Burnie, TAS 7320

As a Sydney & Melbourne sider, I came to Burnie 2.5 years ago & can’t complain about the beauty and spectacular coastal views as I would be paying millions $ in the cities I’ve come from for what I have here. My ‘ONLY’ complaint is that the people are very provincial and don’t seem to like change in the way of progression. Lovely & very friendly people but not very inclusive long term (as long as you are just on holidays :)...) There is a minefield of potential here on the Northwest of Tasmania and all over Tasmania, bring it on mainlanders, PLEASE!!!

beautiful coastal town with so much potential but has sadly been ruined by a council that offers no free parking for shoppers, rates are very expensive, poor selection of shops to shop at, lots of jobs as disability support workers and carers due to the older population

Like a lot of Burnie residents I am tied of trying to find a parking spot whenever I am working or shopping in Burnie cbd there is not enough street parking and the multi level parking places are too inconvenient to use and cost too much to use instead these days I go to Wynyard or Ulverstone to do my shopping.

Edit: This review was written in 2018, prices have since gone up quite a bit as of 2022. Original review is below:

Burnie may have had a negative past but all this turned around long ago. I bought a place here in Burnie (moved from Sydney) in mid 2017 and it’s the best choice I made. Where I lived before (Manly), you were lucky to find anything for less than a million dollars, 2 million or more of you wanted a decent water view (even then you are looking at 1960s apartments). Here in Burnie though, you can get an older 2 bedroom apartment with great beach views for less than $150,000! (Not for long though!) For many places in Sydney, $150,000 is barely even enough for a deposit...

The best thing about this is that you don’t even need a car if you live in or near the Burnie CBD. Public transport is available but I’ve been able to access everything on foot for the past 8 months without needing a car or even taking the bus. This is great if you want to reduce expenses! Infact, living a VERY BASIC lifestyle on $200 a week as a single is actually possible here in Burnie assuming you own your own property, travel everywhere on foot and cook your own meals. Living on $200 a week allows you to invest the rest of your income and build up a passive income while others in more expensive places are struggling to save much at all and build up debt instead. This makes Burnie perfect for online professionals or those who work from home, especially with the execellent NBN access we have here (unlike in Manly where it still hasn’t arrived).

I’ve heard about job opportunities being a little low in general but I haven’t had an issue with this myself and with the new construction of Australia's biggest hardwood mill here in Burnie starting, there will be even more jobs available in both the short and long term!

So how is this area for crime? Well, In comparison to the stabbings, assault and breakins in Sydney... Burnie is absolute heaven! It’s full of the most friendliest people I’ve ever met in Australia and I’ve never had any issues with anything safety wise here. I’ll be reading the news in Sydney hearing about problems with car theft and one hit punches causing instant death among teens and young adults, while here in Burnie the top news story will be that there are too many pigeons hanging around the CBD... and no, that’s not slang or another word for bogans, I literally mean the birds, which in my oppinion is not a problem at all!

So, if you want to be safe in a friendly beach side city with all the services you’ll ever need to access all available on foot for prices that are an absolute steal at the moment, then get in quick! Prices in Burnie may have not moved much in the last 10 years but already I’ve seen places that went for about 100K in 2017 going for almost 140K in 2018. The boom is finally upon us with Hobart prices becoming too high (encouraging people to move to smaller Tasmanian cities such as Burnie) and of course the fantastic Living City project in the nearby city of Devonport (which will have great flow on effects for the whole north west coast of Tasmania).

So, to conclude... Burnie is going to give you the best bang for your buck whether you are a property invester looking for good returns or a person wanting to live in a vibrant, yet safe and friendly beach side city. If you are looking to move to Tasmania on a budget (or not), Burnie is the best choice!

A lovely good-sized port city. Many of the major retailers and eateries are here; enough to satisfy the fussiest of us. A lovely beach area and promenade. Friendly people! Magnificent views of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean from just about everywhere in town. Would live here for sure, and will be in the future. So impressed, I'm buying a house here for my retirement. No boarded over shop windows. Contented people! Reasonably priced real estate (for the moment anyway)! I envisage house prices rising rapidly here in the future. The views of Bass Strait from the Bass Highway are super. Clean streets! Good hotels! Well done to the efforts to all who live in this gem of a town!

As a mainlander from a large capital city, making the big decision to move to a small regional city of 20,000 people was a big decision! Sure, I moved for work, but I didn't expect to enjoy Burnie as much as I now do. Why? Prior to packing up and moving, all I'd heard was "Burnie? That's an old industrial eyesore in the middle of nowhere, with no jobs and no prospects".

