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All aboard Tarkine (L-R) Matt Morris, Iefke van Gogh and Obie the dog, Sienna Carswell, Scott Christie-Johnston, Willow Priest, Thea Stephanus, Lucy Christie-Johnston, Zoe Stanton, Paul Stephanus. Credit: Dave Golding
The Old Woolstore Little Sailors Village returns for AWBF 2027
There’s something pretty magical about watching a child step into a real boat shed for the first time.
The smell of timber and sawdust. The tools hanging on the wall. Half-built hulls taking shape in the shadows. And in this case, the towering presence of Tarkine, a 40-foot pilot cutter currently in its final stages of construction in the Huon Valley.
With school holidays underway, AWBF Festival Director Paul Stephanus and The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel Commercial Manager Scott Christie-Johnston recently took a group of young would-be sailors behind the scenes at A Boat By The River, where boatbuilders Iefke van Gogh and Matt Morris have spent the past six years building Tarkine from scratch.
For many of the children, it was their first time inside a working boat shed.
One minute they were climbing aboard, exploring cabins and steering wheels, ringing bells and trying on pirate hats. The next, they were sitting beneath a full-sized wooden boat under construction, asking questions about timber, tools and life on the water.
It’s exactly the kind of curiosity The Old Woolstore Little Sailors Village is designed to spark.
Now entering their third festival together, AWBF and The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel continue a partnership focused on creating meaningful, hands-on experiences for children and families.
Returning from 6–8 February 2027 on Parliament Lawns, the free family precinct invites children from toddlers to tweens into hands-on making, learning and play. Presented for a third festival by Program Partner The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel, the space has become one of the festival’s most-loved family experiences.
Children will once again be able to build Huon pine boat models with Woodcraft Guild Tasmania, design and race solar-powered boats, and take part in the My First Boat program alongside a parent or guardian. Families will build their own small vessel before joining the parade and launch at Constitution Dock.
The Mariner’s Makerspace and The Book Barge, presented by Variety Tasmania - The Children's Charity, will also return, alongside pirate dress-ups, knot craft and other hands-on activities for families.
After selling out in 2025, the popular Kumundar Gujo Sailing Ship and Jungle Gym Workshops will expand in 2027, offering an even deeper hands-on making experience with Japanese craftspeople.
For Paul Stephanus, the visit to Tarkine captured the heart of what the program is all about. “The Little Sailors Village is where it starts,” he said. “It’s hands-on, it’s social, and it’s real. Kids are making things, learning skills and connecting with others. For some, that might grow into a lifelong connection to boats. For others, it’s confidence and creativity they carry into something else.”
And perhaps that’s the beauty of it. Not every child who visits The Old Woolstore Little Sailors Village will grow up to build a 40-foot wooden boat. But some might. Others might discover a love of making, craftsmanship, storytelling or simply the joy of doing something with their hands.
Either way, it starts somewhere. Sometimes with a small wooden boat. Sometimes with a bell in a cabin. Sometimes with a glimpse of something much bigger.
