Rockhampton State High School aquaculture centre opens its doors

A new state-of-the-art aquaculture centre officially opened at a Rockhampton high school will give students a taste of what a career in the industry could look like.

Education Minister Grace Grace visited Rockhampton to officially open the new Rockhampton State High School Aquaculture Centre.

Rockhampton students, whether studying towards an ATAR or not, will be able to get a taste of a future in the aquaculture industry with a new state of the art facility opening at a local high school.

The Rockhampton State High School Aquaculture Centre was officially opened in a ceremony held at the school on Wednesday.

The facility is equipped with large tanks, labs and classrooms where students undertaking their aquaculture studies will do their learning.

The centre has been in the works since 2018 after teacher Collis Holloway was part of a delegation that went to Singapore to explore their aquaculture industry.

Education Minister Grace Grace visited Rockhampton to officially open the new Rockhampton State High School Aquaculture Centre.

Mr Holloway’s enthusiasm for the industry was “contagious”, bringing the idea for a facility back to the school.

Rockhampton State High School principal Kirsten Dwyer said the staff and students had been excited about the aquaculture centre finally being open.

“Our students who are studying aquatic practices will be able to utilise the centre, as well our agricultural studies students,” she said.

“Our staff are getting train in conjunction with Whitsunday TAFE in Cert II aquaculture, this is an emerging industry so we’re step-by-step developing these pathways for students.

“This has been a project that’s been in the pipeline for five years now and there’s a lot of excitement.”

During the grand opening Education Minister Grace Grace released the first Barramundi fingerlings into one of the facilities tanks.

The facility will help provide students with a pathway into the aquaculture industry.

The students will track the growth of the fish before they are tagged and released into the Fitzroy River.

“To have a facility of this calibre for students to be able to do things such as scientific assessment methods and proper projects is absolutely incredible,” she said.

Education Minister Grace Grace said the facility would serve as a “stepping stone” for some of the “best careers” in aquaculture.

“It is so important that we do this and this particular aquaculture centre, after this investment, is probably one of the largest and technologically advanced centres in an Australian school,” she said.

“This is under our local jobs, local schools program, a $66 million investment bringing aquaculture to Rockhampton, hydrogen to Gladstone and horticulture to schools right throughout Queensland.”