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Things to Do in Burnie: Where to Eat, Drink, Stay and Play
If you’re planning a weekend escape to Burnie Tasmania, here’s all the best things to do while visiting this northwest gem.
Looking for the best things to do in Burnie, Tasmania? This north west coastal city makes a beautifully rewarding weekend getaway, with whisky at Hellyers Road Distillery, coffee and brunch at The Chapel, free penguin viewing at the Little Penguin Observation Centre and wild blue beaches within easy reach.
Just over an hour from Launceston, Burnie sits between Bass Strait, working port history, local makers and landscapes that make Tasmania feel much larger than it is. Spend your days eating seafood by the water, walking to waterfalls, exploring Table Cape and Boat Harbour Beach, then settling into a cosy stay close to town. Here’s where to eat, drink, stay and play in Burnie for a relaxed north west Tasmania escape.
Where to Eat in Burnie
The Chapel
Set in a restored 1890s Wesleyan Methodist church, The Chapel gives Burnie a handsome breakfast and lunch room with vaulted ceilings, coffee roasted on site and a menu built around Tasmanian produce. Order sourdough toasties, beer-battered fish or a plate of eggs, then take your time beneath the old beams before wandering back towards the waterfront, with enough character for a slower weekday breakfast.
50 Cattley Street, Burnie
Palate
Palate is hidden in that very Burnie way, tucked behind a Cattley Street car park and all the better for feeling slightly found. Inside, it is bright, practical and generous, with breakfast and lunch built for lingering rather than ceremony: eggs with Sharman’s bacon, crisp Pinkeye potatoes, coffee, alfresco tables and plenty for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free appetites.
6 Cattley Street, Burnie
The Foreshore
The Foreshore sits on West Beach with the plain confidence of a place that knows the sea is doing half the work. The menu keeps close to the coast: oysters, scallops, prawns, fish, calamari, a crumbed scallop caesar, local beer and Tasmanian wine. Order the oysters with vodka, lemon and lime granita, and watch Burnie go about its waterfront business.
2 North Terrace, Burnie
Bruce’s
Bruce’s rewards the little detour from Burnie, sitting on Old Bass Highway with Wynyard’s salt air close by. Once a 1960s milk bar, it now runs as a busy coastal cafe, all Toby Estate coffee, desserts, breakfast and lunch. The waffle specials do not hurt, nor does the sense that half the north-west has dropped in before you.
145 Old Bass Highway, Wynyard
Where to Drink in Burnie
Hellyers Road Distillery
Hellyers Road sits above Emu Valley with the calm authority of a distillery that does not need to shout. Come for a flight at the cellar door, then take the Whisky Walk through the working distillery, bond store and casks, with the chance to taste direct from the barrel. For a deeper pour, the Distillers’ Choice experience lets you hand-bottle your own 500ml cask-strength whisky.
153 Old Surrey Road, Havenview
Communion Brewing Co
Communion Brewing Co feels very Burnie: practical, warm, a little industrious, and built around the pleasure of gathering. Opened by Andrew Turner after The Chapel, the Wilmot Street brewery pours its own beers across a handsome, roomy venue made for lunch that becomes another round. There are local wines, cocktails and shareable plates too, but the real charm is in the name: shared participation in something good.
57 Wilmot Street, Burnie
Penguin Beer Co. Taphouse
Penguin Beer Co is worth the 20-minute detour from Burnie, if only for the deck above Penguin Beach and the small thrill of drinking a local beer with Bass Strait in view. The taphouse keeps things easy: burgers, tacos, wings, house brews, local cider, wine and spirits, with live music rolling through on weekends. It is north-west Tasmania at its most cheerful and salt-aired.
85 Main Road, Penguin
Best Things to Do in Burnie
See the penguins
Each evening from October to March, Burnie’s foreshore becomes a small procession. Little penguins return from the water after dusk, met by volunteer guides at the Burnie Penguin Observation Centre, who explain the colony’s seasonal life without turning it into a performance. The tours are free, bookings are not required and donations help protect the habitat. Dress warmly, leave the flash off and let the penguins keep their dignity.
Parsonage Point, Parklands
Walk to Guide Falls
Guide Falls is close enough to Burnie to feel like a small local secret, though the water has clearly been making its case for years. Twenty minutes south of town, a short track follows the rivulet through damp green country to the base of the falls, with steep stairs leading to the upper lookout. Pack a picnic, use the barbecues, and let a brief walk become the day’s quiet punctuation.
