Hobart is home to the MyState Financial Australian Wooden Boat Festival, a spectacular 4-day celebration of maritime culture and craftsmanship. Now recognised as the most significant event of its kind in Australia, the Festival not only attracts visitors from all over the world, but boats from far and wide are on display on the water and on the docks.
In February 2011 over 500 boats – wooden craft of all shapes and sizes – congregated on the city’s historic waterfront for the ninth festival. An extensive program of entertainment, music, demonstrations, displays, and sensational food added to the vibrancy of the event.
The inaugural Australian Wooden Boat Festival was staged in November 1994 by Cathy Hawkins, Ian Johnston and Andy Gamlin thanks to financial assistance from the Tasmanian State Government, which has continued to support this iconic event to the present day. Many other sponsors have supported the event and continue to realise great benefits from this now internationally recognized Festival.
Held over a normal two-day weekend the Festival showcased 180 wooden boats, complemented by food stalls, music, dance and nautical demonstrations. Two features of the ‘94 Festival were a French frigate that transported a canoe from Isle de Pins (New Caledonia), and the HM Bark Endeavour Replica on her maiden voyage from Perth WA.
Also held in November, the second event was staged in 1996 in cold blustery conditions. Nevertheless, almost 200 boats enthusiastically arrived for more celebration. This time a modest entry fee was asked of the public to support the growing costs of staging the event. A very interesting craft became the feature vessel of the Festival. Known as “Charlie”, a 25 foot steam driven mahogany canoe from South Australia, crowds were amazed at the sight of this different craft. A handful of Couta boats also arrived from Sorrento, Port Philip Bay, providing an interstate angle which was to grow each year.
A change in ownership for the third festival in 1998 brought the Rotary Club of Salamanca into the realm of a growing event and Andy Gamlin was appointed Festival Director. The Logan, New-Zealand built and beautifully restored racing yacht Waitangi was attracted to the Festival from Melbourne. Some incredible model boats from Melbourne were also a highlight.
Unfortunately, the weather again intervened and the whole weekend was affected causing a downturn in the largely Tasmanian visitor numbers. Rainy Novembers prompted festival organisers to move the dates of the Festival to the three-day weekend in February, and the next event was held in 2001.
The Rotary Club handed ownership to a new organisation, Australian Wooden Boat Festival Inc. with Jayne Wilson as Chair and Andy Gamlin as Festival Director. AWBF Inc has continued to manage the staging of the Australian Wooden Boat Festival every other year since that time.
In 2001 230 boats registered for the event and the weekend was a huge success and held in warm and sunny weather for all three days. The Festival was once again visited by HM Bark Endeavour Replica following a world tour. Two other features - Astor of Sydney Hobart yacht race fame in the 60’s, and the replica of Flinders’ famous vessel of early Tasmanian discovery, Norfolk – created a great deal of interest from the public and the media.
The three day format permitted a new entertainment formula, the introduction of the “Parade of Sail” and other new events, such as specially performed theatre, provided the substance to attract more interstate and overseas visitors to the Festival.
The fifth and sixth Festivals, held in February 2003 and 2005 were under the directorship of Brian Downes and again new activities were introduced and although boat entries and visitor numbers did not increase dramatically in 2003, the 2005 event attracted 450 boats and an explosion of interstate and international visitors to Hobart.
In 2003 the beautifully restored and presented Wraith of Odin (ex Pittwater, Sydney) stole the show. The historic 22 foot Tassie II was another feature of the Festival as she was launched in front of the crowd after being brought over from Melbourne.
In 2005 there were added attractions in the shape of bringing the 1874 three- masted iron barque James Craig back to Tasmania after almost 30 years of restoration in Sydney. Another major attraction were three quality replica Viking Ships transported from Denmark. Five popular specialist boat builders from the Viking Ship Museum also joined the Festival to demonstrate boat building skills with their ‘authentic’ replica Viking tools and rope making equipment.
Still under the management of the AWBF Inc, the 2007 Festival was another year for major developments. The Festival was extended to run over 4 days, starting on a Friday afternoon as the hundreds of boats arrived at Sullivan’s Cove. The Shipwrights’ Village, a Maritime Marketplace and food stalls themed on Tasmania’s superb fish and seafood – The Seataste – were just part of the dockside activity which now extended into Hunter Street. Andy Gamlin again took on the role of Festival Director and worked hard to bring together a wonderful combination of boats including the outstanding Dutch vessels and an unforgettable “Music boat”.
The 2007 Festival enjoyed superb summer weather, a record 500 boats were registered, and Hobart was once again the spotlight for boating and maritime enthusiasts from around the World. A professional marketing and media program was implemented to build on the reputation the Festival had already established.
Heading up the 2009 Festival – the eighth – was Rob McGuire, who came to the event with six years of managing Targa Tasmania to his credit. With a hard-working, mostly volunteer Organising Team and an extended marketing, media and sponsorship campaign, Rob delivered another exceptional Festival. Billed as “The Best of Australia in the Heart of Tasmania” the event attracted record boat entries – with every state and territory represented. This included 4 amazing 18ft replica racing skiffs from Sydney, and a dug-out Tiwi Island Canoe that was built specially for the Festival.
Again held over 4 days, the dockside was alive with a well-orchestrated mix of music, demonstrations, food and entertainment including a live band on Saturday night which had people dancing well into the night. An on-water program was established as well as the Community Boat Building being introduced as a new activity.
See some of the photographs at www.flickr.com/photos/awbf2009
The ninth Festival was held in 2011 and was the biggest and best yet - again headed up by Rob McGuire. With a theme of “Celebrating our Maritime Culture" the Festival showcased international villages from Japan and Indonesia. Over six hundred boats entered the Festival -
- including the majestic Tall Ships, James Craig, Enterprize, Windeward Bound, Young Endeavour, Lady Nelson and One and All, the magnificent Princess Iluka, Tacoma the fully restored fishing trawler from South Australia and Gretel 11 the famous 1970’s America’s Cup Challenger.
Encouraged by free entry, superb weather and free bus travel on all Metro services a record crowd in excess of 100,000 people attended the 2011 MyState Financial Australian Wooden Boat Festival. The festival site was almost double that of previous years taking up the whole of the Hobart Waterfront including the massive Princes Wharf Number One Shed.
Again held over 4 days, the dockside was alive with a well-orchestrated mix of music, demonstrations, food and entertainment.
See some of the photographs at http://www.flickr.com/photos/61181219@N05/
To view our previous posters and short history visit our history page.
The 2013 MyState Financial Australian Wooden Boat Festival will be held in Hobart from Friday 8th February to Monday 11th February. To be first to receive details please subscribe to our e-news.
For more information on how you can be
involved with one of the world’s leading maritime
festivals – as an exhibitor, commercial participant, sponsor
– please contact the Festival office:
Office: office@australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au
Postal address: GPO Box 713, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia