Aqua Grill Café - Franklin

An excellent facility. Great history and knowledge of the local timbers involved in ship and boat building. Paying for a tour was a great idea to support the school and facility as well as get in-depth timber wisdom from the excellent volunteer guide.

Very interesting and well worth taking the time and spending the money on the tour. Our guide Graham was very interesting and we were very glad we visited.

Here you can take a one and half hour boat trip serving with wine or coffee while enjoying the lake breeze. Even just walk along the lake is enjoyable.

Anyone interested in wooden boats, boat building, woodcraft, rope and rigging skills, boat repair and maintenance techniques, as well as the history and long association of boats and shipping in coastal Tasmania will be fascinated and informed by a visit here. The rugged topography and limited road access has driven the farmers and fishermen of the Huon valley, D'Entrecasteau Channel and Bruny Island areas of south-east Tas to utilse marine transport. The serendipitous access to some of the world's most suitable timbers has fostered boat-building and maintenance in this region. Huon pine, King Billy and Celery-top pine and the many hardwoods of Eucalyptus Regnans species have been used to best advantage, and the tutors at the Wooden Boat and Living Boat trust are skilled and experienced craftsmen who are also capable and effective communicators. People retiring to this area of affordable real estate, fresh foods, fresh air and new opportunity are still relatively young and vigorous, with a thirst for learning new skills, so that a three- or six-month course may open up a new, active and enduring interests in traditional handicrafts. These skills are the more enriching for the history and traditions they embody. All of these factors have made the Living Boat and Wooden Boat centre thrive. Long may it continue to do so!

Absolutely spectacular working wood boat building school. Makes me want to return to take a class and leave with my own Kayak!!! Guided tour well worth it!