Sharon Sparlin: TASMANIAN DEVILS AND TINY PENGUINS

The sharp rapping on my cabin door was precisely at 6:27am. I was already awake, dressed and anticipating room service delivery of the continental breakfast I had ordered for 6:30am. Today's stop was Burnie, Tasmania, home to the infamous Tasmanian Devil and the Little Penguins.

Tasmanian Devil

Tiny Penguins

Arial of pier in Burnie, Tasmania. Photo: Public Domain

Burnie was originally inhabited in 1827 as “Emu Bay” and renamed four decades later in tribute to William Burnie, Director of the Van Diemen’s Land Company.

Burnie is a small community with a population under 25,000 located in the northwest corner of Tasmania. Arrival was on a Tuesday, a school day. All buses in Burnie were being used to transport students so disembarkation was delayed an hour, commencing at 8:00am. Burnie is also a working pier and pedestrian traffic is not allowed. Princess uses a ticket system for their complimentary shuttle buses. Tickets can be collected anytime during the day but you must wait for your number to be called before proceeding off the ship. This system works very well and reduces wait times to a minimum.

I was one of the first to pick up shuttle tickets so Marci and I found ourselves seated on the first shuttle bus to leave the pier. The bus drops you at Makers’ Workshop Information Center.

Parking Lot Sign for Makers' Workshop

As you pull into the parking lot of Makers’ Workshop several volunteers are there to assist with directions and answer questions. When a cruise ship visits Burnie there are about 70 people who regularly volunteer to welcome passengers and help them to navigate their way through the city. You can’t miss them – woman are dressed in blue shirts with multi-colored scarfs while the men wear blue shirts with white hats.

Entrance is free to Makers’ Marketplace. Once inside you will find several tour options available for purchase. Also inside are artists at work in their studios, paper making tours, gallery, gift shop, café and a visitor information center. There are numerous volunteers inside and I found them to be extremely enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable.

Inside Makers' Workshop

Paper Statues inside Makers' Workshop

Paper dress inside Makers' Workshop

Once inside, a sign reading “Activities Bus Tickets” caught my eye. The cost was $35AUD or about $29USD. The hop-on, hop-off bus ticket would include stops at Emu Valley Rhododendum Gardens, Hellyers Distillery, Burnie Regional Museum and Fernglade Reserve. Admission costs are included with your ticket purchase.

Paper Making Demo

Paper made with Kangaroo Poo

Trying out paper making

The Makers' Workshop has a beachfront location where a nightly penguin parade happens.

Penguin burrows just outside Maker's Workshop

Boardwalk at Makers' Workshop

Emu Valley Rhododendum Gardens:

The gardens are a non-profit organization started in 1981 covering an area of just over 27 acres. Peak flowering season is September through November. My arrival was the first part of November so it proved to be a perfect time for a visit. The gardens offer guided tours, all led by volunteers, through the extensive landscaping that includes more than 22,000 rhododendums enhanced with walking tracks, lakes, bridges and gazebos. The gardens have received multiple awards, including international recognition. Plants originate from the Himalayas, China, Japan and North America, plus many hybrids.

Emu Valley Rhododendron Entrance

Hellyers Road Distillery:

What was once a bush trail carved out by Henry Hellyer in 1827, today the Hellyers Road is home to a whiskey distillery founded by dairy farmers and named in honor of Henry Hellyer. The distillery houses more than 2,000 American oak casks. Housing both a viewing room and tasting room, the “Whiskey Walk” provides an overview of the history behind the brand, the distilling process and a unique opportunity to pour and wax seal your own bottle.

Entrance to Hellyer Whiskey Distillery

Statute of Henry Hellyer

Whiskey Tasting area

Whiskey tasking is offered at $4AUD per shot in the tasting room. Not being much of a whiskey drinker Marci and I decided to forego the straight shots and headed to the Distillery Café. The cafe offers an extensive and moderately priced menu and is open 7 days a week. As soon as I opened the menu it almost jumped out at me. It was listed as "Scones, Jam and Cream". The Devonshire Tea experience for two came in at $17.73USD. Warm and lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar it was much more satisfying that a straight shot of whiskey. Totally scrumptious!

Scones, Jam and Cream with coffee

Burnie Regional Museum:

This stop really surprised me as it proved to be much more interesting than I thought it would be. Exhibits included:

David Chalk Collection

David Chalk Collection. Photo: Burnie Regional Museum

David Chalk Collection. photo: Burnie Regional Museum

APPM Collection

From APPM Collection. Photo: Burnie Museum

Emu Bay Railway Collection

From Emu Bay Railway Collection. Photo: Burnie Museum

Winter Photographic Collection that has captured over 90 years of history on film.

Winter Photographic Collection. Photo: Burnie Museum

Next, stroll through Federal Street, a reconstruction of how people lived over 110 years ago, including personal treasurers, memorabilia and tools of the trade.

Stroll down Federal Street

Federal Street

Lastly, be sure to catch the volunteers spinning wool and creating bobbin lace. Such a lost art.

Bobbin Lace Demonstration

Bobbin Lace

Spinning wool

Fernglade Reserve:

A natural and recreational reserve located about 4km from downtown Burnie. The bus will take you to the top of the Reserve and from here you can take the short hike down to the bottom, about a 30 minute walk taking you along the banks of the Emu River. I did not take this hike but our volunteer guide did mention that you may be able to see platypus along the way.