Just one week into our trip around Australia we found ourselves in Bicheno, Tasmania and were left wondering, could we live in this town forever?

Sure, the three of us had been there many times before. But there was something about this stay that captured our hearts.

We were on the road again, exploring our beautiful home state of Tasmania before our scheduled sailing to mainland Australia. Our next stop was Bicheno and we were lucky enough to have a place to park the campervan thanks to a colleague of Steph’s. She kindly offered up her block of land in the town for us to stay on for a few nights.

The block is located by the busy Waubs Wharf where fishing boats would leave and return with their catch for the day. Steph and I walked down the road and spent some time admiring the blow hole, which was an impressive sight to see. The sound of the waves crashing on the rocks and the water spraying high in the air was mesmerising.

Bicheno is a quaint coastal town with a couple of pubs and bars, trendy cafes, and seaside shops. We spent a leisurely afternoon walking around the town, stopping by the small IGA supermarket to stock up on supplies, which meant some fresh milk for our morning coffees.

The best thing you can do when you visit a town is to meet the locals. There are many ways you can do this, whether it’s saying hi and chatting to people on the street, or volunteering on a project or working bee. For us on this visit, we heard that locals gather in the morning at Waubs Beach for an ocean swim. It was lovely to be welcomed by some friendly faces and the invigorating swim was a great way to start the morning. After our swim, we enjoyed a hot shower at the Surf Life Saving Club – we were told they only turn the hot water on for an hour.

Willow enjoyed lots of outdoor time and, as always, offered up her professional services during Steph’s work days. This mostly involved jumping on video calls and answering emails (by walking across the keyboard).

Steph and I treated ourselves to a meal at the Lobster Shack. We shared a delicious lobster roll and a Shack Pack that included prawns, calamari, fish and chips. The seafood was so fresh and we savoured every bite.

What I find particularly stunning about this area is how crystal clear the water is. When we went snorkelling, the visibility was great and there were lots of fish to see. We even got to see stingrays in the evening as we stood on the beach.

On our last morning in Bicheno, Steph and I walked out to Diamond Island.

Diamond Island is a small granite island located just North of Bicheno. The island is a nature reserve and is home to Little Penguins, which can be seen making their way to their burrows at night. Because of this, you’re not allowed to walk directly on the island, but are free to walk around the spectacular granite rocks.

There are rock pools galore, and lots of snorkelling opportunities in the crystal clear water. On low tide, the island is accessible by foot across the sandbar. It’s a great place to spend some time.

With Willow waiting for us in the van, we walked back along the beach. Seeing Bicheno in the distance, we couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to live there forever. The beautiful scenery, friendly locals, and laid-back lifestyle were all very appealing.

We felt grateful for our time in Bicheno, and as we drove away, we knew there were other adventures that lay ahead on our trip around Australia. Maybe one day we will return.

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Funny story, we had to drop into the police station to get a document signed, and as we did, we discovered no one was home and the alarm panel started beeping. We rushed out, but soon enough the alarm was blaring out over town! It was apparent that someone had forgotten to lock the door after they set the alarm. We couldn’t help but laugh at the situation of us accidentally breaking into a police station – we are still on the run to this day…

Right now, we have headed further North where there will be many more stories to come!