philf1

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!