Portals to Place - Furneaux Islands Conference
Description
Portals to Place: Furneaux Regenerative Conference
Flinders Island, Tasmania | 4–7 May 2026
Calling those interested in regenerative place based development, economic and community development and tourism professionals
CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT SCHEDULE
If you’re curious about how communities like ours are shaping their own future — you’re invited.
This isn’t your typical conference. There are no polished presentations or big promises from the top down. It’s a space for real conversations about what it actually takes to live, work and build something meaningful in a place like this.
Portals to Place is small by design. It’s about sitting around the table, sharing ideas, asking honest questions, and learning from people who are doing the work on the ground.
Hosted by the Furneaux Collective and Place Ecologies, and grounded in the Islander Way journey, this gathering brings together locals, visitors, community builders, tourism and economic development folks, and people who care about doing things differently.
You won’t just be attending — you’ll be part of it.
Community tickets
Staging a conference of this scale in a remote island location is genuinely expensive. Freight, catering, accommodation, and speaker travel all carry a price tag that reflects where we are. The Furneaux Collective is not making a profit from this event. Every dollar collected goes toward making it happen.
For locals, we’ve created community tickets so you can join in a way that works for you. You can come along to the sessions you’re interested in, and your ticket helps cover the catering for that time.
If you want to be part of the full three days, the community ticket invites you to contribute what you can.
Your knowledge of our place, your stories, your perspective — that’s not a side note. It’s what this whole thing is built on.
Who's Speaking (We will continue to add this extraordinary list!)
Damon Gameauu
Damon Gameau is an Australian film director, speaker and author. As a director he wrote, directed, and performed vocals for the 2011 Tropfest-winning short film Animal Beatbox. In 2015 he turned to activism with his debut feature documentary That Sugar Film, which sold to 25 territories and received numerous awards, including the 2015 AACTA Award for Best Documentary. His campaign book That Sugar Book was a bestseller in Australia and published in 20 countries and 8 languages. Damon then directed the climate solutions feature documentary 2040 and authored an accompanying book 2040: a Handbook for the Regeneration. Both films sit in the top 10 highest grossing Australian documentaries at the domestic box office. Damon then co-founded Regen Studios with Anna Kaplan where together they work with philanthropists and partners to build comprehensive impact campaigns for their films, raising money for ecological solutions and awareness in classrooms, boardrooms, and Parliaments around the world. Recent projects include Regenerating Australia and his most recent film, Future Council. Damon’s TEDx Sydney talk ‘went viral’ via the global TED platform.
Flinders Island and the Furneaux Group Community
Around 900 people call Flinders Island home. That's a small number by any measure, but the diversity of lives, livelihoods, knowledge and perspective held within that community is anything but small. It's a community shaped by self-reliance, by the rhythms of a remote island, and by a fierce sense of stewardship for the place they live in. They don't need solutions from elsewhere. Since 2021, this community has been on a journey, one triggered not by a development strategy but by a collective desire to protect and steward what matters. That journey is ongoing, experimental, and honest about its complexity. The people of Flinders Island are not the backdrop for this gathering, they are also the hosts, the guest speakers, and the knowledge holders.
Deborah Wace
Botanical artist, print maker, fabric designer, natural historian, and ecological activist, Deborah has spent many years living amongst the wild buttongrass plains and deep rainforests of Tasmania, collecting specimens (sustainably and with permissions) to inspire her art and design creations. Her specimen collection has grown over the years into a significant archive of immense beauty forming a unique record of Tasmania’s botanical heritage, including many threatened and endangered species. Deborah will be sharing her passion for nature, creativity and tapping into the soul of place.
Cherise Addinsall
Cherise knows what it means to work slowly, carefully, and in genuine relationship with place. Her work across Pacific Island communities is rooted in a simple yet radical idea that the people who live somewhere already hold the knowledge needed to shape their future, and that outsiders are there to listen, not lead. She's spent years working alongside Indigenous communities on questions of food, land, tourism and belonging, and to support communities in finding their own. Her focus on regenerative agritourism grows from a deep belief that how we relate to place and food is inseparable from how we relate to each other. Cherise brings to this conversation a rare combination of island literacy, genuine humility, and hard-won experience of what it actually takes to shift systems.
Vanessa Ward
Vanessa Ward is a designer and researcher at the University of Tasmania, where she leads the Bachelor of Design and the Regen Design Lab. Her work explores how design can move beyond sustainability toward net-positive outcomes for ecological and social systems. She is also a co-creator of Systemic Cycles — a multi-day bicycle tour that combines physical journey with hands-on exploration of regional supply chain systems. Using movement and shared adventure as a form of experiential learning, Systemic Cycles shifts participants from sightseeing to insight-seeing, cycling through a bioregion to directly encounter and help weave together more circular, regional supply chains with regenerative culture as the destination.
FAQs
- How do I get to Flinders Island?
Sharp Airlines flies regular services from Melbourne (Essendon Airport, not Tullamarine) and Launceston. Book early as seats are limited, schedules can change. Check and book directly at sharpairlines.com. One important note: Sharp departs from Essendon Airport, not Melbourne's main airport. Don't get caught out.
- Will my phone work on Flinders Island?
Only if you're on Telstra (or a Telstra reseller network). Optus, Vodafone, and other providers do not have coverage here. If you're not on Telstra, you have two options: pick up a cheap prepaid Telstra SIM before you leave, or embrace the disconnection. Coverage is good across most of the island, including Whitemark and Lady Barron, but there are spots where even Telstra drops out.
- Do I need a car?
Yes, if you want to explore the island or have your own independence. Public transport doesn't exist here. Flinders Island Car Rentals is your best option — book ahead. Transfers from Whitemark Airport are included in your registration, and we will pick you up from our prefered accommodation each morning and deliver you at the end of the day. But you may want your own wheels for anything beyond the program.
- Is there a pharmacy or medical service?
Flinders Island has a hospital, medical services and a pharmacy in Whitemark, but range of services is limited. Bring adequate supply of any prescription medications. Don't leave this to chance.
- Flinders Island has strict biosecurity requirements.
As a living ecosystem with species found nowhere else, the island needs protecting from pests, weeds, and disease. Before you travel, please:
Check your bags, boots, and outdoor gear for seeds, soil, and organic matter.
Do not bring fresh fruit, vegetables, plant material, or seafood from interstate. These are restricted items under Tasmanian biosecurity law.
- Is EFTPOS available on the island?
Most businesses accept EFTPOS and credit cards. There is NO bank on Flinders island although cash out is available at Walkers IGA and the general store at Lady Barron. (Welcome to remote Australia!)
- Useful Links
Useful Links
Flinders Island Community Noticeboard (Facebook) - a genuinely useful place to ask locals anything you can't find elsewhere.
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