When you arrive at Burnie Port – either by cruise ship or aboard the Spirit of Tasmania ferry from Melbourne – your first sight is this enormous pile of chips. Wood has defined Burnie because the surrounding countryside is blessed with forests of eucalyptus trees. These inspired New Zealander Sir Gerald Mussen to establish the Associated Pulp & Paper Mills in 1938. “The Pulp” became the impetus for the city’s explosive grow from the 1940s through the 1960s. APPM was also a major benefactor in developing local infrastructure. After this major employer closed in 2010, the nearly 2,000 foot long Pulp Paper Trail was created at the east end of town to tell their story. In 2013, the Gunns woodchip mill in nearby Long Reach reopened. This good news has resulted in a half million tons of hardwood chips being annually exported from Burnie to Japan and China.
