Story courtesy Coast Lines Magazine

Words: Tahney Fosdike.

Armfield Slip and Boatshed is ready to supply all the maritime history needed at this April’s SA Wooden Boat Festival. Garry Coombes AM, a long-standing leader of this small but mighty not-for-profit organisation, talks about how this ‘working museum’ in Goolwa’s historic river precinct brings the past into the present– involving the community the entire way.

Garry wasn’t always local to the Fleurieu Peninsula. The former teacher, TAFE Director and St John Ambulance volunteer grew up in Whyalla and was based in Adelaide Hills for four decades. He and his wife relocated to Goolwa in 2010.

After getting involved with the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club, Garry learned of Armfield Slipway and Boatshed– otherwise known as ‘the Shed’ and ‘the Slip’.

Located on the riverside, Armfield preserves the legacy of wooden boats through traditional building, maintenance and repair.

“My interest and skills in woodworking led me to volunteer,” Garry says. Over the last fifteen years, he has served on the management committee, including as the Shed’s inaugural president.

Garry Coombes fixing a replacement plank on Naval Cutter. Photo kindly provided by Armfield Wooden Boats.

Living history

Garry says Armfield has had many lives connected to Goolwa’s rich boating culture.

From the 1850s, the town –close to the river mouth and connected to coastal trade routes– was home to one of Australia’s most important river ports.

Garry says boats would take produce to the rest of the world and during drought, paddle steamers were often tied up at Goolwa.

“The Armfield family’s association with wooden boat building goes back to the 1890s,” he says, “In dry times, repairs were done on the boats. Riverboat Captain Sam Armfield was involved in this but also turned his hand to small boat building and repair.”

The Armfields had established a boatshed by the mid-1920s, not far from the existing Shed. The family business continued until 1989 when the local council acquired it for community use. It has since transitioned into today’s community-incorporated association.

The region’s strong maritime culture remains at the crux of the Shed, as Armfield volunteers focus on boats from the Lower Murray River that once frequented the Goolwa Wharf.

The unique facility prides itself as a welcoming place. Around 40 members –enthusiasts and artisans with a variety of skills and knowledge– meet with a shared purpose to extend the glory days of these special vessels.

Often, as many as two dozen volunteers can be found hard at work in the Shed.

“We manage and maintain a small fleet of boats that are of significance to our region, some over 100 years old,” Garry says. “Our mission is to maintain traditional skills and to foster interest and enthusiasm for the building, restoration, and use of wooden boats.”

By both housing and using old-school tools and equipment, they’ve truly earned the title working museum, he says.

The Shed doesn't keep all this passion behind closed doors for its members only.

A fixture in Goolwa’s riverfront precinct, Armfield also educates the community about marine heritage and wooden boat activities and is a valued contributor to tourism and promotion of the region.

“The community deserves to have this facility maintained in a working condition,” Garry says, adding that they also hope to involve more young people in the project in the near future.

“I remain involved because of my passionate belief that not only does the Slip provide valuable community contribution,” he says, “but it contributes to the mental health and wellbeing of its members.”

A festive weekend

The Slip especially shines as an active community hub during the biennial South Australian Wooden Boat Festival.

Established in 1984, the festival takes over the heritage-listed Wharf Precinct, hosting celebrations on the historic site. The two-day event allows families to rub shoulders with boating enthusiasts and history buffs, with a mix of on-and-off water events, including boat building activities, sailing races, refreshments, art trails and entertainment.

As a special highlight of the program, festival-goers can stop by Armfield to watch volunteers construct a Guillemot sailing dinghy. They can even hope to take it home as the winner of the Slip’s popular festival raffle.

“We’ll be delivering a full program of boating activities, shed tours, demonstrations, and the like,” Garry says, “We are also providing refreshments and a sausage sizzle on both days. We urge the community to just come and see what it is all about.”

They also welcome anyone wishing to volunteer and assist Armfield during the festival.

But visitors and locals don’t need to wait until the festival to support the Shed’s cause.

Raffle tickets can be purchased for $2 each or a book of 5 for $10, available at the Rotary Market at Goolwa on Sundays, the Storm Boy event at the Goolwa Library on 24 April, and, on occasion, at the Goolwa Shopping Centre. They are also available for purchase at the Shed from now and over the entire festival weekend.

All proceeds go back to Armfield, supporting the group as it preserves the region’s heritage and fosters a gathering place for wooden boat enthusiasts, new and old.

SA Wooden Boat Festival

Goolwa Wharf Precinct, Goolwa, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, 5214

26-27 April 2025

More information here.