A platypus surfacing in dark Tasmanian river water

Wild Island Collective

Photo by Michael Jerrard, wakingupwild.com · with thanks to Unsplash

WILD

Will • Intuition • Love • Discovery

Stories • Senses • Stillness • Smiles

For those whose feet may not always wander,
but whose hearts and minds can.

Gaia · Mind · Body · Spirit · Science · Anima Mundi

Sharing positive stories, community initiatives and sensory and stillness moments from all corners of Tasmania.

Celebrating the positive people, places, possibilities and projects helping communities grow and flourish.

Wild Island Collective began as an act of kindness.

Under the Matilda Rose umbrella, it is growing into a sustainable Tasmanian business that helps support future stories, offerings, creativity projects and community initiatives.

I planted the first seed for Wild Island Collective in 2016, with a circle of trees.

It looks very different now.
Life happened.
Wildly backwards moments too, often our biggest teachers.

Tiny steps. Lasting ripples.

Tiny steps matter.
From tiny positive stories to the big ones, they all matter to our island ecosystem, as do the cells of all living things.
So does a tiny act of kindness.

Those wildly backwards moments are one of the reasons I believe so strongly in tiny steps. Just a tiny bit in everything we do, repeated over time, can create remarkable ripples.

A tiny step is still a step.

Back soon… · tiny acts of kindness · free

Stories • Senses • Stillness • Smiles

Wineglass Bay, Freycinet, from abovePhoto by Lochie Riordan · with thanks to Unsplash

The images can offer a glimpse.
The stories remain with the people to whom they belong.

Occasionally, with permission, we may share a few thoughts of our own. When we take the images or films ourselves, those are our own reflections too. Wherever possible, though, we'll point you back to the original person, organisation, business or project, so the fuller story can be told in their own words.

This matters all the more while we launch the Matilda Rose Charity & Fundraising Project, under the Wild Island Collective umbrella, for all corners of Tasmania. A marathon in waves, like the ocean or a fierce river, as the platypus swims.

Until our small volunteer team grows, I'm keeping things gentle. In time, I hope this becomes a home for volunteers who would love to be part of something positive, and who may be looking for purpose, or even a little healing, along the way.

Wild Island Collective is led by Matilda Rose, and supported through acts of kindness, community contributions and the generosity of people who believe positive stories matter.

Over time, I hope it becomes a space supported by volunteers, contributors and community members across Tasmania who wish to help shine a light on positive people, places, possibilities and projects.

The first seed I planted was different to Stories • Senses • Stillness • Smiles. This space was called for by the community of our island, and it has been such an honour. For now, it needs a little grace, or a few volunteers, to keep it alive while I return to the next phase.

Like many stories, this one is still evolving.

🍂 Tas Stories Senses Stillness Smiles

❤️ Acts of kindness. Tiny steps matter.

🥀 For those whose feet may not wander, but whose hearts and minds can.

Stories are on hold for a little while, so our charity project can launch first. Back soon… Thank you for your patience.

What we're looking for

We won't be able to share every image.

Before submitting, imagine someone who can't explore Tasmania right now. Perhaps for 9 days, perhaps a month, perhaps years, because of illness, disability, caring responsibilities, age, recovery, distance or life circumstances.

Or young families in rural and isolated places. Healthcare card holders, who can't always afford some of these incredible places. Frontline workers, hospitality crews, doctors and lawyers working long hours. Or someone visiting for just a week, hoping to find wild places, mindful local indulgence and creativity of all kinds.

It's for everyone. We all need moments when our feet may not always wander. But especially for those who need it most, whose feet may wander only a little, perhaps just within their tiny community or home.

Happy memories, too. If your nanna or pa, or perhaps a little one, needs a moment, take them on a journey with you through our Instagram, to sensory-rich moments of Tasmania.

Would your image help them remember?

Would it help them dream?

Would it give their heart a happy memory, or let their mind wander somewhere beautiful for a few moments?

We're especially drawn to Tasmania's landscapes, wildlife, waterways, gardens, seasons, sunsets and sunrises, much-loved animals, creativity of all kinds, community and everyday moments of beauty. It's for everyone, not just the things I love, so tractors, marbles, tiny trucks and tricycles are welcome too. Take yourself back to your childhood years. Or perhaps let our space guide you.

Our hearts and minds can hold memories, and even take little holidays, when our feet can't take us there. In yoga, this gently leads towards stillness.

Fewer words. Keep it natural. Through eye contact, we pick up on each other's wavelength, a kind of sixth sense. Keep the imperfections. We connect through what is real, not what is perfect.

