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Major city · 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.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
AUD
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
Airports
HBA · LST
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7
  • Oceania ↗Oceania's island states guard their farms and reefs at the border: tick 'yes' on the arrival card for any food, plant, animal product, soil or used outdoor gear, and let the officer decide.
  • Oceania ↗Across the tropical South Pacific, cyclones are possible from November to April: choose insurance that covers weather delays and keep one spare night before a long-haul departure.
  • Australia and New Zealand ↗Both countries drive on the left, with long distances between fuel stops in the outback and on New Zealand's back roads; fatigue causes more visitor crashes than speed.
  • Australia ↗Almost every visitor needs a visa or an electronic authorisation (ETA or eVisitor, depending on passport) before boarding: apply only through the official Department of Home Affairs site or the official AustralianETA app, and check the rules for your passport.
  • Australia ↗Declare all food, plant material, seeds, wood and animal products on your arrival declaration; undeclared items can bring on-the-spot fines or visa cancellation. When unsure, declare it.
  • Australia ↗Drive on the left. An overseas licence in English (or with an official translation or International Driving Permit) is accepted for visitors; check the state rules and your rental contract.
  • Australia ↗Swim between the red and yellow flags on patrolled beaches; rip currents cause most beach drownings.

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.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Bicheno, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeA$4.50–6 (≈ US$3–4)
  • Budget bedCaravan park powered site, a night, per roomA$45 (≈ US$30)
  • Mid-range bedMotel or cabin double room, a night, per roomA$190 (≈ US$130)
  • High-end bedMotel or cabin double room, a night, per roomA$320 (≈ US$250)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget A$90 (≈ US$60) · Mid A$170 (≈ US$120) · High A$320 (≈ US$250)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Little penguin viewing toursThe Gulch and the blowholeSouthern rock lobster (sold locally as crayfish)Freycinet National Park accessDiamond Island
Airports
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.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Bicheno: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

22°C

13°C

8 rd

Feb

22°C

13°C

7 rd

Mar

21°C

12°C

8 rd

Apr

18°C

10°C

9 rd

May

16°C

8°C

9 rd

Jun

14°C

6°C

10 rd

Jul

13°C

5°C

10 rd

Aug

14°C

6°C

10 rd

Sep

16°C

7°C

9 rd

Oct

18°C

8°C

9 rd

Nov

20°C

10°C

8 rd

Dec

21°C

12°C

8 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting 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 & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park

go

Door to door: About 40 min

Drive the C302 south from the Tasman Highway, about 30 min

The reason most people stop here. Park entry fees apply at the Freycinet visitor area; go early in summer for the Wineglass Bay lookout car park.

Apsley Waterhole

go

Door to door: About 20 min

Signposted turn at the northern end of town, about 10 km

Town water supply and a cold swimming hole; no sunscreen in the water, so wear a rash vest.

St Helensgo

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min

Tasman Highway north via Scamander

North-coast base for the Bay of Fires; a natural next stop on an east-coast drive.

Swansea

go

Door to door: About 45 min

Tasman Highway south

Historic town with bakeries and a small supermarket; useful resupply between Bicheno and Triabunna.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

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.

Burgess Street and the highway strip

Motels, the caravan parks and the supermarket; practical for drivers and campervans.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
A$90–140 (≈ US$60–95) excl. bed
Mid
A$150–250 (≈ US$100–170) excl. bed
High
A$250 (≈ US$170)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Motel or cabin double room1 × 1 night × A$190A$190
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × A$170A$340
Penguin tour, per person2 × A$20 · checkA$40
Glass-bottom boat tour, per person2 × A$60 · checkA$120
Freycinet National Park day pass, per vehicle1 × A$45 · checkA$45
eSIM, about a week of data2 × A$25A$50
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeA$79
Trip total≈ A$432 per person per day, bed includedA$864≈ US$600

2026 estimate in Australian dollars; fuel and national park passes excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

CoffeeA$4.50–6 (≈ US$3–4)
Fish and chips, takeawayA$15–25 (≈ US$10–17)
Pub main (parmigiana, steak, seafood)A$25–40 (≈ US$17–30)
Southern rock lobster, restaurantMarket price; ask before ordering.A$60–120 (≈ US$40–80)
Bakery pie or sausage rollA$6–9 (≈ US$4–6)
Supermarket picnic supplies for twoA$25–40 (≈ US$17–30)
Fuel, per litrecheckA$1.80–2.10 (≈ US$2)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

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.
  • 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.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire, ambulance
000
From a mobile
112

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

BichenoBicheno

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

To this address, pleaseTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire, ambulance000
  • From a mobile112
  • Emergency information line (national)1800 226 226

Embassy

No consulates in Bicheno. Nearest consular help: Hobart (some honorary consulates) and the embassies and consulates-general in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Penguin tour from town: about A$20 (≈ US$14) per person, minibus included, nightly (check)
  • Glass-bottom boat from the Gulch: about A$60 (≈ US$40) per person, daily 9:30–15:00 (check)
  • Drive Bicheno → Coles Bay: about 30 min, 30 km
  • Drive Bicheno → Hobart: about 2 h 15 min, 180 km (check)

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?

Fuel is available in town; fill up before driving to Freycinet or north to St Helens.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Bicheno. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. 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 · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 6 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for HBA and LST: drive times field-checked, last fuel and food stops, late-arrival rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: the Gulch and blowhole, Redbill Beach and Diamond Island, Burgess Street, the Whalers' Lookout track.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (penguin tour, glass-bottom boat, motorcycle museum, Apsley Waterhole) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Penguin-night and rough-sea fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Australia

Sources