The South Australian Wooden Boat Festival is a biennial flagship event held at Goolwa on the Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia.
It showcases the historic Goolwa wharf, one of Australia’s most important river ports and celebrates iconic river boating history and boatbuilding traditions, the Murray River environment, lifestyle, culture and heritage.
The 2025 SA Wooden Boat Festival was a resounding success, drawing over 18,000 people to the historic River Port of Goolwa.
Held on the beautifully revitalised Goolwa Wharf, the festival brought together wooden boats, boaties, builders and enthusiasts from across the region and beyond for a vibrant celebration of maritime heritage and community spirit.
We’re proud to share that the 2025 Festival has been nominated as a finalist in the South Australian Tourism Awards, Festivals & Events category, recognising the passion and craftsmanship that made this event so memorable.
Now, we’re looking ahead to the landmark 20th SA Wooden Boat Festival, set to take place on 24–25 April 2027. We can’t wait to welcome you back to Goolwa for another spectacular weekend on the water.
The Goolwa Wharf Precinct’s history dates back to the mid-1850s when Goolwa was established as a thriving river port. The original wharf was built in 1852 on the recommendation of Governor Sir Henry Fox Young. It was extended in 1866, demolished and rebuilt in 1874 and extended again in 1878.
When navigation of the Murray River was accomplished in 1851, an immediate start was made to the construct a railway to link the river port to Port Elliot. This was completed in 1854 and extended to Victor Harbor in 1864. The rail tracks from Port Elliot entered the wharf at right angles and turntables on the wharf were used to swing wagons parallel to the moored steamers and barges. The old railway goods shed, now the Fleurieu Distillery, was built in 1879 and sited with the railway track running through the centre for ease of unloading cargo. (taken from here https://www.alexandrina.sa.gov.au/live/projects/major-projects/goolwa-wharf-precinct )
The Wharf Shed was built in 1877-78 and remained virtually unchanged in its appearance until the 1990s. It is now used as the Goolwa Riverboat Centre incorporating an exhibition space and booking office for the PS Oscar W. Peak use of the wharf for cargo handling was between 1878 and 1884. Grain and wool were among the most common cargo from up river.
The Wharf Precinct is a major tourist attraction of the Fleurieu Peninsula region and features:
• Heritage Steamranger Cockle train and Railway Station
• Boutique Fleurieu Distillery/Brewery and Cellar Door
Mayor Keith Parkes
The Goolwa Wharf Precinct is located at “The Meeting of the Waters” which is significant site for Ngarrindjeri where the Murray River, Murrundi in Ngarrindjeri, and Coorong, Kurangk in Ngarrindjeri, would meet to allow significant fish species to reproduce. This area has always been ‘life bearing and significant’ for Ngarrindjeri. Visit Yuntulun Ku:li-war exhibition at the Signal Point Experience Centre.