Submission requirements

To save time for everyone, please only submit images that meet all of the following:

  • Taken in Tasmania (mostly!)
  • Portrait format (4:5)
  • JPEG (.jpg) or PNG (.png) file only
  • You created the image yourself, or have permission to share it
  • Permission has been given by every identifiable person in the image
  • No children's faces, names, school uniforms or identifying information
  • No home addresses, vehicle registration plates or private information visible
  • Positive, respectful and family-friendly
  • The first image is about the moment that awakens the senses, not a promotion. Business details can go on a second slide, or we'll tag you
  • No logos, watermarks or text over the first image
  • A short credit line: your name, business name, social media handle or preferred credit

We do promote Tasmanian businesses, and occasionally important events relevant to our collective. Sponsors, big or small, will be celebrated in their own right, and are welcome to share their logos with pride.

Sharing a short film? For now, please invite us as an Instagram collaborator instead of sending the file. It keeps us both safe until my software is updated.

How it works

  1. Take time to reflect. Consider what would truly bring your heart love, connection, happiness and positive moments if you were bedbound or housebound for a year.
  2. For now, tag us in your image, with your credit line.
  3. We post it, tag you and credit you at the bottom of the image. Free, always, as an act of kindness.
  4. People find their way to you. Acts of kindness, both ways.

Positive Tasmanian businesses that align, tiny or huge: tag us so we can find you. Please add your ABN (we do check) and "Tasmania" to your bio. Tiny spaces have been hard to find without them. We'll tag you back.

Please note

Not every image submitted will be shared. Images are selected at the discretion of Wild Island Collective.

Images may be edited, cropped or scheduled for a later date. By submitting an image, you confirm that you have the rights and permissions needed for us to share it, and you give Wild Island Collective permission to repost it with full credit to you.

Matilda Rose is intentionally creating a positive-only space. Our minds soak things up like sponges in the ocean, but they can also run like the clear water of our rivers.

Comments are turned off, so this stays a gentle, positive cocoon, sheltered from the judgement and harsh critics of the world.

Acts of kindness. Positivity is the antidote, after all, to the fears and overwhelm of our island. It ripples through, like rivers.

Free, always. Mostly Tasmania, so we can help people find each other through the beauty of this island. 🍂

In the meantime, why not start telling your story on your own website or page? Share the community work and quiet acts of kindness you do behind the scenes, how your journey has evolved, and your creativity of all kinds. Then, when we tag you, people can learn it all in your own words.

Follow along on Instagram

@wildislandcollective.ssss.tasStories • Senses • Stillness • Smiles. Free, as an act of kindness. Share an image, a moment or a short film. We tag you, so people can find their way back to you. @wildislandcollective_tasWild Island Collective. A space to follow from afar. Stories • Senses • Stillness • Smiles follows mostly Tasmanians. Here, we follow all of Gaia, to connect. No stories or comments, just a space to connect with other followers. This one is a trial for now, and if volunteers don't come on board soon, it may close for a while. @matildarosewild_tasmaniaMatilda Rose. Charity events and my own business offerings.
Why Stillness comes before Smiles

Stillness

Stillness looks different for everyone.

In yoga philosophy, stillness also means letting go of the senses for a while: tuning inwards, towards a stillness of mind.

Empty, empty. Happy, happy.

A saying passed down from the teachers of my teacher, Gwyn Williams, creator of ZenThai Shiatsu.

We are all unique, and the things that help us reconnect, slow down or flourish are often unique too.

For some, it may be found through creativity of all kinds. For others, through nature, movement, food, community, gardening, music, stories, local produce or acts of kindness.

My hope is that people remain curious enough to discover what resonates with them. There is no single right path.

Your story. Your path. Your tiny steps.

If you'd like to learn more about yoga and meditation: Dharma Yoga Centre Tasmania · a short read on pratyahara

Boatshed reflected in still water below Cradle MountainPhoto by Sean Robertson · with thanks to Unsplash

Creativity Of All Kinds

Creativity isn't only art.

If you've grown tomatoes, run a small business, cared for someone or found a way around a problem, you've been creative.

The first wild storm of our charity marathon! A tiny one, about 9 hours
YogaMeditationBreathDanceSoundQi Gong & Tai ChiA little creativityHealth stories backed by scienceGaia wisdom & science
Water
Calming the nervous systemAmygdalaStillnessYinRiversOceanMeridiansPrana & QiMana & AlohaCycles & seasonsMoonScienceAncient & tribal wisdomLearningTeachingStoriesProblem solving
Earth
Soil scienceSeedsStewardshipGardeningGrowing foodCooking localNatureForest bathingBirdsongAnimalsSensesSanctuaries
Wood
ArtCraftPhotographyFilmWritingMusic
Fire
CaregivingActs of serviceSentienceVolunteeringCommunity buildingSharingTouchKa HunaZenThai ShiatsuReikiSmilesSmall business
Feet
WalkingWanderingGymRunningStretchStrengthSurrenderSocialSwaySomatic movementBarefoot on the earthTiny steps
& beyond

The 9 S Pillars

Pathways, not boxes. Revealed slowly, one tiny step at a time.

