Ascend together to welcome the first dawn of the festival. An opening message in palawa kani will be hand-delivered up the ridge of Mt. Owen and broadcast across the valley, the first signal sent via Semaphore Score—a temporary semaphore communication line built for the festival. Arrive with the morning light at one of the Semaphore Signal Stations to witness and relay this opening call to Country.

Either attend the Sending Ceremony at Penghana, an opening call to Country, or rise with the morning light for the Signal Station walk, an adventurous dawn hike.

Sending Ceremony
Witness the first semaphore message of the festival. This site is accessible via a short walking including a staircase ascent. Limited accessible parking is available by request. Please note that there is no toilet access at Penghana.

Signal Station Walk
Join an adventurous guided walk ascending into the foothills of Mt Owen. The experience is completed by following a loop trail before returning to Queenstown over a total of 10km.

Registrations are essential to take part in the Signal Station Walk. Capacity is strictly limited. Please refer to Ticketing Information for more details.