South Australian Wooden Boat Festival Committee Chair Mark Harvey, left, Community Bank Fleurieu Company Manager Alison Burr, Goolwa artist Terissa Shepherd and Alexandrina Mayor Keith Parkes holding the winning artwork.
Work by Goolwa artist selected as 2027 Wooden Boat Festival poster
A scene from the 2025 South Australian Wooden Boat Festival captured by Goolwa visual artist Terissa Shepherd has been selected as the winning entry for the 2027 Festival’s Poster Competition.
The original acrylic on canvas titled ‘Mobilising for the Flotilla’ was chosen from more than 20 submitted entries of paintings, drawings and digital art.
In her submission, Ms Shepherd said she used a reference photograph she snapped at the 2025 Festival.
“I love the action and camaraderie, the many people milling about and the sights and sounds evoked by the image. The presence of the Cockle Train really added to this happy accident,” she said.
The 2027 South Australian Wooden Boat Festival Poster Art Competition, presented by Community Bank Fleurieu, Bendigo Bank, offered a $500 cash prize and the opportunity for the winning artwork to become the hero image of the Festival's major promotional campaign.
The competition gives artists the opportunity to contribute to one of South Australia's most recognised regional events and become part of the Festival's visual legacy.
Alexandrina Mayor Keith Parkes, who was part of a judging panel comprising Festival Committee members, local designers and artists, said ‘Mobilising for the Flotilla’ embodied the spirit of the South Australian Wooden Boat Festival.
“The artwork really captured the atmosphere of the Festival with the boats and the flags, the river, everyone gathered at the Goolwa Wharf and the Cockle Train in the background,” Mayor Parkes said.
“It wasn’t part of the judging criteria, but I think it’s wonderful that the winning artist is from Goolwa.
“This artwork is a worthy addition to the ongoing story of the South Australian Wooden Boat Festival and I have no doubt it will become a treasured keepsake for visitors, volunteers and residents.”
The South Australian Wooden Boat Festival has a long history of producing collectable posters that have become sought-after mementoes of the event.
The winning artwork will form the centrepiece of the Festival's visual promotion and join a growing collection documenting the Festival's history.
Community Bank Fleurieu, Bendigo Bank Company Manager Alison Burr said the Festival Poster Partnership reflects the Community Bank’s commitment to celebrating local heritage and engaging the wider community.
"The South Australian Wooden Boat Festival is an iconic celebration of our region’s history and vibrant spirit. As a Community Bank, we’re passionate about investing in initiatives that bring people together, and this competition gives local and regional creatives a fantastic platform to showcase their talent,” Ms Burr said.
“We are delighted to support an opportunity that lets artists leave a lasting legacy for the 2027 Festival and we feel that ‘Mobilising for the Flotilla’ is a worthy winner truly expressing the colour, fun and community atmosphere of this event and the Goolwa Wharf Precinct."
The competition ran during September, with entries closing on 14 October 2026.
Winning artist Terissa Shepherd now lives in Goolwa after spending 30 years living on the Eyre Peninsula, and is enjoying incorporating life on the Fleurieu Peninsula into her recent works.
As a new member of the Goolwa Visual Art Group, Ms Shepherd currently has work on display in The Chart Room at the Goolwa Wharf Precinct.
Painting consistently for the past 15 years, Ms Shepherd first learnt her craft through childhood art in oils classes, then teaching secondary school art, and later studying general painting with Splashout Studios.
A lover of nature and gardening, place and space, and a keen eye for the aesthetic, Ms Shepherd paints with vivid colour and expressive realism. She generally uses acrylic and oils and dabbles with mixed media, preferably on large canvases.
Romero Britto’s motto “Art is too important not to share” inspired her to lead community workshops in Whyalla, and to create opportunities for the public to access art.
When living in Whyalla, Ms Shepherd led and participated in two mural projects, while working and exhibiting in the Whyalla Art Gallery.
She was a finalist and sold works in the Kimba and Hummock Hill Art Prizes and Cuttlefest.
Ms Shepherd has exhibited in various Rotary Art Prizes, winning the People’s Choice Award in Blackwood in 2026, and a Special Merit in 2025.
The South Australian Wooden Boat Festival will return to Goolwa from 24 to 25 April 2027, celebrating Australia's river, maritime and wooden boatbuilding heritage.
Goolwa artist Terissa Shepherd holding her winning artwork