Bicheno named one of the most welcoming places in Australia by Booking.com
A cohesive community and ‘a world-class patisserie that’s bumped up everyone’s cholesterol level’ are some of the reasons why a Tassie town has been named one of the most welcoming places in Australia.
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Bicheno has been named one of the most welcoming places in Australia.
The East Coast town featured in a top 10 list compiled by Booking.com.
Glamorgan-Spring Bay Acting Mayor and Bicheno resident Mike Symons said he was not surprised the town received the accolade.
“It goes to show we’re obviously a friendly beachside town, and we enjoy people coming to visit us because that’s obviously the feedback they’re giving – so we must be doing something right.”
Mr Symons said the town’s landscape was part of its appeal.
“A point of difference is its natural beauty; the vista, the water, the rocks, and all those things go to making it a beautiful spot to be in.
“But we’ve also got some good attractions, and we’ve got a range of accommodation.
“We’ve got some very high-end accommodation, and then you’ve got your good old caravan parks that people just come and have a wonderful summer holiday at.”
Regarding the town’s attractions, Mr Symons said there were lots of things bringing people to Bicheno.
“You can go down the street and get any number of little, lovely coffee shops; we’ve got a world-class patisserie that’s bumped up everyone’s cholesterol level in Bicheno single-handedly.
“We’ve got some really good, world-class people in Bicheno doing great things.”
Mr Symons said a welcoming town has a cohesive community.
“The local people of Bicheno are really active in a community sense; there’s a surf club, we’ve got an RSL club, we’ve got a bowls club, a golf club – we’ve got lots of people active in the community.
“We have a great Lions Club; we have a fantastic food and wine festival at the start of summer, and then we have a fantastic rock concert at the end of summer.
“All of these events are run by local people, and that engenders pride into the community and makes everyone really proud of where they live.”
Conversely, Mr Symons said there were also factors that could make a town unwelcoming, such as “facilities not up to scratch.”
“That’s partly where the council comes in.
“We’ve got a great council crew in Bicheno that keep all the facilities tidy.
“If you haven’t got that going on and the place is looking untidy, it doesn’t become welcoming.”
Mr Symons said the townsfolk’s attitude could also make a place unwelcoming.
“Sometimes there are some places where perhaps people maybe don’t want the visitors and don’t understand what they bring to the economy, and perhaps they bemoan the fact some visitors got their park outside the supermarket.
“I think Bicheno just accepts that, and we know it’s going to be busy at Christmas.
“And local people just plan for that and we’re all aware of that, and we just enjoy it while it’s there.”
Bicheno is around 185km northeast of Hobart and has a population of about 950.
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Originally published as Bicheno named one of the most welcoming places in Australia by Booking.com
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