Fact Sheets & Video - Burnie

Burnie is a town that's just bursting with creativity. The locals pride themselves on their artistic side, and tourists with an appetite for arts and craft will love to visit.

A great place to start your itinerary is the Creative Paper Mill, which is located in a renovated Australian Paper building, just minutes from Burnie CBD. The Paper Mill is the largest handmade papermaking mill in Australia and has been operating for over five years. The mill specialises in making paper by hand - using recycled materials like denim jeans, cotton threads, cardboard boxes and office waste as well as natural fibres like flax and hemp.

A team of talented staff make beautiful handmade paper and paper gifts, with traditional, age old methods. Their major clients include The Body Shop, The Cotton Store, Australian Geographic and Australian Paper. Tourists are invited to take a tour around the complex for only $6.

Tours are available to the public at 11am and 1pm weekdays, running for around 40 minutes. The tour includes displays on the papermaking process and a demonstration of three papermakers at work, offering a fascinating and detailed insight the paper making process. The creative juices of Burnie don't stop there. A stroll around town will reveal a number of walls covered in public art. The Burnie Public Art Trail was launched in August 2003, with 13 displays spread throughout the town. After admiring each one, you'll conclude that Burnie truly is a town impressing tourists with its creative talents.

Now while the artsy folk will be pleased with the town's attractions, there's something for rail enthusiasts as well. Every second Sunday the Burnie Rail Market Train journeys from Burnie to Penguin. The Rail Market Train is a beautifully restored 62 year old rail carriage which operates from the old Burnie Railway Station that was built in 1913.

Penguin is a cute little town down the coast from Burnie. Again, there are plenty of arts and crafts here, especially at the Penguin Old School Market held every second Sunday. Local artisans from all around the northern Tasmanian region come here to sell the arts and crafts, including a basket weaver, furniture maker, stained glass artists and face painters.

The facts:

Qantas & QantasLink flies to Burnie every day of the week and prices start from $263 from Melbourne and $673 from Perth.

Qantas

Tel: 13 13 13

Rooms and breakfast at Apartments Down Town start at $130 a night.

Apartments Down Town

Tel: 03 6432 3219

Burnie Rail Market Train

Tel: 03 6434 6111

Creative Paper Mills

Tel: 03 6430 7717 7717