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Early history (1827–1875)[edit]
Burnie's history is closely tied to the establishment of the Van Diemen's Land Company (VDL Company) in the early 19th century. In 1824, a group of wool merchants, bankers, investors, and woollen mill owners gathered in London to explore the idea of creating a land company in Van Diemen's Land, following the model of the Australian Agricultural Company in the Colony of New South Wales. With backing from William Sorell, a former lieutenant governor, and Edward Curr, who had recently returned from the colony, they established the VDL Company, with William Burnie its inaugural Governor of Company. They applied to Lord Bathurst for a grant of 500,000 acres (200,000 ha), while Bathurst approved a smaller allotment of 250,000 acres (100,000 ha), the company received a Royal Charter in 1825, giving it broad authority to cultivate land, and build housing and wharves to support colonial development within a 250,000-acre (100,000 ha) area in North-West Tasmania.
Oakleigh Park, situated near the modern business centre, is regarded as the birthplace of Burnie and a pivotal site in the development of Tasmania’s northwest coast. In 1827, Henry Hellyer, chief surveyor of the Van Diemen's Land Company (VDL Company), established a camp beside Whalebone Creek. With the approval of the Company's chief agent, Edward Curr, Hellyer selected Emu Bay as the primary port to service the Company’s vast inland grazing holdings at Hampshire and Surrey Hills, located approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) inland.
The strategic value of the site was recognized early; in 1828, government surveyor John Helder Wedge recommended that Emu Bay be reserved as an official township. However, the VDL Company had already established a presence, with the initial settlement consisting of a store, a small jetty, a sawpit, and several huts. During this period, Hellyer oversaw the construction of the Old Surrey Road. Cut through dense rainforest starting from South Burnie beach, it served as the first road on the North West Coast, linking the coast to the interior.
However, Burnie’s settlement wasn’t peaceful. Between 1828 and 1832, Tarenorerer, a Tommeginne woman who had escaped from sealers, became the leader of the Emu Bay people (Plairhekehillerplue). She led a resistance against settlers during the Black War, attacking VDL Company employees until she was eventually captured. Alexander Goldie, the first superintendent of the Company's land assets around Emu Bay, led armed attacks against the Plairhekehillerplue clan. In 1828, Goldie and his men massacred several people inland from the settlement and in August 1829 they murdered a native woman at Emu Bay by shooting her and cutting her neck with an axe. Goldie then kidnapped the woman's five-year-old daughter and another woman. After an investigation, Goldie resigned from his position.
Meanwhile, the VDL Company faced difficulties. By 1833, sheep farming at Surrey Hills had failed due to cold conditions, resulting in the near abandonment of the area.
Throughout the 1840s, the VDL Company began leasing bush blocks to tenant farmers, although Burnie’s growth remained slow. In 1843, the town was surveyed by Nathaniel Kentish and renamed after William Burnie, then serving as one of eighteen directors of the VDL Company.
By 1853, Burnie had a population of approximately 200, with basic services such as a doctor and clergyman located in Port Sorell, and a lawyer and banker in Launceston. Transport and communication systems were rudimentary at this time, with no metal roads or established wharves. Nevertheless, the first official birth registrations in Burnie began that year.
Burnie’s first school was opened in 1862 by Mrs. Mary Morris in West Burnie, followed by the construction of the first government school on a rocky hill off Wilmot Street. In 1875, the VDL Company established its headquarters in Oakleigh (now Oakleigh Park), which remained in Burnie until the early 1950s. Burnie became the base for developing the region’s road and rail infrastructure.
Mineral boom and industrial development (1876–1939)[edit]
The National Bank of Tasmania branch in Burnie, c. 1905
In the late 1870s, modern communication systems arrived, with the telegraph and telephone reaching Burnie. A horse-drawn tramway on wooden rails was established to connect Burnie to Waratah. The VDL Company later upgraded this tramway to iron and steam, facilitating the transport of tin from the Mount Bischoff mine, which commenced Burnie’s role as the west coast’s export gateway for minerals. By the 1880s, Burnie's fortunes had dramatically improved as west coast mineral deposits were discovered. The Emu Bay Railway Company extended the railway to Zeehan by 1900, propelling the town's population to over 1,500.
During this time, Burnie’s business district rapidly grew, thanks to improved port facilities and the expansion of the town's infrastructure. By 1900, T. Wiseman's motor coach service was operating between Burnie and Stanley, reflecting Burnie's growing importance as a regional transport hub.
Burnie township, c. 1919
A major turning point occurred in 1936 with the development of the pulp and paper mill in South Burnie. Constructed by Associated Pulp and Paper Mills (APPM), by 1939 the mill produced 15,000 tonnes (15,000 long tons; 17,000 short tons) of fine paper annually, the first time in the world that paper was made entirely from eucalypt pulp. This industrial expansion caused a surge in employment and population growth, setting Burnie on the path to becoming an industrial powerhouse.
Post-war boom and industrial expansion (1940–1980s)[edit]
The post-war era saw Burnie become synonymous with heavy industry. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, APPM expanded its workforce to around 3,500 employees, while other secondary industries, including pigment producer Tioxide and North West Acid, were established.
This industrial boom led to Burnie’s official recognition as a city in 1988. At its peak in the mid 1980s, Burnie had a population exceeding 20,500, thriving as a bustling industrial centre.
However, the town's success came with environmental consequences. During the 1970s, the production of titanium dioxide by Tioxide led to heavy pollution, turning the sea rust-red from effluent.
Burnie also developed a reputation as one of Tasmania’s most polluted towns, a situation highlighted by the Australian band Midnight Oil in their song “Burnie,” which criticised the town’s environmental issues.
Challenges and reinvention (1980s–present)[edit]
Cruise ship MS Seabourn Odyssey and woodchip stockpile, c. 2016
The rationalisation of Australian industry during the 1980s and 1990s dealt a severe blow to Burnie. APPM downgraded its operations and eventually closed the pulp mill in 2010, leading to significant job losses. Other closures followed, including the Caterpillar mining machinery factory, triggering a period of economic uncertainty for the town.
Despite these setbacks leading to unstable population and inconsistent investment, Burnie began to reinvent itself in the 1990s. The Lion cheese-making factory remained a major employer, and efforts were made to diversify the city’s economy.
By the 2000s, Burnie shifted toward tourism and the arts. It became known for its clean beaches, inclusion on the annual cruise ship itinerary, and its growing community of artists and makers. In 2016, Elphinstone Group, previously a designer and manufacturer for Caterpillar equipment in Australia, relaunched its original brand and developed the Haulmax 3900 series off-highway haul truck. The company continues to be a major local employer, with a workforce of 2,500 people. Today, Burnie positions itself as the gateway to Tasmania’s northwest, including the Tarkine forest, and as a hub for new industries and outdoor recreation.
