With boat registrations now open and the production team in place, the tempo is building towards the 2019 MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival being a ‘must see’ on the calendar of boat lovers everywhere.
But it is not just boat lovers who flock to this festival. Anyone who appreciates the natural beauty of timber and fine craftsmanship will be in awe of the hundreds of boats on display. It is a photographer’s and artist’s dream and a wealth of information and inspiration for people interested in Australia’s maritime heritage.
Similarly, there are those who choose to dine on Tasmania’s finest foods and beverages while enjoying a multitude of entertainments on the festival site; children playing in the nautically-themed Kids’ Zone; or families watching and learning as old maritime crafts such a steaming and bending timber for wooden-boat planking or weaving crayfish pots, are demonstrated.
The MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival is also a prime exhibition event on the calendars of many maritime-based companies and organisations, with 64 exhibitors featured in the 2017 festival.
For those who are serious about wooden boat design, sail-making, rigging or maybe planning on sailing around the world, the International Wooden Boat Symposium hosted by the Australian National Maritime Museum has a line-up of world-renowned experts on these and many other topics.
The MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival was judged one of the top three events held in Australia in Qantas Australian Tourism Awards 2015. Held biennially, it is one of the Tasmania’s leading events and one of the few international events held in the state.
The Tasmanian Government has supported this festival from its inception and this ongoing funding ensures that it remains a free event for the public while securing a significant return on investment for the Government.
Over 220 000 people visited the AWBF in 2017 and reliable post code data from a comprehensive survey taken during the last festival indicated 48 per cent of attendees came from interstate and two per cent from overseas.
This perhaps isn’t surprising as the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival is the largest wooden boat festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
Tasmania in February is generally at its best and with the added attraction of the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival it is simply irresistible. So for those planning on making the journey south for the festival, the message is to secure your travel and accommodation as soon as possible.
