Miena Seisiún 2026

Miena Seisiun is back for 2026 and taking place once again in the picturesque Central Highlands town of Miena, on Tasmania's Great Lake.

Whether you're a musician, dancer or a listener - if you're a lover of traditional Irish music, this is a weekend not to miss.

Kicking off on the Friday night of February 27 at the Great Lake Hotel, a session led by flute and whistle player Brian Owens will get the music underway. An unticketed event, joining this session as a player or listener will get your weekend off to a great start. We recommend you grab a meal in the pub beforehand and make your way into the atrium for some cracking tunes and maybe the odd song!

Saturday February 28 will see our workshop program get underway with opportunity for tin whistle, fiddle, guitar and bodhran players from beginner to intermediate level to improve their skills and maybe even add some new tunes their repertoire. Our tutors are all experienced traditional musicians and can't wait to take you under their wing.

Following lunch, our Miena Seisuin concert featuring northern Tasmanian act Flitch, southerners Dave Haynes and Dave McNamara and Melbourne-based Ewen Baker will treat ticket holders to some high-quality Irish music sure to get you moving in your seat and inspiring you to improve your own playing. Don't miss it!

Saturday night provides the choice of two events. If you've had enough of sitting around and need to get the body moving, our bush dance in the Great Lake Community Centre featuring renowned dance caller Dave Wanless is highly recommended. And with lively music provided by accordionist Iain McLeod and friends, you'll be working up a sweat in no time!

Musicians may want to keep their dancing skills under wraps and head over to the Great Lake Hotel for more session tunes lead by Session Players Tasmania until late.

Sunday February 29 will give late night dancers and session players a chance to sleep in or, if feeling like a morning walk in nature, you may like to join a guided bird walk at nearby Penstock Lagoon with experienced bird and wildlife guide Craig Greer. The walk is free of charge but please check the box when buying your Miena Seisiun ticket so we can get an idea of numbers.

Starting at 11:00am Sunday at the historic Steppes Hall about 20km south of Miena, our Farewell Session and barbecue will be a relaxing and enjoyable way to see the weekend out before heading home or continuing your travels. The Steppes Hall is a small and quaint local hall with lovely acoustics and natural surrounds - the perfect location for some lovely tunes and a good feed. We'd love to see you there!

Miena Accommodation and food

Accommodation is always tight in Miena in the summer so don’t delay making arrangements. Some good options include:

• Great Lake Hotel  https://greatlakehotel.com.au/

• Central Highlands Lodge   https://centralhighlandslodge.com.au/

• Great Lake Hotel also has powered and unpowered camping sites available

• Quite a few fishing shacks are let on Airbnb when not occupied

We recommend meals at the Great Lake Hotel if you're planning on eating out.

Small meals, lunches and morning and afternoon tea will also be available at the Great Lake Community Centre.

Things to do around yingina/Great Lake

The key attraction is trout fishing (but you probably won’t have time for that).

If you need a short break from the music, why not visit the Miena Dam Lookout and the nearby John Beamont memorial (http://ontheconvicttrail.blogspot.com/2015/01/john-beamonts-memorial.html). You can do a tranquil walk along the lake shore.

A great option on Sunday will be to drop by the historic Steppes Reserve (https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/the-steppes), which lies a few kilometres south of the Steppes Hall. 

People travelling north should stop to pat the pencil pines at the Pine Lake Walk (https://parks.tas.gov.au/things-to-do/60-great-short-walks/pine-lake)