What's On : Awareness - November 2026
This section aims to highlight news, views & events relating to the surviving & thriving of life in North West Tasmania
The rapid rise of AI data centre proposals has become one of the biggest and most debated topics across Northern and North West Tasmania.
The region has seen intense activity involving multi-billion-dollar project applications, grass-roots community pushback, and state parliament intervention...is there one coming near you??
Current Local NW Tas Sustainability Projects & Campaigns
Takayna BioBlitz (5–8 November 2026)
What: A massive citizen science project in the Tarkine. Volunteers and experts team up to record plant and animal species to help protect the area and campaign for it to become an Aboriginal-owned National Park.
Contact: Phone: (03) 6294 0620 | Email: contact@bobbrown.org.au
Website: Visit the Bob Brown Foundation Takayna BioBlitz Page.
Waste and Resource Recovery Grants (Closing 4 November 2026)
What: State government funding between $10,000 and $50,000 for local charities, community groups, and social enterprises to kickstart recycling, repair, and waste-reduction projects.
Contact: Administered via the Tasmanian Government's Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Website: Keep track of community funding updates directly through the Tasmanian Government Grants Portal.
The RESEED Centre (Penguin)
What: A local community hub hosting regular workshops on sustainable living, climate action, and ways to share resources across the neighbourhood.
Contact: Phone: 0418 896 061 | Email: hello@reseed.net.au | Location: 30 King Edward St, Penguin TAS
Website: Check upcoming events on the official RESEED Centre Website or connect via the RESEED Centre Facebook Page
Live Well Tasmania (Wynyard & Oldina)
What: A grassroots group running community gardens, seed libraries, food waste reduction programs, and community wellness initiatives to help locals live sustainably.
Contact: Reach out via their online enquiry portal.
Website: Read their latest updates and sign up to volunteer at the Live Well Tasmania Website.
North West Environment Centre (NWEC)
What: Grounded in community action, they run the Penguin Community Garden and coordinate regional environmental initiatives, including the upcoming NW Ecofest.
Contact: Email: secretary@nwec-tas.org.au | Location: 235 Ironcliffe Road, Penguin TAS
Website: Learn more about their projects at the North West Environment Centre Website and check out festival details via the NW Ecofest Website.
Film: Love Letter to the Unseen
When: Wednesday, 4 November 2026 from 6:00 PM to 6:45 PM
Where: Burnie Arts Theatre, 77-79 Wilmot St, Burnie
Cost: Free event, and young people and families are very welcome.
Tickets & Info: You can book your free tickets directly through the Burnie Arts Website.
Enquiries: Managed by Julie Harris from North West Tas for Clean Oceans. You can keep track of their ongoing legal action and community awareness tours via the North West Tas for Clean Oceans Facebook Group
From Kuno Earth: The only planet in the known Universe to support life, Earth has sustained humanity and a sublime natural world for millennia. Kuno is your platform..
Tiger Plain is located within the Coast to Cradle Wild Country on the northeastern edge of the Black Bluff Nature Recreation Area. Tiger Plain is an evocative place connected to past encounters with the Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynosephalus).
In the 1860’s the mineral prospector James ‘Philosopher’ Smith regarded Tiger Plain as the most “tiger-infested” place he'd visited in Tasmania, and is where he once killed a female and found four pouch young. The last confirmed Thylacine died on 7 September 1936 in Hobart’s Beaumaris Zoo due, in large part, to neglect. Two months later the species was granted formal protection, but no replacement zoo exhibit was found.
Upcoming Sustainability & Environmental Events in North West /Northern Tasmania
When: 5–8 November 2026
Where: Various locations across Launceston
Why visit: Celebrated in Launceston (a designated UNESCO City of Gastronomy), this award-winning, zero-waste festival focuses heavily on regenerative food systems and the circular economy. Expect a thought-provoking mix of fermentation workshops, panel conversations with farmers, creative land art experiences, and shared seasonal meals.
Community Landcare & Agriculture
When: Friday, 6 November 2026 at 2:00 PM
Where: Deloraine Community Complex
Why visit: A major statewide convention marking 30 years since the original Landcare gathering. It's an excellent networking and learning event for anyone passionate about grassroots environmental initiatives, future regional conservation strategies, and community action in the Meander Valley region.
When: Friday, 13 November 2026 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Where: Barega, 507 Nile Road, Evandale
Why visit: Hosted by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, this free field day offers practical insights into sustainable farming and soil health strategies. It’s an invaluable event for local landholders and agricultural enthusiasts wanting to adapt to changing climate realities.
Here is a snapshot of issues currently facing North West community
North West Tasmania faces several major sustainability challenges spanning renewable energy expansion, agricultural pressures, and marine and land ecosystem health.
Key Sustainability Issues
Renewable Energy & Transmission
Large-scale clean energy projects—such as the Robins Island wind farm development and the North West Transmission Developments—aim to support the national transition to low-carbon energy. However, these projects face strong local social licence challenges regarding visual amenity, sacred First Nations land, and potential impacts on endangered species like the orange-bellied parrot.
Ecosystem & Biodiversity Pressures
The Tasmanian State of the Environment Report highlights severe pressures on regional biodiversity, including threats to native plants and escalating risks of extinction. Warming coastal waters and invasive pests further destabilise local marine and terrestrial habitats.
Water & Agricultural Management
Intensive regional farming and rural industries face growing constraints from variable rainfall patterns, prolonged dry spells, and water scarcity. Balancing agricultural productivity with catchment health and environmental water flows remains an ongoing challenge
Aquaculture & Water Quality
Regional freshwater resources and coastal ecosystems experience stress from industrial activities and flow-through aquaculture operations, which add excess nutrients and nitrogen into local waterways. Transitioning toward recirculating systems is a key focus for local environmental groups.
North West Transmission Developments (NWTD): The $1.3 billion transmission line project faces ongoing legal challenges and community pushback regarding environmental impacts as it prepares to feed local power into the subsea Marinus Link.
Robbins Island Wind Farm: The 100-turbine project in the far north-west has received environmental approval but faces local opposition over potential disruptions to wildlife, including disease risks to disease-free Tasmanian devil populations.
Founded in 2015, NOFF is a not-for-profit organisation driven by volunteers. Our organising team and members represent a wide range of backgrounds all united by a deep belief that our communities and natural environments should not be exploited or harmed.
Our Goal
Our goal is to save Tasmanian's unique natural waterways from the damage being caused by the multinational Atlantic salmon industry.
This is achieved by removing salmon feedlots and hatcheries from vulnerable, shallow coastal waters and rivers, and made possible by influencing the practices of industry and regulators, and the decisions of government, consumers and the general public.
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