What's On : Awareness - August 2026
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
This section aims to highlight news, views & events relating to the surviving & thriving of life in North West Tasmania
Foreign giants take wind out of Tasmania’s sails
Tasmania is being taken to the cleaners, economically and ecologically, as a giant Korean company sells the St Patricks Plains wind farm project to Vesta, the global Danish wind turbine manufacturer, the Bob Brown Foundation said today.
“No public debate, no government input, no local consultation: this deal, which depends on a huge toll of Tasmanian flora and fauna and which will ruin the Highland Lakes scenic drive forever, has been decided in overseas boardrooms where Tasmania had zero input. The deal is doubtlessly lining Korean pockets now and is destined to line Danish pockets in the years ahead, while the Tasmanian government can’t say there will be any dividend for much poorer Tasmanians,” Bob Brown said today.
“What we do know is that the electricity will either go to foreign-owned data centres here or be exported to the mainland. We just pick up the damage, including taxpayers paying for the Marinus cable across Bass Strait. And Tasmania suffers the environmental impact.”
The Central Highlands’ No Turbines Action Group (NTAG) analysis is that government agreement to the project, “allows 2,062 national, state and IUCN (listed as threatened) birds to be killed each year for a 64-year period to 2090 including 4 Tasmanian wedge tailed eagles per year, 120 White throated needletail (swifts) and 45 Blue winged parrots per year. All are federal government listed (as threatened with extinction).”
NTAG pointed out that “the 230m high turbines and associated infrastructure are located in high quality eagle habitat, with 40 endangered Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles known to use the area and 18 nests on the site.”
“Tasmania’s destiny is being decided by multinational corporations while the Rockliff government is asleep at the wheel,” Bob Brown said.
Seeds of Curiosity Workshops (August 8 & 20, 2026): Collaborations at the Ulverstone Community Garden and Hive featuring hybrid world workshops and native seed activities.
National Science Week STEM showcases (Mid-August 2026): Hands-on student and community investigations highlighting regional tech, ecology, and environmental science at Hive in Ulverstone
Across three weeks of hands-on workshops, inspiring talks, family activities and special events, we'll explore everything from slime moulds and soil biomes to astronomy, agriculture and innovation. Celebrating the 2026 National Science Week theme, Seeds of Science: Nurturing Knowledge for All, the program connects science, creativity and community in fun, accessible and surprising ways.
Whether you're a lifelong science lover, a curious beginner or looking for a great family day out, there's something for everyone to discover.
Expanding the Cosmos (August 17, 2026): Public science and environmental outreach event hosted at Mt Gnomon Farm
Can design help restore relationships between people and the planet?
Design has always been about making things, what is changing is where it is being applied. There is growing demand for design practice in contexts that are messier, more consequential, and more deeply entangled with how communities and ecosystems interact.
Join Dr Vanessa Ward and Dianne Dredge for a conversation exploring regenerative design across tourism, education, ecological restoration and community-led practice. Drawing on projects from Tasmania's kelp forests to regenerative tourism initiatives on Flinders Island, they will consider how design can respond to the environmental and social challenges shaping our future.
Together, they will explore how systems thinking, collaboration and place-based approaches are asking what it means to practise design when the goal is not a finished product, but a healthier system.
Want to learn more about the University of Tasmania's Island of Ideas public talks series? Catch-up on past events, register for upcoming talks or get in touch with us via our Island of Ideas webpage
Toxic salmon farming awareness raising groups and environmental organisations coordinate ongoing, grassroots actions across Tasmania, though specific rallies vary from week to week.
To find and join scheduled demonstrations or stay updated on current campaigns against the industry, check the NWTAS for CLEAN OCEANS - NO Toxic Fish Farms and
Neighbours of Fish Farming (NOFF) and the Bob Brown Foundation events pages.
· Fortnightly Supermarket Protests: Advocates consistently gather at major supermarkets in Nipaluna/Hobart to demand boycotts of Tasmanian farmed salmon.
· Direct Action and Paddle-outs: Large-scale community rallies, paddle-outs, and vessel protests are frequently organised in southern coastal areas (such as the Huon River, D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and Eggs and Bacon Bay)
· Ongoing Advocacy: Protests have intensified regarding issues like fish mass mortality events, antibiotic dumping, and threats to the endangered Maugean skate in Macquarie Harbour.
For a list of local sustainable seafood alternatives and information on the campaign, you can also refer to the Good Fish Sustainable Seafood Guide.
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