One of the best indicators of a strong community is the desire of those who grew up there to return to raise their own families. Recent trends show that this is indeed true of Burnie, located on Tasmania’s north west coast. Burnie has a reputation as a place for growing a safe, healthy and happy family.

Infamous in the 1980s as ‘Australia’s Dirtiest City’, Burnie is now reinventing itself as a city by the sea, embracing a northfacing waterfront and beaches as well as its green and fertile hinterland. This resulted in the city being a national finalist for the Australian Sustainable Cities Award.

Burnie boasts a backyard containing Cradle Mountain, Tasmania’s wild West Coast and the Tarkine wilderness. Tasmania has a reputation for being clean and green, and the North West region is also considered by some to be the food basket of Australia.

As a regional service hub, Burnie is home to the region’s base hospital, as well as a campus of the University of Tasmania. It also has a vibrant commercial and retail sector serving a region of over 100,000 people.

Burnie is regarded as one of Tasmania’s safest communities, with one of the lowest rates of personal and property crime in Australia. It also has a vibrant sporting, arts and cultural sector led by a number of dynamic community organisations and clubs strongly supported by local government.

Major sporting events include the ‘Burnie 10’ footrace and ‘Burnie Wheel’ cycle race. There is a strong emphasis on junior sports development in the city, evidenced by the large number of young people who represent the State in their chosen sport.

The nationally acclaimed Burnie Youth Choir, Creative Paper Tasmania and the Burnie Print Prize are all indicators of the energy of the local arts and cultural community. There are also a number of enviable facilities to support these activities, including the Burnie Regional Art Gallery.

Burnie has a strong history of high educational achievement, with graduates from local senior secondary colleges now making their mark in a range of industry sectors across the globe. Secondary and senior secondary schools off er a broad curriculum and provide students with opportunities for national and international exposure. Tasmania’s senior secondary education system is currently being enhanced to ensure Tasmanian students are leaders in academic and vocational achievement.

The pace of life is relaxed with a country feel. The peakhour rush is most probably going to be you or your children participating in the local surf life-saving club activities, which occur right on the edge of the CBD. So if you want to give your family the best chance to grow in what can be a chaotic, dangerous and crazy world, why not make a true home in Burnie.

For more information, visit: www.burnie.net or contact Burnie Council’s Director of Community and Economic Development (rgreene@burnie.net) to discuss the opportunities.