Discover Burnie

Exhibitions

Early Burnie Exhibition
Opening Saturday February 16, 2013

Early Burnie is an exhibition exploring Burnie’s beginnings as a privately owned enterprise and following its progress through the 19th century. The exhibition features many of the Burnie Regional Museum’s fascinating and significant objects dating from before 1900. Learn about early exploration and the exploits of the Van Diemen’s Land Company; life in the region for early settlers; and the events which led to Burnie’s first economic boom at the turn of the 20th century.

As a special exhibit, two of early explorer Henry Hellyer’s diaries will be on display until May 10, 2013, courtesy of the Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office and the University of Tasmania Archives. The diaries are full of Hellyer’s beautiful sketches and are a fascinating record of his difficult journeys through some of the densest forest in the world. His diaries give a true sense of what he experienced in the virgin wilderness. Bear Grylls, eat your heart out!

Early Burnie – An exhibition exploring the history of our region before 1900 is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s Your Community Heritage Program and assisted through Arts Tasmania’s Roving Curator Program by the Minister for the Arts.

Special Saturday Openings To celebrate our new exhibition Early Burnie the museum will be open every Saturday between 1:30-4:30pm from the 16th of February until the 6th of April 2013. For families or working adults who find it difficult to visit the Museum on a weekday, this is your chance to come and check out the new exhibition!

Sat 30th April - OPEN - 1.30pm - 4.30pm

Sat 6th April - OPEN - 1.30pm - 4.30pm

Sat 6th April – Making Do Workshop – 10.00am - 4.00pm
‘Making Do’ with Artist Janine Morris

Sat 11 May– A Trek to St. Valentine’s Peak – Full day
Follow in the footsteps of Hellyer

Federation Street
Burnie circa 1900

Wander the charming Federation Street and see how ordinary people lived 100 years ago. Discover the lifestyles and aspirations of our forebears through rooms that are alive with personal treasures, memorabilia and tools of the trade. It is easy to get lost in the charm and detail of the general store or be relieved that, as far as kitchen and laundry appliances go, things have moved on!

Each store features a trade or profession important to a pioneering community. There is a saddler and boot maker’s shop, a blacksmith’s forge, printer, photographer and even a dentist! Each is based on an actual business that once existed in Burnie.

Exposed: The History of Photography 
From daguerreotypes to digital, the new exhibition at the Burnie Regional Museum will explore how photography has evolved over the past 170 years and changed our lives in the process.  On display are some of the Museum’s magnificent collection of cameras and photographic equipment, and photographs taken by two of Burnie’s prominent photographers – Bert Winter and Mel Nichols.

To coincide with this exhibition the museum gift shop has launched a beautiful range of matted photographs, gift-cards, photo tiles, magnets and note pads featuring stunning images from the Winter Collection. Created from our collection of glass-plate negatives, the photographs depict Burnie in the early 20th century.