Bicheno is a popular holiday destination on Tasmania’s spectacular east coast. Just two and a half hours from Hobart and two hours from Launceston, the town sits between Freycinet National Park and Douglas-Aspley National Park, making it the perfect place for visitors to base themselves to take in some fabulous sights.
The town itself has plenty to offer both day trippers and holidaymakers. Bicheno’s main drawcard is its spectacular coastline. White sandy beaches are dotted with granite boulders covered in lichen giving them a distinctive orange colouring and the clear blue waters are ideal for all kinds of ocean-based activities.
Take a Bicheno glass-bottom boat tour and glide over the kelp-covered reefs and fascinating sponge gardens of Governor Island Marine Reserve, one of the best dive locations in Australia. From May to December, Bicheno welcomes the whales as they pass by on their annual migration, with vantage points all along the three-kilometre coastal walkway.
On shore, there are many places to see the gorgeous fairy penguins heading to their burrows at night. A guided Bicheno tour takes guests to see the penguins in their natural habitat, or you might spot them around sunset at Waub’s Beach in town or Redbill Beach on the western side of town.
Bicheno is famous for its fresh seafood, straight from the boats based at its busy little fishing port. From counter meals to cafes, and restaurants you can relax with a catch of the day, an East Coast wine, and a spectacular view.
Bicheno is surrounded by natural beauty and the weather is as close to perfect as you can get, with a mild climate and only light rain. The clear blue east coast waters are great for swimming, fishing, snorkelling, or diving and people love walking the beaches with the feel of Bicheno’s fine white sand between their toes.
Local sights at Bicheno include The Blowhole where the Tasman Sea forces its way through the orange-coloured rocks, Whalers Hill lookout with its impressive views and the Gulch, Bicheno’s quaint fishing port.
Bicheno is just over 30 minutes from Freycinet National Park featuring one of Tasmania’s top natural attractions, stunning Wineglass Bay. There are walking trails aplenty in the National Park or you can take in all the wonders from the air with Wineglass Bay Scenic Flights. For those who prefer a more relaxed pace, Bicheno is part of the East Coast Wine Trail that also takes in the lovely coastal townships of Orford, Swansea, and St Helens.
There is a lot that draws visitors to Bicheno. It’s beautiful beaches, fairy penguins, migrating whales, kelp-covered reefs, and fascinating sponge gardens. Bicheno has so much to offer and is just a short drive from Wineglass Bay.
Bicheno is an ideal base for exploring many wonderful East Coast attractions including Freycinet National Park, Wineglass Bay, and many fabulous Tasmanian wineries.
Bicheno was originally known as Waubs Harbour. In the late 1830s and early 1840s, it operated several shore-based whaling stations. Between 1832 and 1840, Bicheno was named Waubedebar in honour of a local Aboriginal woman who saved two sailors from the ocean in the early 1800s.
It was renamed after the British Colonial Secretary of Van Diemen's Land, James Ebenezer Bicheno and officially became a town in 1866. The town grew in the mid-1850s when mined coal was transported along a three-kilometre tramway to the Gulch, before being shipped out.
The Bicheno History Trail gives an account of the town’s origins and early development.
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