Burnie

Burnie overlooks Emu Bay, on the north-west coast. This proudly industrial city is Australia's fifth largest container port and a vibrant place to visit. Burnie was once surrounded by dense rainforest, but this slowly disappeared as fortunes were made felling and milling timber. The paper and pulp mill on the city's outskirts operated from 1938 to 1998. Today, Burnie has a population of almost 19,000. You can visit the Burnie Park and animal reserve, or Australia's biggest eucalypt tree farm. The Pioneer Village Museum will provide you with a detailed account of the city's history, while at Lactos Cheese Factory you can treat your palate to fine wine and the 2006 World's Best Camembert. One of the town's most distinctive attractions is the Creative Paper Mill, which features the work of local and visiting artists, including roo poo hand-made paper and wonderful life-size paper sculptures. You can even get your hands wet making your own paper. Test your stamina in Australia's premier 10-kilometre (six-mile) road race, the Burnie Ten, held every October for runners and walkers of all calibres. Burnie is close to the Fernglade Platypus Sanctuary and Guide Falls, and approximately 90 minutes' drive from Cradle Mountain. Burnie was first explored by Bass and Flinders and was known as Emu Bay when it was settled by the Van Diemen's Land Company in 1827. Burnie experiences temperate conditions, with an average maximum of 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit) in January and 13.5 degrees Celsius (56.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in June. The city is 30 minutes' drive west of Devonport or 152 kilometres (94.5 miles) north-west of Launceston on the A1.