What's On : Awareness - September 2026
- Aug 27
- 7 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
This section aims to highlight news, views & events relating to the surviving & thriving of life in North West Tasmania
Here is a snapshot of issues currently facing North West community
Renewable Energy and Transmission
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.
Industrial Decarbonisation
Railton Kiln Upgrades: Cement Australia is upgrading its major coal-fired kiln in Railton to use alternative fuels like used tyres and wood waste, prompting conservation debates over whether the wood waste will come from native forests or plantations.
Agricultural and Community Resilience
Agri-Food Pressures: Local family farms and food producers require technological innovation to drought-proof operations and improve environmental stewardship, but smaller producers often lack the budgets to adapt quickly.
Agrifood Knowledge Network in North West Tasmania
Family farms and local agri-food enterprises support North West Tasmania’s economic and community sustainability. New technologies can drought-proof agricultural industries and boost community resilience through diversification, post-farm-gate value adding and improved environmental stewardship.
Yet local producers without large professional staff or research and development budgets are disadvantaged in understanding and taking advantage of fast-moving technological and other developments.
This project was the foundation for a regional agri-food knowledge cluster to link agri-food producers with knowledge holders from local service providers to online knowledge repositories.
Ecosystem and Wildlife Health: Changing regional climates and recent wildlife mortality events highlight ongoing threats to local biodiversity and the need for regional conservation funding.
AI Data Centres Update:
Burnie: "VIRIDIS Green Data Centres is developing a 1MW Tier III, Zone 4 edge data center in Burnie, Tasmania, Australia, with a target go-live in the first half of 2027. Located at 39 Alexander St in the Burnie CBD, the facility will span 1,215 sqm and is designed to handle data classified up to Secret level. "
Wesley Vale (North-West): A 52-megawatt facility has a development application moving through local planning processes.
Launceston (St Leonards): A 104-megawatt facility is currently under construction and aims to open early next year.
Bell Bay (North): A large 288-megawatt facility received local council approval despite a petition signed by nearly 6,000 people
A council has approved a proposal for an artificial intelligence data centre in northern Tasmania, despite significant community opposition.
Protect Our North West Forests
Our AGM will be held at 5pm, Sunday 27 September at North West Environment Centre (235 Ironcliffe Rd, Penguin).
If you would like to attend, please RSVP by email (protectournwforests@gmail.com)
so we can keep you up-to-date with the plan. RSVP is essential.
We will conduct ordinary business as per our constitution, including electing the Committee. We will then provide a brief recap of the year gone by and plans ahead.
Carbon Forestry 101 - Ulverstone workshop
Event Details
Date: Thursday, 10 September 2026
Time: 4:00 PM for a 4:30 PM start, concluding at 6:00 PM
Location: Furners Hotel, Chelsea Room, 42 Reibey Street, Ulverstone TAS 7315
Target Audience: Farmers and landowners in Tasmania interested in land management, carbon, and forestry options.
Host: Private Forests Tasmania
It's going to be a thing Everyone is welcome to come to The Don (Wynyard) for the launch of Islands of the Island State.
Guest speakers and some tastes of 'shipwrecked' wild foods.
Book Launch- Sustainability for Decision Makers
Wednesday 9 September • 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Rivers Reborn Film Tour
Stories of Restoration. Voices of Hope. A Future Worth Fighting For.
Join Restore Pedder for Rivers Reborn, a powerful community film tour celebrating one of the world's greatest restoration stories and exploring what this could mean for the future of Tasmania.
This inspiring event brings together two remarkable films that demonstrate the power of cooperation, courage and persistence in restoring damaged rivers and landscapes.
The program features First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath, the story of the historic restoration of the Klamath River in North America following the largest dam removal project in history, alongside Pedder – The Fault in Tasmania's Wilderness, an award-winning, compelling documentary exploring the past, present and future of Lake Pedder and the growing movement to see this extraordinary landscape restored.
Following the films, hear from some of Australia's leading environmental voices, enjoy live music from Tasmanian musicians, and connect with others who share a passion for protecting and restoring our natural world.
Deloraine special guests:
TABATHA BADGER MP & CHRISTINE MILNE AO
With music by Lisa Yeates & Tom Crowley
Whether you've supported the campaign for decades or are only now discovering the story of Lake Pedder, Rivers Reborn offers an evening of inspiration, conversation and hope.
