Ginn Road

StartUp Tablelands were proud to attend the Tablelands Regional Council Excellence Awards Gala Dinner as finalists, joining an inspiring group of businesses, organisations and community leaders from across the region in celebrating innovation, leadership and community impact.

The organisation was recognised as a finalist for their collaborative work on the PeoplePurposePlace Ginn Road Housing Project, an innovative community-led initiative exploring new approaches to affordable, sustainable and socially connected housing on the Atherton Tablelands.

Being selected as finalists was a significant honour and recognition of the vision, dedication, and hard work of many people involved in the project. StartUp Tablelands sincerely thanks the Tablelands Regional Council for acknowledging the importance of collaborative solutions to regional housing challenges and for recognising the value of community-driven innovation.

The Ginn Road Housing Project was founded on the belief that some of the region’s most complex challenges can be addressed through partnership, shared expertise and community engagement. The collaboration between StartUp Tablelands and PeoplePurposePlace has brought together complementary skills, experience, and networks to develop practical and scalable housing solutions that place people, community and sustainability at their centre.

The gala evening itself was a wonderful celebration of the achievements and dedication that continue to shape the future of the Tablelands. While the project did not take home an award on the night, being named a finalist was an achievement in itself and a reflection of the growing support for innovative housing models that strengthen communities and improve housing accessibility.

The event was exceptionally well organised and created a warm and inspiring atmosphere that showcased the strength, innovation and community spirit of the Tablelands. It provided a valuable opportunity to connect with fellow community leaders, organisations and businesses that are all contributing to the region’s prosperity and resilience.

StartUp Tablelands and People Purpose Place remain committed to advancing affordable housing initiatives, social enterprise projects and community partnerships that create lasting positive outcomes for the Atherton Tablelands and beyond.

“We are extremely thankful to Tablelands Regional Council for the recognition and for hosting such a fantastic evening. Being named finalists was an honour and reflects the commitment of our volunteers, partners, supporters and community members who have contributed to the PeoplePurposePlace Ginn Road Housing Project. The awards highlighted the incredible innovation, passion and community spirit that exists throughout our region,” said Jenny Sader, representative of PeoplePurposePlace and StartUp Tablelands.

Startup and Innovation Tablelands has garnered many awards from local and regional awards competitions.  “Great to be back in the game,” enthused one of its longest-serving executives, Seamus Campbell.  “ST has had a renewed vigour since Christine Doan has come back to health and has renewed her active role in the organisation.  You’ll be hearing more from us again soon!”

Description

After a long period of serious illness, the media queen is back – and this time with a quieter, more reflective tone.

In this video, we take a step back from the hype and talk honestly about community building: what it really looks like, where it starts, and what’s happening on the ground at Gin Road. No motivational speaker energy here – just a genuine conversation about what’s working and why it matters.

If you’re interested in collaborative living, intentional community, or simply building something real with the people around you, this one’s for you.

Topics covered:

• Returning to health and what changes with it
• Why community building calls for a quieter approach
• Early signs of success at Gin Road

Transcript

Hi all, I have a little different topic today. I want to talk more about community and community building, and where that starts and where I might be able to contribute.

But you know what? I was ill for so long, and so desperately ill. And it’s so wonderful to be going up in my health again. And it’s been so interesting to see that the media queen came back.

But when you’re talking about community building, it isn’t really appropriate to be “yay rah” like some kind of American motivational speaker. It requires a quieter tone. I wonder if I can manage that, because I really want to talk about the community at Gin Road. I think it’s becoming a great success already.

But I need a little bit of quiet time to talk to you.

2026 03 30  Media Release

 Malanda gains an unusual new home.

A bold vision for a new kind of living has come to life on the Atherton Tablelands, as the first residents settle into the collaborative housing project at 42 Ginn Road.

Local artist’s rendition of the Ginn Road Mob’s ‘homehold’. 

What began as an idea—part practicality, part idealism—has evolved into something more tangible: a functioning, connected community. The new residents, already calling themselves The Ginn Road Mob, bring together a diverse mix of personalities, backgrounds, and life experiences. Each individual arrives with their own goals, strengths, and challenges, yet together they are forming something greater than the sum of their parts.

“They may still be in a bit of a honeymoon phase,” says project lead and property owner Christine Doan, “but what we’re seeing is extraordinary. There’s a genuine sense of connection, mutual respect, and willingness to engage. It already feels like a team.”

The initiative was inspired by a concept from Townsville’s Darren Finlay, who envisioned “homeholds” rather than just houses—spaces that balance privacy with meaningful social connection.

“My vision was to create affordable households combining privacy and sociability,” says Finlay. “A better word is ‘homeholds’. Houses are everywhere, but true homes are becoming rare. We need to return to building places where people can genuinely live well together, using the best of what we know today.”

