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Voykit pocket guide · Australia
Bicheno
Stay 1 night, 2 if you want a full Freycinet day: penguins at dusk, blowhole and Gulch walk on foot, Coles Bay 30 min south.
Bicheno is a small east-coast town of a few hundred people, built around a granite gulch and a working lobster fleet. It works as a Freycinet National Park base and as a penguin-viewing stop: the nightly tour is capped and sells out in summer, and the birds come ashore in numbers only from spring to autumn. Everything in town is walkable in under an hour end to end, so a car is only needed for the national park, the wineries and the waterhole.
- Country
- Australia
- Best months
- Oct–Apr (warm days, penguins ashore); Nov–Mar for swimming and the full tour season
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (cool, wet, penguins mostly absent); avoid the Christmas–New Year week if you want quiet
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- AUD
- Money
- Currency is the Australian dollar (AUD, A$). Contactless cards and phones are accepted almost everywhere, including public transport in the big cities; some small cafes are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget A$90–140 excl. bed · Mid A$150–250 excl. bed · High A$250+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telstra has the widest outback coverage; Optus and Vodafone (TPG) are cheaper and fine in cities and along highways.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 000 · From a mobile 112 · Emergency information line (national) 1800 226 226
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Angled two- or three-pin Type I, shared with NZ, Fiji and China; sockets have their own switch — turn it on.
- Tipping
- Cafés and casual meals: Nothing; a tip jar is optional.; Restaurants: Not expected; 10% for very good service in a nice restaurant if you wish.; Taxi / rideshare: Round up or nothing.; Tours and guides: Optional; A$10–20 for a great day guide.; Surcharges: Weekend and public-holiday surcharges of 10–15% are legal if shown on the menu.
- Water
- Tap water is safe in cities and towns; in remote places use signed drinking taps. Carry plenty on any outback drive or walk.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in parks, beaches, shopping centres and petrol stations (servos); the National Public Toilet Map app lists them.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | A$4.50–6 |
| Fish and chips, takeaway | A$15–25 |
| Pub main (parmigiana, steak, seafood) | A$25–40 |
| Southern rock lobster, restaurant | A$60–120 |
| Bakery pie or sausage roll | A$6–9 |
| Supermarket picnic supplies for two | A$25–40 |
| Fuel, per litre | A$1.80–2.10 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HBA · Hobart Airport
- About 2 h 15 min by road via the Tasman Highway; the main gateway for international and mainland flights.
- LST · Launceston Airport
- About 2 h by road via Campbell Town; useful if you are driving the east coast north to south.
Typical fares
- Penguin tour from town
- about A$20 per person, minibus included, nightly (check)
- Glass-bottom boat from the Gulch
- about A$60 per person, daily 9:30–15:00 (check)about A$60 per person, daily 9:30 AM–3:00 PM (check)
- Drive Bicheno → Coles Bay
- about 30 min, 30 kmabout 30 min, 19 mi
- Drive Bicheno → Hobart
- about 2 h 15 min, 180 km (check)about 2 h 15 min, 112 mi (check)
Get around
The town is small enough to walk: the waterfront track runs from Diamond Island past the Gulch to the blowhole, over an hour end to end, with a cycleway alongside. A car is needed for Freycinet National Park, Apsley Waterhole and the vineyards. There is a daily bus from Hobart, but no local public transport, so book tours or drive.
See and do
Known for
- Little penguin viewing tours
- The Gulch and the blowhole
- Southern rock lobster (sold locally as crayfish)
- Freycinet National Park access
- Diamond Island
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park | Drive the C302 south from the Tasman Highway, about 30 min | About 40 min |
| Apsley Waterhole | Signposted turn at the northern end of town, about 10 kmSignposted turn at the northern end of town, about 6.2 mi | About 20 min |
| St Helens | Tasman Highway north via Scamander | About 1 h 15 min |
| Swansea | Tasman Highway south | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Town centre and the Gulch
- Walk to the blowhole, the waterfront track, cafés and the pub; best for one night without a car.
- Redbill Beach and Diamond Island end
- 2 km north of the centre on the Tasman Highway; beachfront houses and the resort, penguins cross the road here after dark.1.2 mi north of the centre on the Tasman Highway; beachfront houses and the resort, penguins cross the road here after dark.
- Burgess Street and the highway strip
- Motels, the caravan parks and the supermarket; practical for drivers and campervans.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thanks | Thanks |
| No worries | No worries |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Table for two, please | Table for two, please |
| Where is the beach access? | Where is the beach access? |
| Is it low tide now? | Is it low tide now? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake or 'G'day' / 'How are you going?'; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; long answers to 'how are you'
- Rounds: Buy your round ('shout') when drinking in a group; avoid: Leaving before your shout
- Queues: Queue patiently; sitting in the front seat of a taxi when alone is common; avoid: Pushing in — it is noticed
- Country: Listen to Welcomes and Acknowledgements; use local place names when offered; avoid: Touching artefacts or photographing ceremonies without permission
- Beach: Swim between the flags; respect lifesavers' instructions; avoid: Swimming at unpatrolled beaches alone
- Humour: Expect teasing and understatement; laugh along; avoid: Taking dry sarcasm literally or boasting
- Walking and driving: Keep left on footpaths and escalators; wave thanks to drivers who let you in; avoid: Stopping on the road to photograph kangaroos
Scams and watch-outs
- Penguins cross the Tasman Highway after dark, especially near the Diamond Island end: drive slowly and never use a torch or flash on the birds.
- The blowhole and the rocks around the Gulch are unfenced; big seas and high tides wash over the platform.
- Diamond Island is reachable on foot at low tide only, and the currents in the channel are strong.
- Mobile coverage is limited: Telstra is the only network with reliable service in town.
- The supermarket closes in the early evening, so buy dinner supplies before then.
- Penguin tours are capped and sell out in summer: book ahead.
Very safe for a town this size; the real risks are dark-road penguins, unfenced rock platforms at the blowhole, and cold water. Swim between the flags if any, and wear a wetsuit like the locals.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Bicheno yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Little penguin viewing tours
- The Gulch and the blowhole
- Southern rock lobster (sold locally as crayfish)
- Freycinet National Park access
- Diamond Island
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Tasmania — East Coast: www.discovertasmania.com.au/regions/east-coast
- Freycinet National Park (Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania): parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/freycinet-national-park
- Wikivoyage: Bicheno, revision 5242241 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5242241
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Bicheno
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance000
- From a mobile112
- Emergency information line (national)1800 226 226
No consulates in Bicheno. Nearest consular help: Hobart (some honorary consulates) and the embassies and consulates-general in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne.
Fuel is available in town; fill up before driving to Freycinet or north to St Helens.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/bicheno). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.