Bicheno

Bicheno sits on a stretch of the east coast where the granite is covered in a vivid orange lichen, the same colouring found at the Bay of Fires and Freycinet, giving the shoreline an unusual palette against white sand and clear water. A blowhole in the rock platform near the town centre fires spray on a decent swell. A colony of little penguins nests in the dunes and scrub around the town and comes ashore after dark, watched on guided tours with red light. The Gulch, a sheltered inlet, holds the fishing fleet, and dive boats work the granite reefs offshore. Freycinet National Park lies half an hour south.

History

James Kelly, sailing round Van Diemen's Land, landed here to dry his provisions when the place was called Waubs Harbour, and several shore-based whaling stations worked the bay in the late 1830s and early 1840s. The town is named after James Ebenezer Bicheno, Colonial Secretary of Van Diemen's Land from 1843 to 1851, the post office opened as a receiving house on 1 January 1855, and Bicheno was proclaimed a township in 1866 (Wikipedia, Bicheno, Tasmania).

What to look for

• The blowhole - spray forced through the granite platform on a swell.
• The orange lichen - the coastal granite coloured along the shore.
• The penguin tours - little penguins coming ashore after dark.
• The Gulch - the sheltered inlet with the fishing and dive fleet.

When to go

November to April for the warmest weather; penguins come ashore year-round with the best viewing in the breeding months from spring. The blowhole needs swell to perform. School holidays fill accommodation.

Practical notes

The blowhole underperforms on flat days. Penguin viewing is on paid guided tours with strict light rules, and independent searching disturbs the birds. The water on this coast is cold even in summer.

Nearby

Freycinet and Wineglass Bay lie south; the Bay of Fires is north.

Key facts