Clay Whale Tail — Summer Family Workshop

from A$95.00

Create your own freestanding ceramic Whale Tail sculpture in this relaxed and beginner-friendly clay workshop inspired by the coastline and marine life of the Bay of Fires. Suitable for adults, children aged 8+, families, and visitors, this hands-on workshop offers a memorable creative experience and a handmade ceramic sculpture to treasure.

Two Workshop Dates:

Wednesday 6 January 2027
10:00am – 12:30pm

Friday 8 January 2027
10:00am – 12:30pm

Workshop Description

Just metres offshore from Binalong Bay, migrating humpback whales travel along Tasmania's east coast each year. Their journeys inspire this creative workshop, where participants will create a freestanding ceramic Whale Tail sculpture inspired by the ocean, marine life, and the remarkable coastline of the Bay of Fires.

Guided by ceramic artist Christie Lange, you'll learn hand-building techniques to construct a sculptural whale tail from clay while exploring texture, form, and surface detail. Participants will be guided through the entire process, from shaping the tail and creating a stable base through to refining details and preparing the work for firing.

Along the way you'll have the opportunity to personalise your sculpture with textures inspired by the coast, including shell impressions, wave patterns, rock surfaces, and natural markings.

This workshop is designed to be accessible for all skill levels and is particularly suited to families, holiday-makers, and anyone looking for a meaningful creative experience during their time on Tasmania's east coast.

After the workshop, Christie will professionally glaze and fire your sculpture, ready for collection or postage.

Whether you're visiting the Bay of Fires for the first time or returning to a place you love, you'll leave with a handmade reminder of your time by the sea.

What You'll Make

Participants will create:

  • One freestanding ceramic Whale Tail sculpture

  • A sculptural display base

  • Personalised textures and decorative details

  • A finished ceramic sculpture inspired by Tasmania's marine environment

What You'll Learn

During this workshop you'll learn:

  • Hand-building techniques for clay sculpture

  • Slab construction methods

  • Joining and strengthening clay forms

  • Surface texture and pattern development

  • Refining sculptural details

  • Ceramic drying, glazing, and firing processes

  • Techniques for creating stable freestanding sculptures

Who Is This Workshop For?

  • Complete beginners welcome

  • Suitable for ages 8+

  • Children aged 8–12 must be accompanied by a participating adult

  • Families, visitors, couples, grandparents and grandchildren

  • No previous clay experience required

What's Included?

  • High-quality clay

  • Use of studio tools and equipment

  • Bisque firing

  • Glazing by Christie

  • Final glaze firing

  • Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sparkling water and refreshments

  • One finished Whale Tail sculpture

The Details

Dates:

Wednesday 6 January 2027
10:00am – 12:30pm

Friday 8 January 2027
10:00am – 12:30pm

Location: Christie Lange Ceramics Studio, Binalong Bay, Tasmania

Class Size: 5 participants

Age: 8+

Cost:

  • $145 per person

  • $240 Family Bundle (1 adult + 1 child)

  • $95 each additional child

Collection: Finished works will be available approximately 4–6 weeks after the workshop.

Postage: Australia-wide postage can be arranged at an additional cost.

Why This Workshop?

This workshop offers more than a creative activity. It is an opportunity to slow down, spend time together, and create a handmade object inspired by the natural environment of the Bay of Fires.

Whether shared between generations, enjoyed as a family activity, or experienced as part of a summer holiday, participants leave with both a finished ceramic sculpture and a meaningful memory of time spent creating together.

Date:

Create your own freestanding ceramic Whale Tail sculpture in this relaxed and beginner-friendly clay workshop inspired by the coastline and marine life of the Bay of Fires. Suitable for adults, children aged 8+, families, and visitors, this hands-on workshop offers a memorable creative experience and a handmade ceramic sculpture to treasure.

Two Workshop Dates:

Wednesday 6 January 2027
10:00am – 12:30pm

Friday 8 January 2027
10:00am – 12:30pm

Workshop Description

Just metres offshore from Binalong Bay, migrating humpback whales travel along Tasmania's east coast each year. Their journeys inspire this creative workshop, where participants will create a freestanding ceramic Whale Tail sculpture inspired by the ocean, marine life, and the remarkable coastline of the Bay of Fires.

Guided by ceramic artist Christie Lange, you'll learn hand-building techniques to construct a sculptural whale tail from clay while exploring texture, form, and surface detail. Participants will be guided through the entire process, from shaping the tail and creating a stable base through to refining details and preparing the work for firing.

Along the way you'll have the opportunity to personalise your sculpture with textures inspired by the coast, including shell impressions, wave patterns, rock surfaces, and natural markings.

This workshop is designed to be accessible for all skill levels and is particularly suited to families, holiday-makers, and anyone looking for a meaningful creative experience during their time on Tasmania's east coast.

