Old Surrey Road recalls the route surveyed and cut inland from Emu Bay towards the Van Diemen’s Land Company’s Surrey Hills holdings. Modern roads, forestry tracks and private land no longer form one simple heritage drive.

A route through difficult country

Company surveyor Henry Hellyer explored the steep, wet hinterland in the late 1820s. The road supported movement between the coast and inland pastoral land, crossing forests and river valleys that challenged transport.

Burnie town and waterfront in 1905
Port, road and rail networks changed together as Burnie grew.Aussie~mobs, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Alignments changed

Later roads, railways, dams and forestry altered or bypassed sections. A historic name on a map does not prove public vehicle access. Check current land tenure, gates and road-manager information.

Wet forested valley in north-west Tasmania
Steep terrain and high rainfall made inland road building difficult.Gary Houston, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Use public interpretation

Burnie’s heritage studies, Libraries Tasmania maps and managed reserves provide safer evidence than following an unverified track. Logging vehicles may use inland roads, so keep left and use headlights where advised.

Burnie industrial waterfront in 1948
Later resource industries created new roads and altered older routes.Libraries Tasmania, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Burnie history guide explains the coastal base. Waratah provides a managed introduction to inland mining and road history.