Nigel Peck Centre
Your gateway to Woolmers Estate, café, gift shop, exhibitions and ticketing, open daily from 8:00am.
Your Visit Starts Here
Arrive to a welcoming visitor centre with ticketing, maps and friendly staff to help plan your visit. Enjoy a full all-day café menu with kids options, dietary-friendly choices and Tasmanian produce. Browse a curated gift shop without needing to leave the estate. Experience the Unshackled Exhibition before exploring 18 original heritage buildings and the National Rose Garden across 13 hectares.
Rose Garden Café
All-day breakfast & lunch from 8:00am, Tasmanian produce, barista coffee and a full kids menu from $10.
Heritage Gift Shop
Tasmanian artisan goods, heritage books, rose garden botanicals and Woolmers Estate keepsakes.
Unshackled Exhibition
Australia's true convict story — an immersive digital experience in the Nigel Peck Long Gallery.
Rose Garden Café
Set within the Nigel Peck Centre with views across the National Rose Garden, the café brings together the best of Tasmanian produce in a setting unlike any other. Whether you’re fuelling up before exploring the estate or unwinding afterward, every visit deserves a moment here.
The all-day menu features breakfast favourites like smashed avocado on sourdough with beetroot hummus and dukkah, eggs Benedict with house-made hollandaise, and raspberry French toast with lemon mascarpone. For lunch, try the Tasmanian line-caught fish and chips, house-made chicken schnitzel, or the Champ Bowl with grilled chicken, kale and poached eggs. A full kids menu is available from $10, with dietary options including dairy-free, gluten-free and vegetarian clearly marked.
UNSHACKLED Exhibition
An immersive digital experience telling the stories of 75,000 convicts transported to Van Diemen’s Land. Walk through the journey from conviction to freedom — emotional, confronting, unforgettable.
- 45–60 min self-guided experience
- Digital interactive displays
- Original convict artefacts
- AI-generated convict portraits
- Included with general admission
Curated Treasures & Keepsakes
The Woolmers gift shop is more than a souvenir stop. It’s a carefully curated collection of Tasmanian artisan goods and heritage-inspired keepsakes. Every purchase supports the ongoing preservation of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From handcrafted Tasmanian products to rare heritage publications, including The Archer Heritage, the definitive history of six generations on this land, you’ll find something meaningful to remember your visit by.
Conference & Events Spaces
From intimate board meetings to grand wedding receptions, the Nigel Peck Centre offers flexible spaces with a heritage backdrop that no modern venue can replicate.
Frances Mary Archer Gallery
Named after Thomas Archer’s wife, this intimate gallery hosts rotating exhibitions, visiting artists and special installations. The space doubles as a stunning venue for private events.
Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen
The Rose Garden Café can be exclusively booked for private dining events, corporate lunches and celebration dinners with full catering from the commercial kitchen.
Board Room
A dedicated meeting space ideal for intimate board meetings, workshops and corporate retreats with modern presentation facilities.
"I regard it as one of life's privileges to have come to know the Pecks as friends as well as the greatest benefactors of Woolmers since Thomas the First established the estate."
Champion
Nigel Hugh Peck AM
The great-great-grandson of Thomas Archer I, Nigel Peck was a remarkable man. Eight-times world champion sailor, polar explorer, business builder, and above all, a generous philanthropist who took Woolmers Estate to his heart.
With the support of his wife Patricia, Nigel provided $3.65 million in a public-private partnership with the Tasmanian State Government to construct this centre. Altogether, the Peck Foundation donated nearly $5 million to Woolmers, funding the restoration of Woolmers Cottage, the publication of The Archer Heritage, and an expert business study to plan the estate’s future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Nigel Peck Centre at Woolmers Estate?
The Nigel Peck Centre is the modern visitor hub at Woolmers Estate in Longford, Tasmania. It houses the Rose Garden Café, a heritage gift shop, the Unshackled Exhibition, two gallery spaces, and ticketing. It opened in 2018, funded by a $5.4 million public-private partnership.
What food is available at Woolmers Estate?
The Rose Garden Café serves an all-day menu from 8:00am featuring breakfast dishes like smashed avocado and eggs Benedict, plus lunch options including Tasmanian line-caught fish and chips and house-made schnitzel. A kids menu is available from $10. Dairy-free, gluten-free and vegetarian options are clearly marked.
Can I hire the Nigel Peck Centre for events?
Yes. Available spaces include the Frances Mary Archer Gallery, Board Room, restaurant and commercial kitchen. The centre is suitable for weddings, conferences, exhibitions and private functions. Contact enquiries@woolmers.com.au for availability.
What is the Unshackled Exhibition?
Unshackled is an immersive digital exhibition housed in the Nigel Peck Long Gallery. It tells the story of Australia’s Assignment System, where convicts sent to properties like Woolmers gained skills, earned freedom and often chose to stay. It connects to over 75,000 individual convict stories.
How do I get to Woolmers Estate?
Woolmers Estate is at 658 Woolmers Lane, Longford, Tasmania, just 20 minutes south of Launceston. It is open daily from 8:00am.
Experience living history
Open Daily from 8am
Last grounds entry: 4pm
Grounds close: 6:30pm
Location
20 minutes from Launceston
17 minutes from Launceston Airport
Tasmanian Residents
FREE entry when bringing interstate or overseas guests