Burnt Pine
Encyclopedia
Burnt Pine is the largest town on Norfolk Island
. It is the main commercial hub of the island, and travel from one side of the island to another generally involves passing through Burnt Pine. The central part of the town is marked by shops and cafes, a roundabout
, Kentia Palm
street trees and angle parking
.
when construction of a military aerodrome began (now the Norfolk Island Airport). This involved the destruction of the convict
-planted Pine Avenue for the east-west runway. Between 1943 and 1944 the Army produced the Burnt Pine News, the first eponymous use of the place name. By the end of the war, a number of shops and a new hospital had been built around the intersection of Taylors Road and Grassy Road (the original location of the name Burnt Pine), and in 1946 Rawson Hall was built in Taylors Road. Regular commercial air services from 1946 onwards brought a gradual increase in tourism, and Burnt Pine was well placed on the airport edge for siting new guest houses and shops, such as Holloway's 'Sample Rooms' and a tea shop operated on a rise in Taylors Road known as Holloways Hill. A new hospital was built in 1952 on the Grassy Road corner. The expansion of the town matched the growth of the tourism industry. Development spread eastwards along Taylors Road: Prentice's duty free shop opened on Taylors Road in 1953, as did the 'Leeside' store near the New Cascade Road corner. The tourist boom started in the mid-1960s and as the town spread the name Burnt Pine followed and now refers to whole urbanised area.
form strung along Taylors Road, with its boundaries marked by cattle grids on Taylors Road, New Cascade Road, Grassy Road, Douglas Drive and Ferny Lane. Central Taylors Road around the intersection with New Cascade Road forms the town's High Street
or CBD
and contains its major infrastructure
. Shops, cafes, offices, service clubs, several tourist resort complexes and a few residential properties line both sides of the street. The Bicentennial Complex on Taylors Road contains the main public buildings (Visitor Centre, Post Office, Customs & Immigration Offices and Liquor Bond Store), Rawson Hall and the Lions Park sports grounds and oval. Other public buildings are the Norfolk Island Hospital on Grassy Road, and the Norfolk Telecom Offices on New Cascade Road. There are no real side streets or blocks below the ridge. Taylors Road merges into Douglas Drive and the Norfolk Island Airport
marking the western edge of the town. The town's buildings mainly date from the 1970s and 1980s and are mainly single storied, sitting low in the landscape. The westerly view along Taylors Road places the town against the backdrop of the forested slopes of Mt Pitt and Mt Bates. The only street lights are on the roundabout at the intersection of Taylors Road and New Cascade Road.
, the capital of Norfolk Island and main landing place, is about 3 kilometres to the south. Middlegate, the site of Norfolk Island Central School, is a hamlet
on the eastern fringe of Burnt Pine. Middlegate's main street is Queen Elizabeth Avenue running from Taylors Road to the Middlegate Crossroads. The school is located at the crossroads, as is the Bounty Folk Museum, formerly Uncle Joe Jenkins General Store. Several tourist resorts have a Queen Elizabeth Avenue address, while the main public space is the Queen Victoria Gardens. Cascade, the secondary landing place, with no buildings other than a pier
and weighbridge and the ruins of an old whaling station, is about 2 kilometres to the north of the town.
Middlegate
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
. It is the main commercial hub of the island, and travel from one side of the island to another generally involves passing through Burnt Pine. The central part of the town is marked by shops and cafes, a roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
, Kentia Palm
Kentia palm
The Kentia palm or Thatch palm is endemic to Lord Howe Island. It is also widely grown on Norfolk Island. Its "fronds" or leaves grow up to 3 metres long.The species is considered vulnerable by the World Conservation Union...
street trees and angle parking
Parking
Parking is the act of stopping a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied for more than a brief time. Parking on one or both sides of a road is commonly permitted, though often with restrictions...
.
