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A cutter built nearly 130 years ago and lovingly restored will be at the heart of the 2025 Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Tasmania.
The state’s Events Minister, Nick Duigan says the festival at Hobart’s waterfront will run from February 7-10 with the theme already decided.
“The 2025 festival theme is ‘The Pacific’ and is a wonderful celebration of the cultures and histories of our close neighbours New Zealand and the Pacific region,” Duigan says.
“It’s great to see the Te Uira which was originally built in New Zealand in 1896 and has now been magnificently restored for the festival.”
The 128-year-old Te Uira is a 45-foot gaff-rigged cutter with a kauri timber hull. Also on the festival program is Australia’s first traditionally carved waka taua (the largest of the Maori canoes).
Other events include tours and trips onboard 11 Tall Ships including the Endeavour replica from NSW and a 141-foot brigantine from South Australia, the One & All.
There will be rallies, regattas, cruises and other activities on the Derwent River. The festival will offer water races, rallies and parades, exhibitions, Tasmanian food and beverage, family-friendly activities, and special events such as a Waitangi Day hangi (Maori earth oven).
“The festival has long been an iconic event in Tasmania’s summer calendar, nationally and internationally and is an important driver of tourism and local community engagement,” Duigan said.
The state government has supported the festival since it began in 1994 and has given $3.15 million to it through to 2027.
Heritage Minister Madeleine Ogilvie says the festival is an important celebration of the state’s maritime heritage.
“The Australian Wooden Boat Festival is all about showcasing the incredible craftsmanship that comes with building and restoring wooden boats,” she says.
“The festival brings together the largest collection of wooden boats in the southern hemisphere.”
Among the participating commercial exhibitors will be 115-year-old boat builders Norman R. Wright and Sons who built the South Pacific II (formerly Beryl May) in the early 1960s.
This vessel operated cruises and charters along the Queensland coast, including 32 trips from Brisbane to Lizard Island.
Learn more at australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au