Having lived here almost 6 months now, I can tell you that politely, that is all a load of garbage! Burnie has changed so much from its rougher industrial past. Literally, the council spent a lot of money beautifying the beachfront and it is now very desirable! I love taking the kids down to the beach to play on weekends, and I feel safe.

The other thing I love? The sense of community and friendliness that I guess is consummate with many areas of Tasmania. As the bigger cities become more inpersonal, dog-eat-dog, and outwardly aggressive (you try driving in Sydney...!), places like Burnie are just lovely. At 20,000 it is a touch too big for everyone to 'know everyone', but you'll find that many people are well connected within the community and are so friendly to one another.

We have a very proactive and passionate mayor who is working to re-set the economy and stimulate it for jobs growth in the future. Oh and just on jobs - what a turnaround! Sure, Tas stopped producing much pulp. paper, and wood (which used to get boxed and thrown onto big ships in Burnie's port - the largest of all Tasmania!), and this stop in forestry did hurt jobs and Burnie's prosperity. That has changed so much now. Why/What is leading this revolution of the economy here? One word: China. Chinese just love all of the dairy and 'healthy products' like baby formula, honey, and vitamins that Tasmania produces in abundance. Guess what else, as the state's largest port (and convenient shipping route direct to China and direct to Melbourne above), the port is getting busy boxing up Aussie health goods through to the Chinese mothership. And this is creating jobs.

With South Cape Cheese now exporting direct to China from Burnie, and other dairy/food-based startups now beginning to export via Burnie, jobs are looking up. The mayor is also building education capabilities for once-manufacturing workers to re-skill into 'intelligent' manufacturing. The town is growing again and its great to see because for me and my family, Burnie has been a great seachange in our lives!

Oh and you know what else? Houses here are cheap. I mean ridiculously cheap compared to the major cap cities. You can get a nice 3-bed family home in central Burnie, near the beach, shops, and schools, with a nice yard, for 1/5th the price of a Sydney or Melbourne boxy little house in the far-flung suburbs. ONE FIFTH! With NBN now up and running throughout, more attention to parks, public places, and the foreshore (Do a Google image search for "Burnie Foreshore" and you'll see the improvement and amenity), the city is changing for the better - and rapidly!

Before i moved to launceston to start my career with ray white launceston. I grew up in this great town and let me tell you i would not have it any other way. Having the luxury of being a minute away from the beach was a delight for me and my friends. Lately burnie is starting to make some good changes aswell with a bunnings on its way, plenty more food places for people to experience the this great little city by the sea is getting better and better. I love to get back there any chance i get and will continue to do so. I recommend this place to anyone.

Burnie is a seaside city with everything you need, and nothing you want. There is everything you need for day to day living, and it isn't too much hassle to drive to Launceston if you want to do bigger shopping. There are plenty of good resturants and many things to do and see.

I have lived there for nearly 20 years. Its a nice place to be.

Great vibrant and progressive town with excellent shopping facilities all within the easily accessable CBD proximity, Modern Cinema, Hospital and University, great schools both public and private, Award winning Beachfront and tourism facilities, huge variety of Cafe's and Restaurants with beachfront dining, overall a great place to move the family to with no traffic and hassle free lifestyle!

Burnie has undergone some fundamental changes in recent years, from being labelled the 'dirtiest city in Australia' to a semi tourist driven sea change destination. A more accurate description would be somewhere in between. One thing Burnie has definately done well is to utilise its beach/seaside area.... one of the only cities in Tasmania to do so. Although the port still remains an eyesore, it is essential to the longivity of the city itself, and so is therefore necessary. The extinction of heavy industry inclusing ''tioxide'' and the scaling back of operations of the local pulp mill, has transformed the water colour back to a crystal blue green, which at times can be spectacular, while some innovation decisions from local council and enterprising individuals have cultured local niche industries, thereby establishing some cultural relevance for the city. Thus the city may be emerging from its heavy history with a fresh look, however whether it will be able to do so without sacrificing many jobs and thus momentum will be for the future to decide. Shopping and nightlife has historically been substandard. While the nightlife remains so, new shopping stores, particularly for women, have dramatically improved. Burnie also has a disproportionately large number of eateries for its size, some good, some bad, however the majority of good operators are located in the cafe and what I would describe as semi-fine dining sector. Burnie has some great art-deco buildings scattered throughout the city, and some classical victorian houses near the city, however overall the houses are quite ugly and uninspired. The city does feature some historically important buidings that remain in good condition, although many of these features remain covered by advertising.

Quiet and laid-back, Burnie offers a relaxing pace of life...far away from the "big city" hustle and bustle and yet close enough to seek it out should one so choose.

Burnie has certainly come a long way in recent years without losing it's appeal.

Family friendly, safe and secure city with a lot to offer.