Today we stayed put in Bicheno. We could have gone to Freycinet National Park but there wasn’t much enthusiasm. There were two options.
The first was to cycle 15km back down highway A3 and then 27km into the park entrance. A round trip of about 85km.
The second was to cycle back into Bicheno, lock our bikes at the bus stop and catch the bus to the park entrance. Bus cost A$28 plus a park day pass. The bus left at 7.35. From the bus there was a 2km walk into the heart of the park.
Barb and I have already spent 2 nights in the park and Brian is going with Jan when they have their rental car. So we opted for a quiet day in Bicheno.
This is a small town of about 850 reliant on a small fishing fleet and vacationers. It is a very popular beach resort and has all the basics with a warm settled climate, great beaches, good fishing and diving, forest parks etc. We waited for some drizzly rain to stop and then cycled into town around 10am.
We rode around the headland, stopped for coffee and muffins, stopped at The Gulch where there is a little fishing fleet based in a narrow channel between the mainland and Governor’s Island. This island has thousand of screeching sea birds and stinks of guano. Then on to the Blowhole, a formation in the rocks that if the tide and wind are right forms a plume of spray. A bit underwhelming when we visited it. Then to the grave of Waubdebar – an aborigine who was stolen as a teenager from her tribe to become a “sealer’s woman”. She became a heroine by swimming out in a storm to rescue two sealers from their capsized boat. A walk to the top of the headland, Whale’s Lookout, and then exhausted went to the local pub for lunch.
Barb and Brian had the senior’s special, hot pot and vegetables, while I searched the menu in vain for spare ribs (very weak joke). That was pretty much Bicheno done, a pretty typical beach resort on the East Coast. Oh yes there was a motorcycle museum and the RSL had happy hour from 5.30 till 6.30 on Fridays.
It was now a blue sky day and hot so another refreshing swim at our perfect little beach and a bit of a lie down.
Bacon and eggs for dinner again, this time with some ice cream.