Burnie is Tasmania’s fourth biggest city and a busy port destination with a towering industrial estate, but it’s also a hotspot for nature-lovers.
Thanks to its convenient location between ocean and countryside, this city is a hotspot for iconic Aussie animals, including the famous Little Penguins. Burnie’s foreshore is home to a colony of these super cute birds, that are also known as fairy penguins, and visitors can glimpse the burrows along the boardwalk. Or, at the Penguin Observation Centre, you can head to the viewing platform to watch these cute creatures coming in from the sea. At dusk, friendly volunteers talk to onlookers about habitat and conservation while the penguins toddle about.
To see more animals in the wild, visit Fern Glade Reserve just a short distance from the city centre. Here, you can walk along the banks of Emu River, where usually elusive platypus are known to regularly surface during the day. Venture along the bushwalk to a lookout, where you’ll find yourself surrounded by more than a dozen species of stunning native orchids.
An easy 20 minute drive from Burnie, you will find the popular Guide Falls. Climbing the steep stairway beside this gushing waterfall will take you to the top for a birds-eye view of the water and surrounding greenery. Plus, you can bring a picnic to enjoy in the designated area, or even spark up the on-site barbeque.
For more awesome flora displays, Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden is an 11-hectare garden featuring more than 24,000 species of rhododendron and other plants. The property is divided into several sections, each designed to represent a different part of the world where rhododendrons are found, including tropical Papau New Guinea and even the Himalayas. Visitors will find several walking tracks, lakes and bridges creating a calming and enjoyable environment, plus keep an eye out for the resident platypus, echidnas, and bird species.
A 45-minute drive out of town is Gunns Plains Caves. First discovered in 1906, the caves were formed by an underground river which still flows today, home to several different species of fish and eel. Once you’ve descended into the cave, you will find yourself in a 275 metre long cavern home to calcite shawls and crystal formations. There are several tour groups operating here, with guides to help you on your journey.
To check out where to eat, drink and stay in Burnie, click here.
Featured image: Guide Falls © Mason Doherty
