JASA
The Jane Austen Society of Australia Inc.
250 Glorious Years: Jane Austen’s Legacy
2025 Weekend Conference
JASA is delighted to invite members and other Jane Austen fans to our special 250th Anniversary weekend conference.
REGISTRATIONS are CLOSED
We have reached capacity and have a long waiting list. Sorry!
Date
Join us for all or part of the weekend.
Friday 31 October – Sunday 2 November 2025
Location
This year, we have a new location with much better conference facilities.
What to expect
Some fabulous international and local speakers are coming to instruct, enlighten and entertain us. See our Programme below.
We have a fascinating line-up of talks across the weekend. You have the choice of attending the full event, which commences with dinner on Friday evening and continues until lunchtime on Sunday, or joining us just for Saturday, or for Saturday and Sunday. There is a package to suit your availability and wallet.
This year, our Saturday evening dinner will also include an entertaining demonstration of Regency dancing provided by Historic Dance Delights. (Your regency dress is welcome, but not required.)
The JASA Weekend Conference is a lovely opportunity to get to know other members and make new friends while delving into Jane Austen’s rich and superb novels.
Programme
Interesting topics presented by distinguished speakers. Learn more about the speakers and their topics here.
Wild for Austen .. Jane Austen’s often unacknowledged ‘wild side’ (Dr Devoney Looser, Regents Professor of English at Arizona State University)
Transmitted or transformed? .. The legacy of Jane Austen’s novels in Norwegian translation (Dr Marie Nedregotten Sørbø, Professor of English Literature at Volda University College, Norway)
Jane Austen and the Future of the Humanities .. A project using Austen’s work to showcase the importance of the humanities to diverse public audiences (Dr Michael Kramp, Professor of English at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania)
Reading Jane Austen in America .. Some exciting new discoveries about Jane Austen’s early publication and reception in North America (Dr Juliette Wells, Professor of Literary Studies at Goucher College, Maryland)
Jane Austen and the Romantics .. (Dr William Christie, Professor Emeritus at Australian National University)
Glorious irony: Jane Austen’s legacy of critical perspectives on the world of women .. Including comparisons between selected novels and their screen versions (Dr Marie Nedregotten Sørbø)
Body and Mind in Jane Austen .. How Georgian views of healthy activities relate to present-day scientific understandings (Dr Juliette Wells)
Almost Pride and Prejudice .. Some film versions of Pride and Prejudice that never happened (Dr Devoney Looser)
Packages
You can attend the conference at the times that suit you. Some of our packages include meals, some do not. Please read each package carefully to select your preference.
Package 1: Full Weekend INCLUDING Friday dinner
Includes attendance at all conference sessions and evening entertainment, plus the following meals: Friday dinner; Saturday morning tea, lunch, and dinner; Sunday morning tea and lunch.
Cost: Members $335; Non-members $360
Package 2: Full Weekend WITHOUT Friday dinner
Includes attendance at all conference sessions and Saturday evening entertainment, plus the following meals: Saturday morning tea, lunch, and dinner; Sunday morning tea and lunch.
Cost: Members $280; Non-members $305
Package 3: Saturday and Sunday Day
Includes attendance at all conference sessions (excluding evening entertainment), plus the following meals: morning tea and lunch both days, but NOT Saturday dinner.
Cost: Members $215; Non-members $240
Package 4: Saturday Day and Evening
Includes attendance at conference sessions on Saturday only, including evening entertainment, plus the following meals: Saturday morning tea, lunch and dinner.
Cost: Members $255; Non-members $280
Package 5: Saturday Day
Includes attendance at conference sessions on Saturday (excluding evening entertainment), plus the following meals: Saturday morning tea and lunch, but NOT dinner.
Cost: Members $200; Non-members $225
Accommodation
You are responsible for booking your accommodation – it is NOT included in the conference registration.
The conference venue is Canberra Rex Hotel; however, accommodation here is now limited or sold out. Please contact them to inquire:
Canberra Rex Hotel, 150 Northbourne Ave, Braddon ACT 2612
Phone: 02 6248 5311
Email: reservations@canberrarexhotel.com.au
Below are details of alternative, similar-style accommodation options in the immediate vicinity that you may wish to contact. You are welcome to stay anywhere you wish, and these hotels are only suggestions.
Deco Hotel, 214 Northbourne Ave, Braddon ACT 2612
Website: http://decohotel.com.au/
Phone: 02 6246 7700
Email: reservations@decohotel.com.au
6-minute walk
Mantra MacArthur Hotel, 219 Northbourne Avenue, Turner, ACT 2612
Website: https://www.mantrahotels.com/mantra-macarthur-hotel/
Phone: 02 6112 9200
Email: macarthur.res@mantra.com.au
9-minute tram, 11-minute walk
Pavilion on Northbourne Hotel, 242 Northbourne Ave, Dickson, ACT 2602
Website: https://pavilioncanberra.com.au/
Phone: 02 6247 6888
Email: reservations@pavilioncanberra.com
9-minute tram, 13-minute walk
Bookings
Conference registration closed on 16 August 2025 (as capacity has been reached).
Please use this form to request help or more information.