245 W. Ridgley Road, West Ridgley
Visit a local garden
Burnie’s gardens have a pleasing sense of scale. Eight kilometres south of town, Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden spreads more than 24,000 plants across 11 hectares, with lakes, pavilions and the odd platypus or echidna moving through the margins. The rhododendrons are at their best from late August to November, while spring also opens the tulip fields at Table Cape, when the plateau turns briefly, brilliantly Dutch.
55 Breffny Road, Romaine
363 Table Cape Road, Table Cape
Learn more about Burnie
Burnie Regional Museum is at its best on Federation Street, an indoor streetscape that returns the city to the early 1900s with shopfronts, rooms, tools and domestic details arranged with care rather than fuss. It is a small, absorbing way to understand Burnie before the highways, paper mills and port traffic took over the imagination. Go Wednesday to Friday, when the doors are open.
Little Alexander Street, Burnie
Drive up to Table Cape
Table Cape rises above Wynyard with the blunt drama of an old volcano, its plateau sitting 180 metres over the coast and farmland below. Drive to the lookout, then follow the cliff-top track to Table Cape Lighthouse, with Bass Strait widening at every turn. In spring, the tulip farm gives the cape its brief blaze of colour; after that, take Tollymore Road towards Boat Harbour Beach, past coastal views and Alchymia Distillery.
Table Cape & Wynyard, Tasmania
Go for a stroll or swim at Boat Harbour Beach
Boat Harbour Beach plays a small trick on first-timers: the hamlet sits inland, then the road drops suddenly to white sand, blue water and headlands holding the bay in place. Come for a swim, a slow wander through the rock pools, or fish and chips at Seekers Bar and Cafe above Bass Strait. Rocky Cape National Park sits nearby, with sea caves, Aboriginal rock shelters and the old Postman’s Track leading towards Sisters Beach.
Boat Harbour, Tasmania
Where to Stay in Burnie
One North Terrace
One North Terrace is the rare Burnie stay that lets the port, beach and city do the arranging. Opened in 2024, the 30-room boutique hotel sits on the waterfront with Bass Strait in every room and West Beach a short stroll away. Inside, the comforts are modern without making a speech: high-speed Wi-Fi, TV casting, clean-lined rooms and enough calm to make the working coast feel almost cinematic.
1 North Terrace, Burnie
Sol. at Sisters Beach
Sol at Sisters Beach has the pleasant audacity of being almost on the sand, with three bedrooms, a sauna and canoes ready for anyone suddenly convinced they are outdoorsy. Inside, a generous kitchen and leather sofas keep things civilised; outside, Rocky Cape National Park waits with sea tracks, caves and enough fresh air to reset a whole household before dinner.
Sisters Beach, Tasmania
The Firs
Five minutes from Burnie in Ocean Vista, The Firs makes full use of its Bass Strait outlook. The gated three-bedroom stay has a crisp coastal feel, with wide views from inside and out, a generous deck for clear days and an outdoor fire pit for colder nights. It suits families or small groups who want space, privacy and a softer landing after a day moving between beaches, waterfalls and town.
313 Bass Highway, Ocean Vista
Sweet Home Alexander
This sweet two-bedroom townhouse is nestled in the heart of town, just a few minutes’ walk to the Burnie waterfront. Fully decked out in coastal chic, there’s cute rattan accents everywhere you look and most importantly, cushy leather sofas to lounge on and a deep bath to soak in after a long day of sightseeing in the area. If you do want to venture out of your cosy little oasis after dark, there’s penguins to be found near the boardwalk at the end of the street.
5 Alexander Street, Burnie
Blythe River Boathouse
Blythe River Boathouse sits where the river meets the sea, 10 minutes from Burnie in Heybridge, with water close enough to set the pace. Inside, there is a cottage kitchen, open-plan living, a clawfoot bath and a bedroom made for sleeping in. The deck looks made for slow mornings, while the river takes care of the rest: swimming, fishing, boating, or doing very little with a drink in hand.
Heybridge, Tasmania
Now that you’ve discovered all of the best things to do in Burnie, Tasmania, why not check out our guide to the best walks in the state, as well as all of our favourite boutique Huon Valley stays? Tassie may be small, but she sure is mighty in the wealth of things to see and do.
