The Dennison Star
The City of Hobart has welcomed the return of the Australian Wooden Boat Festival an event that attracted 120,000 visits in 2019. The event starts today and concludes on Monday 13 February. Source: Timberbiz
“This event connects our maritime past and present, and I’m delighted to see our First Nations history recognised through indigenous watercraft builder Sheldon Thomas whose traditionally designed watercraft will be part of the opening event,” Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said.
Hobart Creative City Portfolio Chair John Kelly said that the Australian Wooden Boat Festival also brings together history and craftsmanship while bringing colour, movement and life to the River Derwent and the Hobart waterfront.
The Australian Wooden Boat Festival runs from February 10 to 13 and is held across Hobart’s vibrant and bustling waterfront. It brings together the largest and most beautiful collection of wooden boats in the southern hemisphere. From its humble beginnings in 1994, it has grown to become the most significant event of its kind in Australia.
One of the stars of the festival is The Dennison Star, which was built for use on the Gordon River, on the West Coast of Tasmania as a cruise boat. It is the largest Huon Pine boat ever built.
The timbers used for construction were sourced by Reg Morrison out of the high country above the Gordon River on the West Coast of Tasmania, the keel being a single piece of 90ft Blue Gum. The timber cut was rafted together and towed down river to Strahan, then milled at Morrison Bros sawmills then freighted to Woodbridge.
Since 2002, the vessel has been in mainland waters and has returned to Tasmania to attend the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in 2023 after significant restoration and preservation works by current owners in Victoria.
