We’re set to light up the coast this winter. In and around Penguin on Tasmania’s Central Coast you’ll find a region of rugged coastlines, fertile green valleys and hidden canyons, where nature, creativity and community come together.
This year, the event calendar is packed with reasons to visit. Don’t miss Disrupted Tides – an immersive sound and light show that transforms the Penguin foreshore into a moving story of progress and place. And as Penguin celebrates its 150th anniversary, the town will come alive with special events, exhibitions and activities that honour its past and future.
From Tasmania’s largest undercover market at Penguin, live music and family-friendly fun, the Central Coast is buzzing year-round. Use this guide to plan your visit and experience it all.
Live music meets visual art in a one-of-a-kind cosmic experience at Ulverstone Planetarium.
Golden Sunbird bring interstellar psych rock, hypnotic guitar, and synth-drenched soundscape, exploring the unknowns of space and the human subconscious.
Every show is improvised in real time. No two are ever the same.
Deep beneath the earth’s surface, a new kind of stillness takes hold. Cool air. Echoing chambers. Shadows that shimmer and shift. Now imagine that quiet, gently interrupted by the ancient sound of the Didgeridoo.
As part of the 2:30 and 3:30pm guided tours, musician Charlie performs a short interlude inside the caves. A stirring moment of sound, stone and spirit in one of lutruwita/Tasmania’s most breathtaking natural settings.
Spaces are limited.
Disrupted Tides turns Penguin’s coastline into a moving story about tension and transformation. At the centre? A single railway track – reimagined as a symbol of human progress cutting through the quiet strength of nature.
Through stunning visuals and immersive sound, this projection invites reflection on resilience, balance and what we trade in the name of progress. Created by artist Alex Moss, the work draws on Penguin itself: vulnerable, enduring and brave.
Coinciding with the Disrupted Tides light display and Penguin’s 150th anniversary celebration this will be an event to remember!
We welcome the magnificent Captain O’Brien’s Craic! Bringing their crowd pleasing show of folk/pop/Celtic punk numbers to a transformed Penguin Beer Co, we become a candlelit dancehall for the night..
Nourishment will be via a bespoke dish created for the event – a spit roast pork souvlaki to add that extra crackle! (veg/Vegan option available) and we’ll even throw in a drink of your choice get the party started.
This is going to be a rowdy night, good times guaranteed.
Ticket includes the full band show, meal and drink on arrival.
Explore how cold-climate wine and bean-to-bar chocolate complement each other in this 45-minute guided tasting. Presented by Leven Valley Vineyard’s Terri Seager and Chokolate Journeys founder Jessica Tivendale, you’ll sample four wine vintages alongside four handcrafted chocolate pairings. Learn about the ethical, artisanal journey from cacao farm to maker to you.
There’s plenty to explore along this stretch of coast. Plan your stay, rug up, and get out and about to make the most of the season.
Guests can choose their own mini adventure during a cosy winter stay at Hideaway Farmlet. The decks are coming out of the homestead and onto the picnic table for the Greatest Of All Time Doof.
Visitors can learn about the farm’s regenerative practices, meet the mini goats, and at sunset, enjoy a vinyl set from host (and DJ) Brad, spinning anything from techno to jazz.
BYO picnic, farm-grown extras included. Wind down by the fire, then settle in for the night in a romantic cottage for two.
This winter, enjoy up to 50% more ride time on pedal buggies – at no extra cost.
Stay warm while getting outdoors, powered by your own (renewable) energy. Whether it’s a joy ride with the kids or a laugh with friends, this is old-school fun that beats the winter blues.
Set sail into a quieter world, where mist lingers on the water and ancient trees line the banks like sentinels.
Leven River Cruises takes you upstream into a place only reachable by boat since the 1900s. With hot drinks, fresh local fare, warm blankets and hand warmers, this is winter at its most magical, still, wild and deeply comforting.
Leven’s hidden realm is waiting for you.
Wing’s Wildlife Park is excited to welcome its first-ever capybara quadruplets!
First-time mum Pina Colada has taken to motherhood with calm devotion, while proud dad Greg keeps a close eye on everything. The four pups are healthy, curious, and growing fast.
Meet the whole capybara family, give a gentle scratch, and hand-feed them fresh bamboo during their social time.
Hive presents a day of wonder, looking outwards to decode the universe. The day begins at Hive with an all-ages planetarium show at 11am, followed by a free public talk ‘who cares about space weather’. As the Dial Range falls into the evening shadow, we gather at Mt Gnomon Farm for an indoor astronomy talk and weather permitting, stargazing through telescopes provided.
Celebrate Penguin’s 150th with a hands-on clay workshop where you’ll sculpt your own miniature penguin to bake at home.
Includes all clay, tools, embellishments, take-home baking instructions, plus tea, coffee and snacks.
Suitable for ages 7+ (under 12s must be accompanied by an adult).
Penguin’s beloved Big Penguin has officially been heritage listed, only the second of Australia’s 150+ ‘big things’ to receive the honour. Installed to mark the town’s centenary, it’s now a symbol of local pride, dressed up year-round and embraced by the community. Turning 50 this year, the Big Penguin stands tall not just as a photo stop, but as a piece of living Tasmanian history.
Stop by (you can’t miss it, it’s BIG) and snap a photo!
Perched on over 100 acres overlooking the Three Sisters Islands in Penguin, this boutique escape offers two luxury one-bedroom retreats.
Each stay includes sweeping coastal views, outdoor baths under the stars, and total seclusion. Just you, the sea, and the stillness.
Reconnect with nature, and each other, in an outdoor bath beneath the stars. With local wine, artisan cheese and slow mornings, this is a retreat made for two.
Two-night stay for two adults: $740
Step off the grid and into the stillness.
Surrounded by native forest and a private lake, your luxury dome stay invites you to slow down, breathe deep, and toast marshmallows by the fire in the cosy Devils Den. The season to switch off is here.
Book two nights or more this winter and save $50 per night.
Plan your winter escape at Novo, a beautifully restored c.1912 waterfront apartment in the heart of Penguin. Just 10 metres from the beach, this spacious 3-bedroom, 2-bath retreat offers 180° views over Bass Strait and 300sqm of art-filled luxury.
Winter warmer package: stay 3 nights and receive a $50 Penguin Beer Co voucher, or stay 5 nights and pay for 4.
From $1050. Private, stylish, and one of a kind.
Take $50 off per night
Time to switch off and reconnect this winter with a Gleneagle Tasmania glamping stay. Book a minimum two-night stay in either of our luxury domes and receive a total saving of $100.
From $780. Luxury glamping in the heart of the North West.
Tasmania’s Central Coast feels like the kind of place you stumble into and secretly hope no one else finds out about. Penguin and Ulverstone serve up just the right mix of cute and cosy with good coffee, places to explore and cellar doors all within easy reach. It’s relaxed, local, and full of small surprises, the kind that turn a short stay into a proper escape.
Here are a few ideas to help map out your trip.
