UTAS Launceston campus relocation and redevelopment finally complete

A move expected to boost student numbers by 10,000 by 2032 is complete after the final piece of a $304m move has been completed. Here’s a look at the new UTAS campus.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare, State Education Minister Jo Palmer, Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood, and UTAS Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black. Picture: Supplied

The University of Tasmania has entered a new era for regional education, the institution says after the final piece of the $304m relocation and redevelopment opened on Friday.

UTAS has moved from it’s suburban Newnham campus to the inner-city Inveresk.

The largest of three new facilities, The Shed,officially opened on Friday and will welcome students from semester one next year.

UTAS Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black said the campus changes were expected to increase student numbers to 10,000 by 2032.

“As well as providing facilities equal to any in the nation for students and staff, The Shed will serve families, children, the community, the city, and the region that shaped it. That is what this building, and our overall presence at Inveresk, is all about,” Professor Black said.

The largest of UTAS’s three new facilities, The Shed, was officially opened on Friday and is set to welcome students from semester one next year. Picture: Supplied

Professor Black said The Shed would support 160 staff and 1600 students across health and science, including Agricultural Sciences, Psychological Sciences, Geography, Health Sciences, Nursing, Nutrition, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Sciences.

The Shed connects to Inveresk via the laykila/North Esk pedestrian and cycle bridge, with extensive landscaping and outdoor exercise spaces available for community use. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

It also supports new allied health courses in Physiotherapy, Speech Pathology, and Occupational Therapy.

“Our future relies on equal opportunities for every person in every part of Australia, on equal access to quality education from the start. Nowhere is that more important than in regional and rural Australia, where inequalities are at their greatest,” he said.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the new Inveresk campus represented a deep commitment to regional education.

“Education changes lives, and this building will change the lives of generations of people here in the North of Tasmania,” Mr Clare said.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare and State Education Minister Jo Palmer at the new Inveresk campus. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

State Education Minister Jo Palmer said the new facility represented an important milestone for the state’s young people.

“The Shed is an important piece of infrastructure, but it’s what will occur within its walls and upon this new campus that is most important,” Mrs Palmer said.

“This project provides exciting opportunities for our young people embarking on their journey of lifelong learning and also for the wider community.”

The Australian Maritime College and research activities for the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture will continue operating from the Newnham campus.

Originally published as UTAS Launceston campus relocation and redevelopment finally complete