (Report). University of Tasmania. hdl:102.100.100/496321. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  11. ^ Eaves, Rick (27 May 2020). "Remembering the days of Tioxide Australia and working on Tasmania's north-west coast in the 1960s". ABC News. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  12. ^ Barton, Ruth (November 2015). ""Good Riddance to the Stinkin' Place": Deindustrialisation and Memory at Associated Pulp and Paper Mills in Burnie, Tasmania". Liverpool University Press (109). Labor History: 149–167. doi:10.3828/labourhistory.109.0149 (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  13. ^ "Era ends at Burnie paper mill". ABC News. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  14. ^ Petrova, Veselina (1 July 2024). "Tasmania seeks input on 1-GW renewables zone proposal". Renewablesnow.com. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  15. ^ Holmes, Adam (19 October 2022). "Deal signed to fund Marinus Link power cable between Tasmania and Victoria". ABC News. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  16. ^ Duigan, Nick (5 August 2024). "Marinus Link Project Update". Premier of Tasmania. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Renewable Energy Zones". renewableenergyzones.tas.gov.au. Tasmanian Government. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  18. ^ "HIF Tasmania eFuels Facility". CSIRO. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.