Early signs suggest the idea is working. Initial meetings among residents have combined practical organisation with open, honest communication—ranging from day-to-day logistics to shared hopes and aspirations.

“GRM is already a team,” says Doan. “Conversations have covered everything—from the nitty-gritty of living together in a new space to solving challenges constructively, to expressing optimism and making concrete plans for a shared future.”

The PeoplePurposePlace credo is that the development of the whole person has to be the basis of improving our housing situation.  Good design and affordable rent is only the start of the its ‘homing’ solutions.   Its primary purpose is to offer residents tools and guidance in communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution—key elements in sustaining a healthy collective ‘homehold’ over time.

For Jana Mueller, a PeoplePurposePlace ambassador and member of the support team, the project represents something deeply meaningful.

“The gratitude I feel is hard to put into words,” says Mueller. “To see such a diverse group of people come together with a shared intention to live collaboratively—not just in theory, but in the day-to-day reality of life—is incredibly powerful. This is about more than housing. It’s about rediscovering what it means to belong.”

As the Ginn Road Mob settles in, the project stands as a living example of what can happen when thoughtful design, careful selection, and a shared purpose come together.

From concept to community, Ginn Road is no longer just a place—it’s becoming a way of living.

A behind-the-scenes look at one of the practical challenges of collaborative living – where to park the cars. The Ginn Road team shares their group decision to locate parking on the highest part of the property, and outlines plans to upgrade it into a proper car park that’s convenient, unobtrusive, and in keeping with the site’s eco-friendly design.

Transcript

You know, you never know what are going to be the problems of trying to be collaborative. And one of them has been: where do we park the cars? Because everybody has a car, and we didn’t really plan on this being a motel where you park your car right next to your room.

So we’ve ended up with a group decision to have the car park on the highest part of the whole property, which is right there. And sooner or later we’ll make a proper car park out of it – we haven’t got there yet. But as you can see, this is a good place to park cars, right in front of the tank, which works from a bore and which has all the environmental extras to make this an environmentally friendly, water-reduced house.

But we also want to make sure that we have car parking that doesn’t look hideous, car parking that doesn’t get in the way of anybody, car parking that’s convenient. We’re doing some upgrades to make sure that works. And that’s where we’re at right now – working on the gardens, working on the car park, and working on some alterations to the building that make it eco-friendly.

A candid update from the Ginn Road, Malanda pilot project, where the builders are back on site putting the finishing touches on every last detail for the five residents who have made this new community their home. While wrapping up the first project has taken longer than expected, there is also exciting news on the horizon: a third pilot project is in the works, with details coming very soon.

Transcript

You know, sometimes things take longer than you think. And one thing that’s taken longer than I thought is finalising every last detail of the Malanda Ginn Road project, our first pilot project. We’ve declared it finished, but the builders are here again today, finalising every defect and final detail for the team that has moved in here, the five wonderful people that we’ve chosen to be part of this new community.

But what has also taken longer than I ever thought it would is the third pilot project. So we have this one just finishing, another one partway through, and the third one… I’m not going to tell you the details. It’s going to come up soon. I promise you, it’s going to be very exciting.

More soon!

A quick International Women’s Day shout-out celebrating the largely female team behind the Ginn Road project in Mareeba. With inspiration from Darren Finlay in Townsville, the local Atherton team is almost entirely women – and this video is a tribute to what they’ve built together.

Transcript

International Women’s Day. You know what? I think this is a really important holiday. And what I really want to celebrate is that it’s a largely women’s team that has put together the Ginn Road project for Mareeba.

The Atherton team – of course, our inspiration came from Darren Finlay down in Townsville – but our local Atherton team, almost all girls. We’ve got an IT expert who’s not, but he lives far away and is travelling around Australia.

So, women. Just think what women can put together if they’re unleashed the way International Women’s Day celebrates them being unleashed.

Yes, women. Go women!

People Purpose Place celebrates a major milestone as the first residents move into Ginn Road, Mareeba – their pilot project finally becoming a reality. The video also looks ahead to the next project, which aims to house essential workers such as nurses, doctors, allied health professionals and teachers, located just 2km from the Atherton hospital.

Guess what? After delay after delay after delay, we finally have our first residents moving into Ginn Road. Our first project, our pilot project, and it’s ready for real people and they’re moving in today. It’s moving day!

We can’t wait to get started on our next project, which is that way, directly that way from here, right next to Atherton, and probably more suitable for – let’s call them essential workers. Anybody in the medical fraternity: nurses, doctors, allied health, teachers, various different professions like that that we have trouble attracting to the area. And if we can attract them here, we can’t house them.

So here I am, right 2 kilometres from the Atherton Hospital. Perfect place. Next project. But we want to celebrate the first one first – and Ginn Road at Mareeba is already started.