Coming soon

Mindfully Indulge in Local Produce

A tannin river running through Tasmanian tree fernsPhoto by Mark Direen · with thanks to Pexels

Appreciating good food, the people who grow it and the communities that support it.

Indulging is a celebration of life. So why not make it local, and feel the senses flourish with every tiny sip or bite?

The Cells of All Living Things Matter
Healthy cells of soilNourishing foodFlourishing communitiesHealthier cells of people

Working in Western health care has taught me that health is bigger than one person. I see it starting in the soil and seed, and moving through our food and our communities.

Healthy cells, healthy Gaia.
Small seeds, when nurtured, flourish.

Positivity As An Antidote

Illness, hardship and tough times are real. I live them too. This isn't about pretending otherwise.

For me, positivity is not about denial. It is about balance.

I am fascinated by neuroplasticity and the idea that small actions, repeated over time, can create meaningful change.

Much like a river can become cloudy after heavy rain and gradually clear again, our lives can change through tiny steps, daily practices, community, creativity and positive experiences.

A story.A conversation.A sensory moment.An act of kindness.
About

Matilda Rose

Waterfall in mossy Tasmanian rainforestPhoto by Isaak Cole · with thanks to Pexels

I'm trained in both Western and Eastern modalities, have worked across hospital wards for more than twenty years, and am also a yoga teacher, bodyworker, storyteller, lover of living things and creativity of all kinds.

Gaia science and Gaia wisdom. Ancient and tribal wisdom matter just as much as science. East, west, north and south, together. All corners. Interestingly, the more I study, and learn from my connections, the more similarities I find. Often it's the same, just in a different language or a different way of teaching it, seen through the eyes of a different lens.

Oh, and I'm dyslexic.

No, I'm not vegan. Perhaps somewhere in the middle, on the journey. I'm simply taking tiny steps to eat a little more locally where I can. I figure, why not do it together?

I'm still studying all of this. But along the way, I've seen the quiet power of oxytocin, our shy hormone. We use the senses to help it flourish, and then comes stillness. The amygdala can get stuck too, in old patterns or old stories, passed along like Chinese whispers. And how can we ask our bodies to absorb anything, nourishment or new learning, when the nervous system needs calming first? There's a hierarchy, after all, with oxytocin alongside.

Then Long COVID arrived. Around the same time, life happened too. Like a storm. My mum often reminds me I was born in one.

There were periods when I was isolated, housebound and bedbound, and my world became very small. Many of my connections paused.

That's a big part of why this project exists. Positive stories, creativity of all kinds, community and connection should reach people who cannot always get out and find them for themselves.

Enough about me.

I am still learning. Still growing. Still taking tiny steps myself. Far from perfect, but trying. There have been wonderful moments, difficult seasons and some wildly backwards ones too.

So please give me some grace for now, while I recover fully and find my feet with running a business, grants, sponsorship and beyond.

Like many people, I have parts of my story that will remain private. I don't believe we need to share every storm. Not because those stories don't matter, but because what interests me more are the seeds.

The seed of an idea.The seed of a story.The seed of growth.The seed of a tiny act of kindness.

Real imperfections help us connect. But this space is less about the storms and more about what we learn, what we nurture and what grows next.

Matilda Rose is the umbrella under which Wild Island Collective continues to grow. It is home to future stories, experiences and offerings exploring:

Some experiences will be online. Some will be in person. Both matter, but face-to-face connection will always be an important part of it. We are social creatures. Herd mammals, after all.

More will be revealed in time.

Community

People → Places → Possibilities → Projects

Most projects begin with people.

A conversation.A seed of an idea.A small act of kindness.A shared vision.

From there come the places, possibilities and projects that help communities thrive.

Ways you can help

Coming soon. I'm recovering from Long COVID and pacing myself, so these will open gently, in small batches. Contributors and volunteers will be invited, so the community can grow slowly and well. Thank you for your patience.

Coming soon
Share a StoryTell me about someone or something worth celebrating. I can't always feature every story, as there may be hundreds to sift through and for now it's just me. But know that each one brings a smile to my face.
Coming soon
VolunteerHelp these stories reach people who are housebound, in care or far from home. Volunteering will be by invitation.
Coming soon
Make an IntroductionKnow a grower, maker, creative or community group? Put us in touch.
Coming soon
Say HelloI'd love to hear from you, and soon I will. For now it's just me, so I'm keeping things small while I recover.
Coming soon · explore by place

Every Town Is An Island

Every Tasmanian town is its own little ecosystem, with its own people, places, projects and possibilities. I'd love to share them, town by town.