Geography
The town is located on a roughly east-west aligned ridge of volcanic soils, about 100 metres above sea level. The headwaters of Cascade Creek and Broken Bridge Creek (northern side) and Watermill Creek (southern side) flow from just below the ridge.History
A map of 1844 labels the area 'Sheep Station', and a 1904 map shows the area as large rural holdings. The impetus for founding the town came in 1942 during the Pacific WarPacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
when construction of a military aerodrome began (now the Norfolk Island Airport). This involved the destruction of the convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
-planted Pine Avenue for the east-west runway. Between 1943 and 1944 the Army produced the Burnt Pine News, the first eponymous use of the place name. By the end of the war, a number of shops and a new hospital had been built around the intersection of Taylors Road and Grassy Road (the original location of the name Burnt Pine), and in 1946 Rawson Hall was built in Taylors Road. Regular commercial air services from 1946 onwards brought a gradual increase in tourism, and Burnt Pine was well placed on the airport edge for siting new guest houses and shops, such as Holloway's 'Sample Rooms' and a tea shop operated on a rise in Taylors Road known as Holloways Hill. A new hospital was built in 1952 on the Grassy Road corner. The expansion of the town matched the growth of the tourism industry. Development spread eastwards along Taylors Road: Prentice's duty free shop opened on Taylors Road in 1953, as did the 'Leeside' store near the New Cascade Road corner. The tourist boom started in the mid-1960s and as the town spread the name Burnt Pine followed and now refers to whole urbanised area.
Urban layout
The town has a ribbon developmentRibbon development
Ribbon development means building houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement. Such development generated great concern in the United Kingdom during the 1920s and the 1930s, as well as in numerous other countries....
form strung along Taylors Road, with its boundaries marked by cattle grids on Taylors Road, New Cascade Road, Grassy Road, Douglas Drive and Ferny Lane. Central Taylors Road around the intersection with New Cascade Road forms the town's High Street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
or CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
and contains its major infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
. Shops, cafes, offices, service clubs, several tourist resort complexes and a few residential properties line both sides of the street. The Bicentennial Complex on Taylors Road contains the main public buildings (Visitor Centre, Post Office, Customs & Immigration Offices and Liquor Bond Store), Rawson Hall and the Lions Park sports grounds and oval. Other public buildings are the Norfolk Island Hospital on Grassy Road, and the Norfolk Telecom Offices on New Cascade Road. There are no real side streets or blocks below the ridge. Taylors Road merges into Douglas Drive and the Norfolk Island Airport
Norfolk Island Airport
Norfolk Island Airport is the only airport on Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia. The island is located in the Pacific Ocean between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia...
marking the western edge of the town. The town's buildings mainly date from the 1970s and 1980s and are mainly single storied, sitting low in the landscape. The westerly view along Taylors Road places the town against the backdrop of the forested slopes of Mt Pitt and Mt Bates. The only street lights are on the roundabout at the intersection of Taylors Road and New Cascade Road.
Population
Census population figures are not available for the various districts of Norfolk Island. The population of Burnt Pine was estimated to be 180 in 2007.Municipal governance
There is no level of municipal governance in Norfolk Island, and the town has no formal boundaries. The Chamber of Commerce provides an avenue for involvement by business people in lobbying the Territory government for improved facilities and maintenance of public spaces. The town has no distinctive emblems or heraldry.Nearby towns and hamlets
KingstonKingston, Norfolk Island
Kingston is the capital of the Australian South Pacific Territory of Norfolk Island. The vice-regal, legislative, administrative and judicial offices are all located in Kingston...
, the capital of Norfolk Island and main landing place, is about 3 kilometres to the south. Middlegate, the site of Norfolk Island Central School, is a hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
on the eastern fringe of Burnt Pine. Middlegate's main street is Queen Elizabeth Avenue running from Taylors Road to the Middlegate Crossroads. The school is located at the crossroads, as is the Bounty Folk Museum, formerly Uncle Joe Jenkins General Store. Several tourist resorts have a Queen Elizabeth Avenue address, while the main public space is the Queen Victoria Gardens. Cascade, the secondary landing place, with no buildings other than a pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
and weighbridge and the ruins of an old whaling station, is about 2 kilometres to the north of the town.
Notable Sites in Burnt Pine and Middlegate
Burnt Pine- Norfolk Island Bowling Club 1939
- Rawson Hall 1946
- South Pacific Hotel
- Lions Park sports grounds and grandstand 1974
- Foodland Mall 1980
- The Bicentennial Complex 1988
- Bounty Square and ship monument 2000
Middlegate
- Bounty Folk Museum 1980
- Governor's Lodge Resort 1998
- Fletcher's Mutiny Cyclorama 2002
- Queen Victoria Gardens 2009