This is a free community event. Bookings are essential. Donations are welcome and will help support the ongoing work of Restore Pedder.
First Decent: Kayaking the Klamath - "program provided courtesy of Oregon Public Broadcasting"
Pedder: The Fault in Tasmania's Wilderness - Produced by Tabatha Badger
Images: Original Lake Pedder by Graham Wootton (top right), Klamath River in Siskiyou County, California by Tony Webster (bottom left)
DELORAINE
Saturday 19 September
Meander Valley Performing Arts Centre
Address: 55–57 Meander Valley Road, Westbury TAS 7303
Doors Open: 6:00 pm
Guest Speakers
* Christine Milne
* Tabatha Badger
Live Music
* Lisa Yeates
* Tom Crowley
* Nelle Degrassi
Sunday, August 30 • 5 PM - 6:30 PM
Overview
Following human rights lawyer and free speech defender Jennifer Robinson's fight for survivors of gender-based violence to tell their story.
Billed by Screen International as “an essential, galvanising watch,” SILENCED follows international human rights lawyer and free speech defender Jennifer Robinson's fight for survivors of gender-based violence to tell their story.
In the wake of #MeToo, survivors who spoke out found themselves facing a new kind of silencing and fear as defamation laws became weaponised by alleged perpetrators. Going inside the courtroom and behind the headlines, the film reveals how the legal system is used to intimidate, discredit, and financially ruin not just survivors but also the journalists who report on their stories.
SILENCED brings unrivalled access to the people at the centre of these battles: Amber Heard, whose defamation trial became one of the most-watched legal battles in recent history; Brittany Higgins, Australian political staffer turned advocate; and Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, journalist and co-founder of feminist magazine Volcánicas.
World premiering at Sundance and opening the 2026 Sydney Film Festival to a standing ovation, Emmy Award-winning director Selina Miles delivers a gripping, emotional and urgent film that challenges the flaws within the justice system.
Tuesday, September 15 • 6 PM - 8:30 PM
Overview
Bonsai Films and the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society invite you a screening of Floodland.
Please join us after the film for a Q&A panel session featuring John Harkin from Resilience and Recovery Tasmania, Angela Barrington from Huon Valley Council and Natalie Staark from Resilience Canopy.
About FLOODLANDA new documentary film, directed by Jordan Giusti,FLOODLAND tells the story of the devastating 2022 Lismore floods. Winner of the Sydney Film Festival’s prestigious 2025 Sustainability Award, FLOODLAND is a powerful illustration of the urgent need to support communities facing the climate emergency and how to enable their recovery and healing through community-led solutions.
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.
September Calendar
Biodiversity Month
Focuses on protecting Tasmania’s unique ecosystems. Endemic species include Tasmanian Devil, Eastern Quoll, Spotted-tail Quoll, Swift Parrot, Forty-spotted Pardalote, King Billy Pine, Huon Pine, and Leatherwood trees, with Burnie community programs supporting conservation.
01 — National Wattle Day
Celebrates native flora. Burnie parks showcase wattles, providing food and habitat for pollinators, birds, and small mammals.
07 — National Threatened Species Day
Commemorates species loss and conservation action. Burnie programs protect Devils, Eastern Quolls, and Forty-spotted Pardalotes through habitat restoration, monitoring, and educational activities.
07 — International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies
Highlights air quality and health, by monitoring emissions and encourages sustainable transport to improve local air quality.
16 — International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
Marks global action to protect the ozone layer. Tasmania’s southern latitude makes it sensitive to seasonal ozone depletion, affecting UV exposure and local ecosystems.
20 — International Coastal Clean-up Day
Encourages coastal and beach clean-ups. Burnie’s 13 km coastline is maintained by volunteers, protecting shorebirds, marine life, and beach ecosystems.
22 — World Car Free Day
Promotes sustainable transport. Burnie active transport strategy cycling paths and pedestrian infrastructure reduce emissions and encourage healthier lifestyles.
28 — World Rivers Day
Celebrates rivers and freshwater conservation. Burnie’s Cam, Emu, and Guide Rivers provide habitats for platypus, burrowing crayfish, endemic fish, and support community restoration projects.
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