Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 2

Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Massive crowds ascend on Hobart’s Waterfront for Day 2

by Australian Wooden Boat Festival 12 Feb 07:18 AEDT 10-13 February 2023

The Australian Wooden Boat Festival is well under way, with thousands of people enjoying the sights on Hobart’s Waterfront for day two of the four day event.

Day one saw the spectacular Parade of Sail on the River Derwent, with hundreds of wooden boats of all shapes and sizes gathering to celebrate the start of the iconic nautical event. The official opening and Welcome to Country took place on Constitution Dock at 5pm, with Sheldon Thomas’ Indigenous bark watercraft on display and the after party continued in the Ironhouse Waterside Tavern, as live bands entertained the crowds.

Day two has seen families enjoying the live free entertainment at the Old Woolstore Little Sailors Village, with The Story of the Tassie drawing in huge crowds. The Eat More Tassie Seafood Marquee, hosted by the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council delighted visitors with fresh Tassie seafood cooked by chefs, including Massimo Mele, Sabina Newton and Eloise Emmett.

In between sailings, Tall Ships were open to the public for tours and wooden boat owners welcomed friends, family and visitors aboard. The Australian National Maritime Museum Wooden Boat Symposium kicked off with the opening hosted by the Honourable Barbara Baker AC, Governor of Tasmania.

Bella Laughton-Clark AWBF Marketing Manager said “the weather Gods have been kind to us, and as the sun came out it certainly drew more people down to the docks. Look around the site and you will see flocks of people smiling and laughing. We’ve been hearing from people who have travelled across the country just to be here, so it’s great!”

The site spans from Hunter Street to Salamanca Place, finishing on Monday 13 February. The Festival is free to the public.

For more information please visit the AWBF website – awbf.org.au.