TasWeekend: Close encounters with the charming locals at Bicheno

Penguins are just one of the many charms of this laid-back community known for its pristine beaches, working fishing port and granite coast painted in orange lichen.

Cod Rock Point accommodation has three options.

THE days start early at Bicheno. It’s still dark when I’m woken by loud, insistent whirring calls followed by whistling intakes of breath. The sounds are coming from right outside our bedroom, penetrating the double-glazed windows of our holiday unit.

A groggy grope for a phone shows it’s 4.12am … what on earth?

Dozens of little penguins are up and about, their calls waking the neighbourhood. My pulse slows and I smile from beneath the soft, warm doona. It’s a delightful sound, really. It’s nice to listen in on a daily routine that’s been going on for centuries; to know the little waddly creatures are getting on with their feathery, fishy lives.

Within 15 minutes, the cacophony dies down and I drift back to sleep.

Penguins near the beach at Bicheno.

Later we drop into Bicheno Penguin Tours and seek an explanation. What is going on with the wildlife wake-up calls? It turns out they are just that, a rallying call to mates that it’s time to get out of bed for a day’s fishing.

Little penguins are most vulnerable out of the water so they group together to cross the exposed rocks and beaches from their burrows to the sea. It’s a case of safety in numbers, so everyone has to be up and moving at the same time.

You can hardly blame them. The little guys have been having a rough time lately with at least 22 killed by off-leash dogs in the popular town on Tasmania’s East Coast the past month.

If you’re staying anywhere near the foreshore, chances are they will come to you, but Bicheno Penguin Tours offers up-close encounters with penguins at dusk on all but three nights of the year (Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Good Friday).

The hour-long tour takes guests into a rookery on private property nearby where you can learn all about the charming little birds and watch as they waddle their way to their burrows, sometimes straight past your feet.

The Blow Hole at Bicheno. Picture: PHILIP YOUNG

We have the chance for many close encounters with the shy little fellows at our accommodation. We are staying at Cod Rock Point in a two-storey holiday apartment called the Lookout just 20m from the rocky headland between two of Bicheno’s main beaches. It is one of three accommodation options at the address and ours is ideal for couples. It’s in a prime position — the bedroom in the Lookout is one of the closest to an ocean break in the state — and the apartment is well-maintained and equipped.

Penguins are just one of the charms of this laid-back community known for its pristine beaches, working fishing port (at the Gulch) and granite coast painted in orange lichen.

Redbill Beach at Bicheno. Picture: PHILIP YOUNG

IN THE AREA

Douglas Apsley National Park is a 10-minute drive north. A very easy 10-15 minute stroll from the carpark takes you through dry forest to the Apsley River Waterhole — a surprisingly deep expanse of crystal blue water. In summer it’s a popular local swim spot. Those looking for exercise can push on beyond the waterhole for a 2-3 hour return walk (or 4-5 hour circuit) to Aspley Gorge.

Back in town the sign outside The Farm Shed boasts offerings from 23 East Coast wineries. Co-owner Subi Mead, who opened the upmarket outlet with Helen Bain three years ago, greets us and we settle in for a tasting of five East Coast wines. Subi expertly describes each vintage and tells some of the history of the coast. Great spot to pick up a quality Tasmanian-made gift too, whether handicraft or gourmet in a bottle.

Bicheno panorama from Whalers Lookout. Picture: PHILIP YOUNG

Whaler’s Lookout is our next destination, a 20-minute walk up the granite hill overlooking the town, with views of of Waubs Bay and Tasman Sea. New subdivisions demonstrate the popularity of Bicheno which has expanded from 640 permanent residents about a decade ago to 950 in the latest census. The population swells up to 5000 in the middle of summer as holidaymakers flock to the East Coast, when the caravan park and holiday cabins are overflowing.

A dazzling sunrise over the sea is my reward on a morning run along Red Bill Beach and to the flooded sand isthmus at Diamond Island. It will be accessible later in the day at low tide.

We wander down to t he Gulch for fresh calamari and chips from the waterfront Lobster Shack seafood restaurant, watching as a glass bottom-boat trip carries visitors through the marine reserve, revealing the sea life below the surface.

The Lobster Shack at the Gulch in Bicheno. Picture: PHILIP YOUNG

Later, at the Blowhole, swell pumps water in between the granite rocks, rewarding onlookers with impressive spouts and catching squealing kids offguard as they are caught in the spray. The experience encapsulates Bicheno itself. It surprises, it delights and you’re reluctant to leave.

The author was a guest of Cod Rock Point