Burnie, Tasmania
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Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, originally settled in 1827 as Emu Bay. The town was renamed for William Burnie - a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company - in the early 1840s. The city usually includes the outer town of Somerset. The city's motto is "non nobis solum" (not for ourselves alone); for many years this was on the council seal but in 1992 a new, more colourful logo was created which did not include the motto. It did also not include the emu (which had been Burnie's unofficial animal emblem). Burnie's floral emblem is the rhododendron.
Burnie is home to the north west campus of the University of Tasmania, and Hellyer College.
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History
Burnie was originally named Emu Bay due to its location and fauna, and was established in 1827 by the Van Dieman's Land Co. as a town to service local farm areas; the first permanent settlers arrived from England in the vessel Caroline on February 2, 1828. However, Burnie remained small until tin was discovered near Waratah in the 1880s, prompting the Van Diemen's Land Company to construct a tram link from Waratah to Burnie. This eventually grew and became the Emu Bay Railway, which linked Burnie to the West Coast mining towns of Queenstown, Zeehan and Rosebery.
Long after mining in the area slowed down, Burnie remained the major deepwater port for the north of Tasmania, with two permanent container ships making daily crossings between it and Melbourne. It has also been the home of a large paper mill from 1938, although operations there have been scaled back significantly since around 2000.
Burnie was declared a city in 1988. However, the population has since decreased, and today the Burnie City Council local government area has a population of 19,030 (2004).
Attractions and Landmarks
- Basalt Columns
- Old Burnie Inn
- Nearby attractions (i.e. Guide Falls)
Other Information
Statistics
Burnie has a population of 19,030, consisting of 8,963 males and 10,067 females. 13,854 adults are enrolled to vote, with the average citizen of Burnie around 36 years of age.
The city and outlying areas cover a space of 61,822 ha (618.22 kmē); thus Burnie's density is approximately 31 persons/kmē.
Climate
(All measurements are in Celsius (°C)) The average temperature in summer ranges from 12.5 to 21, with around 8 hours of sunlight per day. In winter this drops to a maximum of 13 and minumum of 6, and only 4 hours of sunlight.
Burnie averages 994mm of rainfall per year.
City Council
The Burnie City Council consists of 10 Aldermen, who each serve a four year term of office; five aldermen are re-relected every two years. Ald. Alvwyn P.Boyd has been the Mayor of Burnie since 2000, with Ald. John D Munro the current Deputy Mayor. The other members are:
- Jim J Altimira
- Bob R Blacklow
- Jan M Blizzard
- Ross L Elphinstone
- Sandra A French
- Steve Green
- Sam Samec
- Colin B Winter
Media
Burnie has access to the ABC, SBS, WIN and Southern Cross television stations. The fifth channel, TDT, does not have a transmitter in the north-west and as such, reception of it depends on location. (Rollout is scheduled for 2006.)
Burnie also has a 4-screen cinema, owned and operated by Metro 5, called the Metro 4 cinema.
External links
- City of Burnie Homepage (http://www.burnie.net)
- Burnie City Council (http://www.burnie.tas.gov.au)
- Metro 5 Cinemas (http://www.metro5.com.au)