Burnie Park

Just about every town and city has a park where one can go to relax and enjoy a little 'quiet time', but few are as pretty and enjoyable as Burnie Park, just west of the city centre on the highway.

Located on the Bass Highway just west of the city centre, overlooking West Park Oval and Bass Strait, it features lush sweeping lawns, shady walkways and mature exotic trees. The Park is divided by a natural waterway - Stoney Creek - which adds greatly to its ambience. At the higher end of the park, away from Bass Highway, a walking trail winds its way through a rare stip of natural rainforest up to where the waterway tumbles over Oldaker Falls.



The ground was purchased by the Council in 1927 and originally formed part of an extensive private garden, but has evolved into much loved public space with pathways, spaces for reflection and community celebrations such as Easter Sundays Kids in the Park and Carols by Candlelight celebrations. Modern playground equipment is provided as well as free barbecues.The park features seasonal annual garden beds and a developed landscape, with numerous exotic and native trees and abundant lawns for passive recreation.

The history of Oldaker Falls dates back to 1876-1927 when William Henry Oldaker had a farm 'Avon' here and later a guest-house. Oldaker Falls is on Shorewell Creek, also known as Stoney Creek. Oldaker once worked for Sir Richard Dry at Quamby Estate, Hagley. He married Mary Turnbull of Glenore in 1857. In 1876 he sold his share at Quamby and moved to Burnie district and became a prominent citizen with a considerable acreage of land. After his death, the property was bought by the Municipality for the creation of Burnie Bark.



The Burnie Inn, now located in Burnie Park, is the only building remaining from the pre-1870 construction period and was located originally in Marine Tce where Centrelink stands today. It was Burnie's first licensed premises. The Inn was built by Joseph Law and opened in 1847 under the misnomer the Birnie Inn, following a clerical error. Law renamed it and it became the Burnie Inn in 1851 with Law as the licensee until 1855. In 1973 it was transferred to the park and opened as tea-rooms.



Subsequent publicans were Henry Redgate and William Parker each being mine host for a year until Thomas and Harriet Wiseman took over the license in 1856 for 2 years. It was replaced by a larger brick building adjacent to it in 1901 and later became a shop. It was marked for demolition until in 1973 a group of local citizens argued for its preservation and removal to its current site.

Burnie Park is also home to Burnie War Memorial, which commemorates those from the district who died in service or were killed in action during World War One. Money was raised by the Fallen Soldiers` Memorial Committee to construct the monument. The monument itself is a granite obelisk. The foundations are of columnar basalt, obtained from the quarry in the vicinity of the Burnie wharves.



For many years Burnie Burrowing Crayfish (Engaeus yabbimunna) were a common site along Stoney Creek, which flows through Burnie Park. The endangered creature is a small to medium-sized burrowing freshwater crayfish, typically reaching a length of around 6 cm. The species is endemic to Tasmania, occurring over an area of approximately 130 square km in and around the city of Burnie. The Burnie Burrowing Crayfish is found in fern-dominated stream-side vegetation as well as in open and grassy sheep pasture, farm dams, roadside seeps and culverts, and sedgey marsh. The main threats to the Burnie Burrowing Crayfish include any activities which destroy or degrade the species' stream-side habitat, including such things as urban and agricultural pollution involving herbicides and pesticides, water diversion, forestry activities, roading and mining, and high-intensity burning of streamside habitat.

The known range of the Burnie Burrowing Crayfish includes an area of approximately 130 square km in and around the city of Burnie, north-west Tasmania. Known localities include Burnie Park, Shorewell Creek, Romaine Creek and the eastern arm of Cooee Creek (all in urban Burnie), plus several localities to the west of Burnie including Seabrook, Camp Creek, Distillery Creek, and a small tributary of the Cam River.