Burnie is an important town and deepwater port on the northwestern coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is part of the Burnie-Somerset census area, which has a population of 20,267. It lies on Emu Bay, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) east of Somerset. The town is a center for a rich farming district. Local companies produce titanium oxide for use in paint, plastic, cheese, and fine-quality paper. Ores mined on the west coast of Tasmania are shipped from Burnie.
The explorers George Bass and Matthew Flinders sailed past the present site of Burnie in 1798. They named Round Point Hill at the eastern end of Emu Bay. In 1827, Henry Hellyer, head surveyor of the Van Diemen’s Land Company, a large agricultural company, established a settlement at Blackman’s Point, now the site of Burnie’s port facilities.
