Meet our regional tourism experts
Passionate. Proven. Purpose-driven.
At Tilma, we’re proud to be a small but mighty team of regional tourism experts who live and breathe rural Australia. With deep roots in regional communities and decades of combined experience in destination development, sustainable tourism, agritourism, and regional events, we bring insight, creativity and action to every project.
Our team members don’t just talk tourism — they’ve worked on the ground from international tourism hotspots to remote outback towns. They’ve led regional tourism organisations, judged national tourism awards, designed multi-regional destination management plans, and supported countless tourism operators to grow and thrive.
From strategic planning to capability building and event development, our diverse skills are united by one mission: to help regional and rural Australia shine through meaningful, sustainable tourism.
Linda Tillman
Chief tourism visionary and regional cheerleader
If there was a gold sticker for the “Person most passionate about tourism in regional and rural Australia”, this chick should get one.
Linda has worked in tourism, events and marketing for 20 incredible years, after studying her Business (Tourism) degree in Lismore and travelling around Australia for three years working in at the frontlines of tourism, delivering events for Charles Sturt University, being CEO of Riverina Regional Tourism, launching her own consultancy, and even judging the national Tourism Awards in Vanuatu.
There is no doubt that Linda’s experience working in the local government, education and private sectors has given her extraordinary insight, knowledge and understanding of the tourism industry on a local, regional, state and national level. Her specialities are events and agritourism.
Linda’s “sixth sense” is her ability to spot opportunities, and guide organisations and operators on how to leverage them for the good of their community.
Linda could be the offspring of Robin Hood and the Pied Piper, doing great things for small businesses, regional communities and rural events, and using her sweet marketing tunes to lure visitors to the country and boost regional economies.
A true-blue country gal at heart, when she’s not travelling around the countryside giving great advice, Linda is either trail running with her dogs, or chasing her kids around.
Kushla Gale
Tourism experience across 3 continents
Kushla is a country girl who grew up in the tall tree country north of Toowoomba, attending a country school with just 70 students, before ending up amongst the black and white cows and red barns of Wisconsin in the U.S of A.
For 12 years, Kushla lived and worked in a major tourism destination, Wisconsin Dells - a rural village serving 2 million visitors a year! There she enjoyed motorbike touring and lived a spiritual lifestyle in a community with people from all across the globe (kind of like Eat, Pray, Love!).
In Europe, Kushla lived in Catalonia, Spain, before moving to Brighton, England and then Brandenburg, East Germany. Later, while studying International Tourism Management at Southern Cross University, she also spent a semester in Leeuwarden, Holland. You're spot on if you think that Kushla loves to travel, but she also loves cycling, gardening and tree-hugging - her passion is a safe climate.
Kushla’s speciality is sustainable tourism. She has an Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Living from the world’s #1 climate action university, in addition to a bachelor in destination management (International Tourism Management).
Collaborators
Tilma regularly develops strategic plans together with Jayne Jennings of JJ Strategic Consulting, and collaborates on projects with experts such as mountain biking experts Blue Sky Trails, and economic analysts Geografia.
Together with Cath Treasure, Linda supports the development and sustainable viability of regional events at the Australian Centre for Regional Events.