Gondwana Australia: New $650m testing and research facility for global automotive industry planned near Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport

WATCH THE VIDEO: Some of the world’s biggest car companies could be testing their new vehicles in Toowoomba if a proposal for a state-of-the-art $650m research and development facility gets moving.

Toowoomba could soon become the research and development capital for the global automotive industry, after plans were revealed for a “world-leading” $650m testing facility just metres from Wellcamp Airport.

Gondwana Australia, an “R and D development precinct” and proving ground for prototype automobiles, has been officially launched to the public after nearly eight years in development.

The project, which its proponents believe can create more than 2000 jobs during construction and operation, now needs $2m in crowd-funding to complete its development application and detailed designs to unlock larger capital.

If realised, the venture is tipped to make Toowoomba the epicentre of vehicle testing globally by saving manufacturers tens of millions of dollars during the five-to-seven year journey a car model makes before it reaches market.

In its seed-funding pitch, it has targeted a market capture of $3bn by 2030.

CEO Curly Frater and technical director Rob Geddes unveiled the massive proposal on Friday, with the precinct to be slated over 1100 hectares across two sites either side of Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport.

Gondwana Australia CEO Curly Frater at the public launch of the project in Toowoomba.

According to the pair, the vision of Gondwana is to create a “research and development sandpit” for major car manufacturers to ship in prototypes and concept vehicles, testing them against international standards set by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile and other global regulators on a variety of tracks, simulators and other infrastructure.

The proving grounds will be complemented by an entire research facility that can house manufacturers’ own R and D teams to collaborate with university researchers from across Australia and the world.

Space has also been allocated across the park for the testing of autonomous vehicles, vertical takeoff aircraft, driver training and even emergency service training simulations.

Mr Geddes said the group was working with global partners like Applus IDIADA, SAE International and the IEEE that specialise in vehicle testing facilities, as well as working with car companies to solve “pain points” and bottlenecks within their current R and D processes.

“It is a mobility, research and development and testing precinct — it’s a global-standard facility (and) an R and D sandpit,” he said.

Concept designs for Gondwana Australia, a concept for a world-leading automotive testing facility and proving grounds just outside Toowoomba.

Mr Frater said Toowoomba was chosen due to its unique combination of having an international airport, the vast greenfield space needed to complete the vision, enough undulation in the natural landscape and proximity to advanced manufacturing across southeast Queensland.

“To understand why build it here in Australia, the bottom line is it’s all in one location and supplies advanced manufacturing locally,” he said.

“The industry said its pain points are where they have to travel all over the world to get to different testing facilities and components — we’re talking about Mercedes, BMW and Ford.

“That’s what we’ve designed – a facility that brings a product faster to the market and faster to profit.

“It can take between five to seven years to bring one series of vehicle to market, (and) for one series that’s $1bn that needs to be spent.

“We believe we can bring cars to market 20 per cent faster, and deliver profits 33 per cent faster.”

3D renders from 2021 and 2022 of Gondwana Australia, a concept for a massive $650m testing facility and proving grounds for the global automotive industry near Toowoomba.

Mr Frater, who has dedicated nearly a decade to the project, said it was a chance call from high-profile businessman John Wagner (Wellcamp airport owner) who convinced him to consider the Toowoomba region.

“John rang me up and said to come down to his place and have a look at the land — I did and I realised this is what the industry has asked for,” he said.

A breakdown of precinct’s features

3D renders from 2021 and 2022 of Gondwana Australia, a concept for a massive $650m testing facility and proving grounds for the global automotive industry near Toowoomba.

Gondwana is broken into two sections, which combined creates what Mr Frater believes will be the “epicentre of mobility research, high-end engineering, simulation, and prototyping in Australia”.

Site one, which sits northwest of the airport, will feature “specialised circuits, testbeds, and test-houses” to cater for most commercial and passenger vehicles, including groundbreaking environmental tunnels to simulate a series of challenging weather conditions.

Tests include highway testing, fatigue and durability, wet braking and hydroplaning and hills.

Mr Geddes said the site would link manufacturers with global researchers and regulators in one location.

“Site one has the R and D precinct and has a lot of workshops and laboratories and the major test tracks that vehicles need to do their testing against international standards,” he said.

“They’ve got to test the vehicles across all of those and get certified, so we’re working with an international group (Applus IDIADA) who knows how to test from day one against all global standards.

“At the moment, there are components of this out there that exist but they’re only doing one part of the process, and they’re in all different countries.

“In one place, one site, one location, we’ve got all of the facilities.”

Mr Frater said a particularly exciting feature of site one was its 100-hectare emergency response training academy (GERTA), which would offer rescue crews from Australia and abroad a chance to test their skills in real-world scenarios.

“The GERTA Proving Ground is a next-generation development providing unparalleled scenario theatres and training opportunities,” he said.

“Our primary goal is to provide a distinctive environment where medical, fire, and rescue emergency agencies can hone their skills, test equipment, and prepare for real-world emergencies.

“We can even do a real plane crash, it will be like a Hollywood set.”

There is even a space allocated for vertical takeoff and landing of next-gen aircraft like air taxis and drones.

“The facility’s research and development efforts are expected to drive advancements in aero mobility, potentially revolutionising the aeronautics industry,” the website said.

3D renders from 2021 and 2022 of Gondwana Australia, a concept for a massive $650m testing facility and proving grounds for the global automotive industry near Toowoomba.

Site two would be focused on driver and rider testing by offering a 25km mountain terrain for endurance testing, along with simulators for rain and other conditions.

It will also include a “sim city” that will resemble traditional streets, with the goal of testing new autonomous vehicle systems before reaching market.

Each site includes its own solar farms and data centres, while there is space allotted for accommodation and recreation facilities for workers on-site.

Mr Frater said hundreds of people would be located at the site every day, which would inject $30m into Toowoomba’s economy a year.

“We can make new communities out there — we’ll have 500 international guests out there every day of the week and we need to look after them,” he said.

“We’ll have close to 1000 test drivers and 500 vehicles on the endurance circuit every day, driving continuously.

“When we look at those numbers — we’re talking about 2000 jobs, both direct and indirect.”

Gondwana Australia CEO Curly Frater, commercialisation head Robert Geddes and Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald with other presenters at the public launch of the project in Toowoomba.

Pathway laid out to start construction

Both Mr Geddes and Mr Frater said the dream of a world-leading testing precinct for the automotive industry could be realised within nine months — but only if initial capital was unlocked quickly.

The pair are currently preparing a development application (DA), specialist design and engineering reports and a prospectus for investors, which will cost an estimated $2m to create.

Mr Frater said that seed funding would not only get the project before the Toowoomba Regional Council, but would kickstart the process to have Gondwana declared a “prescribed project” by the state government’s Coordinator-General’s office.

“Normally a DA for us would take two to three years, but with this funding, we’ll be able to secure a prescribed project declaration,” he said.

“It could take several months work with the department and our town planners to get to a stage when the government makes a decision (and) we can theoretically, within six to nine months, be prescribed as a declared project.

“You can then start your engineering and actually start construction alongside the engineering (as) an ongoing side-by-side collaboration.”

Mr Geddes said approval from both the government and council would then be able to unlock a public fundraising launch for construction.

“Once we have that DA, we’ll go out for a major public launch, because people will happily invest in it once we get development approval,” he said.

Mr Frater said the “pathway” ahead was what made the $2m seed funding so essential.

“Gondwana’s triumph hinges on our collective will to raise the necessary capital,” he said.

“This is a call to action for investors, stakeholders, and visionaries who share our dream of propelling Australia to the forefront of the automotive industry.”

Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald was present at the launch has voiced his support for the project.