The town was named in honour of James Ebenezer Bicheno, the British Colonial Secretary for Van Diemen's Land from 1843 to 1851, with the name in use in 1851. The first historical reference to the place that was to become Bicheno was made by James Kelly during his circumnavigation of Van Diemen's Land. He landed here to dry his provisions. Waub's Harbour was the location for a number of shore-based bay whaling stations in the late 1830s and early 1840s. Bicheno was proclaimed a township in 1866. Bicheno Post Office opened as a receiving house on 1 January 1855.
Features
Near the tennis courts is the grave of Wauba Debar, an aboriginal who was stolen from her tribe as a teenager to become a "sealer's woman". Her bravery in rescuing two sealers in a storm is commemorated by a headstone. The hinterland was established for farming in the mid-1840s, which continues today. Coal was discovered in 1848. In 1854, the harbour was expanded to provide port facilities for the coal mines at Denison River. The coal was transported to the port via a 5‑km horse-drawn tramway. The use of Bicheno as a coal port was short-lived. The discovery of gold in Victoria saw most of the residents depart in 1855 and for nearly a century, Bicheno became a sleepy little fishing village. Fishing has continued to be the lifeblood of the town with substantial quantities of crayfish, abalone, scallops and trevally. In recent times it has become a popular tourist destination, with a range of accommodation, craft shops, two small aquaria, and a visitor centre. Visitors are also attracted to the little penguincolony on adjacent Diamond Island A nearby point of interest is the Bicheno Blowhole. A famous resident is the world champion swimmer Shane Gould. In September 2003, a memorial to the merchant navy was unveiled in Bicheno. Five months later, in February 2004, the town presented a freedom of entry charter to the Australian Merchant Navy, the first time any locality in the world has granted 'freedom of the city' to the merchant navy. Local primary school children have been appointed custodians of the memorial, built near Wauba Debar's grave. At the 2019 Australian federal election the Bicheno booth recorded the following number of votes for each party: Labor 194, Nationals 118, Greens 108, Liberal 96, United Australia Party 30 and Pauline Hanson's One Nation 25. After the distribution of preferences the two-party preferred vote was Labor 333 to Liberal 238.
Population
In the 2016 Census, there were 943 people in Bicheno. 76.6% of people were born in Australia and 86.0% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 37.7% and Anglican 23.7%.
