Port harbour to kick off wooden boat celebrations

THE Wooden Boat Festival will host its pre-event opening at Portarlington Safe Harbour next March.

The opening in Portarlington will take place on March 9 and will kick off the eighth Wooden Boat Festival, which will be held at Royal Geelong Club from March 10 to March 12.

With more than 30,000 visitors expected to attend the community event, and more than 170 boats participating in the celebration of all things relating to the design, construction and sailing of wooden boats, the Festival is sure to delight people of all ages.

Wooden Boat Festival chair Stuart Dickson said he was thrilled to receive the support from local and state government.

“This will be the eighth Wooden Boat Festival that we have hosted here in Geelong, and it is growing with every event,” Mr Dickson said.

“To have the support of the City of Greater Geelong and Visit Victoria is just fantastic and encourages our team of volunteers to continue to think of creative ways to engage with our visitors and participants.”

New attractions to the 2018 event will include the arrival of five tall ships on Corio Bay, that visitors can tour and sail on; the pre-event opening at the new Portarlington Safe Harbour; a maritime art exhibition hosted by the Geelong Club, with local artists on display and for sale; a buskers’ festival, showcasing unsigned and emerging talent; a fleet of historic 18ft skiffs from Sydney; and the launch of the Community St Ayles Skiff boats that have been built in conjunction with Diversitat and Lifeboat.

Activities that will also be returning from the 2016 Festival include the opening ceremony on Saturday featuring a Welcome to Country by the Wathourang people, as well as performances from the Deadly Dancers and the Indonesian Society; family fun activities such as face painting, Captain Jack Sparrow, and a pirate treasure hunt; and the ever popular “Quick and Dirty” boat building competition.

The entertainment program is extensive and features an outdoor movie night on Friday Night with live music throughout the weekend, the Royal Australian Jazz Band appearing on the Saturday afternoon followed by a rock and roll night.

The Wooden Boat Festival is largely run by a group of passionate volunteers and hosted by the Royal Geelong Club.

The biennial event is being supported by funding for 2018 through the City of Greater Geelong’s Geelong Major Events Committee and through the state government’s Regional Events Fund.

For more information on the festival, head to woodenboatfestivalgeelong.com.au.