Burnie accommodation from AU$114

Burnie has a long history of industry. Van Diemen’s Land Company settled there in 1828, attracted by its big port, and shipped timber and produce from the region for the next 100 years. The Burnie Paper Mill opened in 1938 and stayed open until 2010 – however, Burnie’s paper-making legacy lives on at the Burnie Maker’s Workshop. The Burnie Farmer’s Market is Tasmania’s oldest farmers’ market and still runs on the first and third Saturday of every month at the Wivenhoe Showgrounds.

Burnie’s beaches are calm and safe for swimming, surrounded by green hillsides dotted with nice homes. Close to the CBD, West Beach is only a short walk from the Little Penguin Observation Centre, where from September to March, these little creatures wander to their burrows every evening at dusk. Centro Burnie in the CBD is the spot for mall shopping, but there are also some unique local shops in the local streets. The restaurants range from wine bars to Chinese to fresh seafood, and some of them have excellent ocean views.

The Burnie Makers’ Workshop pays tribute to the artists and innovators that made Burnie what it is today, and invites you to spend time with today’s painters, wood turners and other creative types. You can have a crack at making your own paper from apple pulp or wombat poo (yes, really), or perhaps more appetisingly, whipping up your own cheese or wine. Check out the Burnie Regional Museum to learn about life for the early settlers, and visit the Burnie Regional Art Gallery to see a permanent collection featuring some of the country’s most famous artists. Want to talk to the animals? Get your Dr. Doolittle on and drive 15 minutes south of Burnie to the Guide Falls Alpaca and Animal Park. You can tour a farm and hang with peacocks, goats and alpacas. If you want to take a walk through a magical fantasy garden, visit the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden, eight kilometres south of Burnie. With over 22,000 types of rhododendrons flourishing among lakes and bushlands, it really is a surreal and colourful sight.

Getting to Burnie is easy: Just book a flight to Burnie or a flight to Devonport and some Burnie accommodation with us. If you’re keen to see more of Tasmania’s wonders, check out the rest of our Tasmanian accommodation.