Top five fun family activities to fill your summer
There's warm-weather inspiration for every age in Tassie.
Festivale
3- 4 February
Launceston comes to life with this three-day-long outdoor event that’s designed to showcase the best Tasmanian food, beer, wine and cider. Family and friends can relax under the historic elm trees in the wide open space of City Park, stroll the stalls, catch live performances and see chefs in action all at Festivale.
Cataract Gorge
The many ways to enjoy Launceston’s very own wedge of wilderness are as varied and exciting as the landscape itself: soar high above the picturesque waterway on the world’s longest single-span chairlift, traverse the bushland, admire Victorian gardens splashed with colour, rinse off in the swimming pool, and fill up at a café surrounded by stunning peacocks.
Evandale Village Fair and National Penny Farthing Championships
18 February
The National Penny Farthing Championships will form an exhilarating portion of the 40th Evandale Village Fair, while Pioneer Park will overflow with delicious food and drink, entertainment, face painting, puppet shows and pony rides. Tickets are $15 per adult and free for children under 16.
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
This Hobart destination boasts a tranquil Japanese garden, duckponds teeming with lilies and – especially popular among the kids – the chilly Sub Antarctic Plant House, featuring looped bird calls and alpine flora. Food options like Sprout Takeaway and Succulent Restaurant will keep hunger at bay, or a family picnic will just as readily fill the gap.
Credit: Rod Hollingsworth
Australian Wooden Boat Festival
10 - 13 February
Expect open boat tours, tall ships and a mighty Parade of Sail. Fine vessels and displays will fill the harbourside, while school groups will build, decorate and race their own wooden boats at Constitution Dock. More than 80 stallholders will sell their wares and various tantalising food and beverage stalls will plate up premium Tasmanian produce.
Find out more at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival.
Credit: Eric Graudins