HOBART FESTIVAL

The biennial (every two years) Mystate Bank Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart proves the attraction that timber boats can generate. It’s by far the largest event for timber boats in the Southern Hemisphere.

Held over four days, the festival displays more than 500 timber boats, along with seminars and working displays.

It’s organised and run by a passionate group of experienced sailors, boatbuilders, maritime historians and enthusiasts, many who have been with the festival since its inception in 1994.

Over 225,000 people attended the last one in 2017, with over half of these coming from either mainland Australia or overseas, with an obvious benefit for Hobart and Tasmanian tourism.

Numerous friends who’ve attended the Festival (some several times), speak of it in glowing terms. They also say in terms of raw materials – the people, boats, history and waterfront location – Auckland has everything necessary to host a similar event.

An Auckland-based wooden boat festival could potentially generate several million dollars for the local economy.

If it was run so as to avoid conflict with the Hobart event, the flow-on effect for wooden boats in the southern hemisphere would give traction to both events. The next Australian one will be held this month, February 8-11. www.australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au