After the workshop, Christie will professionally glaze and fire your sculpture, ready for collection or postage.

Whether you're visiting the Bay of Fires for the first time or returning to a place you love, you'll leave with a handmade reminder of your time by the sea.

What You'll Make

Participants will create:

  • One freestanding ceramic Whale Tail sculpture

  • A sculptural display base

  • Personalised textures and decorative details

  • A finished ceramic sculpture inspired by Tasmania's marine environment

What You'll Learn

During this workshop you'll learn:

  • Hand-building techniques for clay sculpture

  • Slab construction methods

  • Joining and strengthening clay forms

  • Surface texture and pattern development

  • Refining sculptural details

  • Ceramic drying, glazing, and firing processes

  • Techniques for creating stable freestanding sculptures

Who Is This Workshop For?

  • Complete beginners welcome

  • Suitable for ages 8+

  • Children aged 8–12 must be accompanied by a participating adult

  • Families, visitors, couples, grandparents and grandchildren

  • No previous clay experience required

What's Included?

  • High-quality clay

  • Use of studio tools and equipment

  • Bisque firing

  • Glazing by Christie

  • Final glaze firing

  • Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sparkling water and refreshments

  • One finished Whale Tail sculpture

The Details

Dates:

Wednesday 6 January 2027
10:00am – 12:30pm

Friday 8 January 2027
10:00am – 12:30pm

Location: Christie Lange Ceramics Studio, Binalong Bay, Tasmania

Class Size: 5 participants

Age: 8+

Cost:

  • $145 per person

  • $240 Family Bundle (1 adult + 1 child)

  • $95 each additional child

Collection: Finished works will be available approximately 4–6 weeks after the workshop.

Postage: Australia-wide postage can be arranged at an additional cost.

Why This Workshop?

This workshop offers more than a creative activity. It is an opportunity to slow down, spend time together, and create a handmade object inspired by the natural environment of the Bay of Fires.

Whether shared between generations, enjoyed as a family activity, or experienced as part of a summer holiday, participants leave with both a finished ceramic sculpture and a meaningful memory of time spent creating together.

Gourmet Grazing Platters to enhance your Custom Workshop Experience Gourmet Grazing Platters to enhance your Custom Workshop Experience Gourmet Grazing Platters to enhance your Custom Workshop Experience Gourmet Grazing Platters to enhance your Custom Workshop Experience
Grazing Platter Size:

Whales at the Bay of Fires, Tasmania

One of the quietly breathtaking wonders of the east-coast of Tasmania is the annual passage of the great hump-back whales along the shoreline that frames the Bay of Fires. As a place deeply rooted in nature, texture, rhythm and the meeting of sea and land, your studio and workshop setting beautifully align with these magnificent marine travellers — here’s a piece of copy you might use or adapt for your website or marketing material:

The Journey of the Humpback Whales

Each year, thousands of Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) leave the icy, krill-rich feeding grounds of Antarctica and begin a migration that spans thousands of kilometres. Australian Wildlife Journeys+2Tasmania+2
Some travel up the east coast of Australia, brushing past Tasmania’s shores. The Bay of Fires region sees these gentle giants pass by — often quite close to shore — on both the northward and southward legs of their journey.

Why the Bay of Fires is a Great Whale-View Location

  • The coastline’s clear vantage points and exposed headlands mean that whales often come close enough to be seen from land. Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service+1

  • According to the local park authorities, humpback whales (and their cousins the southern-right whales) come sufficiently close to allow “regular sightings” off the Bay of Fires coast. Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service

  • Local photography tours and eco-cruises report whales with calves emerging off Binalong Bay during migration seasons. Luke O'Brien Photography

What You Might Witness

  • The elegant fluke-up dive: as a whale arches its back and lifts its tail (“whale-tail,” a motif you’re beautifully using for your sculptural workshop) before descending beneath the waves. BODC+1

  • A gentle spout of breath on the sea surface, followed by a slow dive.

  • In calmer seas or protected bays, mothers travelling with calves, or juveniles enjoying shallower zones.

  • The silhouette of the whale’s back breaking the horizon against the crisp turquoise-and-orange palette of the Bay of Fires coast — a moment of nature aligning with your ceramic aesthetic.

A Living Part of Our Marine Environment

These whales are not just passing visitors — they’re part of the ecological rhythm of this region. Their migration helps to knit together distant parts of our ocean-ecosystem: feeding in the south, breeding or travelling north, then returning again. This cycle reminds us of renewal, movement, power and gentleness — themes that resonate with your creative-practice of regeneration and connection to living things.

Why It Matters for Your Workshop Guests

For the families and tourists who join your Clay Whale Tail workshop, the presence of whales off the coast adds a tangible layer of place and story. You’re not just making a sculpture inspired by nature — you’re in a location where this nature is alive and passing by. It becomes a moment of wonder, of creative connection, of place-based memory.