Offerings will be found by town too, or by the 9 S Pillars.

SouthHobart · Fern Tree · Huon Valley · Mt Field · Bruny Island & beyond
East CoastOrford · St Helens · Bay of Fires · Swansea · Coles Bay · Maria Island & beyond
NorthLaunceston · Tamar Valley · Deloraine & beyond
North WestDevonport · Burnie · Stanley · Cradle Mountain & beyond
WestQueenstown · Strahan · Corinna & beyond
Central HighlandsBothwell · Great Lake · Lake St Clair & beyond
Bass Strait IslandsKing Island · Flinders Island & beyond
…and beyondother islands, near and far

Example towns only. Region names, boundaries and dual place names are still to be confirmed. We're building this part of the site now.

Watch this space · launching soon

Community Offerings

Wild Island Collective is also my tiny business, and offerings are launching soon.

First up is the Matilda Rose Charity & Fundraising Project. Registering interest opens soon too.

Coming soon
Calming the Nervous System
Coming soon
Health Stories, Backed by Science
Coming soon
Mindfully Indulge in Local Produce
Coming soon
A Little CreativityOxytocin rich.

The first pay-it-forward offerings will be designed so cost, health, distance or life circumstances do not stop people from taking part. I've walked some of those paths myself.

To be honest about it: some parts are free, as acts of kindness, and some are paid, so Matilda Rose, her community and helpers can keep going. The Stories space will always be free.

My hope is that this becomes one large gift from many people across Tasmania, helping creativity, community, connection and positive stories reach those whose feet may need it most.

Acts of kindness are powerful. So is sustainability. My hope is that Matilda Rose and Wild Island Collective can honour both.

Offerings soon, in mysterious spaces

Growing Sustainably

It starts with acts of kindness.
A seed.

Sponsors, collaborators, affiliates and contributors will be invited gradually, as the project grows.

In time there will be room for sponsors and volunteers for community spaces and events, from lending a venue or helping set up, to supporting a local gathering so more people can come along.

Wild Island Collective and Matilda Rose are built on community, connection and collaboration, but they are also the result of one person's vision, many tiny steps and a great deal of WILL.

I'll be choosing carefully who joins along the way, so it grows gently and stays true to its roots.

Not everyone needs to build their own island.
Sometimes it is enough to help something good grow.

Bring your skills.Bring your experience.Bring your ideas.Bring your tiny acts of kindness.
Contact

Get in touch

Messages are coming soon. For now, the best way to follow along is on Instagram. When the form opens, I'll reply as I can.

Instagram@wildislandcollective.ssss.tas
EmailComing soon
Websitewildislandcollective.com.au
ABN26 225 808 485
Offerings (soon)Soon, in mysterious spaces
Mailing list (coming soon)

Messages coming soon

The contact form will open once I'm ready to reply to messages in a way that's kind to my recovery. Thank you for understanding.

In the meantime, say hello on Instagram: @wildislandcollective.ssss.tas

People → Places → Possibilities → Projects Tiny Steps Matter The Cells of All Living Things Matter Small Seeds, When Nurtured, Flourish WILD

For those whose feet may not always wander,
but whose hearts and minds can.

Together, we grow.

Gather here with me, and journey together.

Please note

Looking after yourself

I come from a background in both Western and Eastern modalities. Here, I'm sharing as a small business owner.

Everything here is general information only. It is not medical advice.

Please look after yourself, take charge of your own wellbeing, and work with health professionals who align with you.

Read the full note

General information only

This website, our Instagram spaces and anything we share are for general information, inspiration and connection. They are not medical, psychological or other professional advice, and they are not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment.

No practitioner relationship

Reading, following or sharing with us doesn't make me your health practitioner. If you book an offering in future, its own terms will be shared with you first.

Check with your health professional

Please speak with your doctor or health professional before starting any new movement, yoga, breathwork, diet, fasting or wellbeing practice, or before changing any medication. Especially if you are pregnant, postnatal, managing a health condition or taking medication.

Listen to your body

Take part only within your own limits. Stop if anything doesn't feel right. Experiences vary, and no outcome is promised.

Stories, links and sponsors

Stories and images shared belong to their creators, and their views are their own. We don't share health testimonials. Sharing someone's story or linking to another site isn't an endorsement of their products or services. Sponsored, gifted or affiliate content will always be clearly labelled.

Your privacy

Please don't send personal health information in messages or submissions.

This is a space of kindness, but stories can sometimes stir things up. If anything here brings up something difficult, please reach out:

In an emergency, call 000.