The Gulch

The East Coast


In between the craggy rockscape of little Governor Island and the Bicheno shoreline is this deep ocean ravine, where the town's fishing fleet shelters from the Tasman Sea swells.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The East Coast attractions

1. Whalers Hill

0.2 MILES

Scramble up to this lofty lookout, looking north along the coast, and scan the horizon for whales: 'Thar she blows!'

2. Governor Island Marine Reserve

0.24 MILES

This marine reserve just offshore from Bicheno is a top diving spot, with kelp gardens and a deep drop-off that's home to myriad sponges and fish. Contact…

3. Waubedebar's Grave

0.4 MILES

The final resting place of Waubedebar, the local Aboriginal woman who fished a couple of hapless sailors from the surf in the early 1800s. Waubs Beach, in…

4. Blowhole

0.44 MILES

One of those rare blowholes that still plies its trade, even on fairly benign days, with geysers of white water surging up through a crack in the coastal…

5. Waubs Beach

0.51 MILES

A fairly safe ocean beach for swimming on calm days.

6. Bicheno Motorcycle Museum

0.51 MILES

Andrew Quin got his first Honda at age four, and has been hooked on motorbikes ever since. You don’t have to know your Benellis from your Bultacos to…

7. Redbill Beach

1.32 MILES

How white do you like your sand, and how clear your water? Redefine your definition of both at Bicheno’s long surf beach.

8. Diamond Island

1.51 MILES

Off the northern end of Redbill Beach is this photogenic granite outcrop, connected to the mainland via a short, semi-submerged, sandy isthmus – at low…