$2m facilities upgrade complete, further $21m residential works announced at Dookie campus

The next generation of regional and rural workers in north-eastern Victoria are enjoying state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities, with new accommodation facilities to follow, thanks to a $13 million Victorian Government upgrade of the University of Melbourne Dookie campus.

Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education, Gayle Tierney, today visited the revamped regional campus in Dookie, near Shepparton.

The $2 million completed works include much-needed refurbishment and improvements to teaching labs to ensure students have access to high-quality teaching facilities and to enhance laboratory science subjects offered at Dookie.

During her visit, the Minister announced a new $11 million project to construct accommodation and ensuite facilities that will allow at least 85 additional agriculture and other students to reduce their travel costs and benefit from the immersive experience of living on-campus.

To complement this investment, the University of Melbourne will contribute a further $10 million to the construction of accommodation, in addition to the $634,000 contributed for completed upgrades to animal handling facilities to support teaching and research activities.

Made possible through the Agriculture College Modernisation Program, the $21 million University of Melbourne Dookie Campus Student Accommodation Project is co-funded by the Victorian Government and University of Melbourne.

University of Melbourne Dean of Science, Professor Moira O’Bryan, said the Dookie campus is a focal point for key research, teaching and technology development that is helping to shape the future of agriculture in Australia.

“This very welcome investment from the Victorian Government will enrich our student experience and allow more students to live on campus and explore our unique ‘living laboratory’,” Professor O’Bryan said.

“Our students and researchers engage directly with the agricultural industry, test innovations and develop solutions in plant and animal health, farming, food and agribusiness.

“These upgraded facilities will further strengthen these opportunities and importantly, open up opportunities for other types of students, including those within the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. We have big plans for the Dookie campus that will elevate education, research, and public engagement.”

The 2,440-hectare property is Victoria’s oldest agricultural college, dating back to 1886, and includes a broadacre farm, a dairy farm with a robotic dairy, an orchard, winery and a natural bush reserve.

As well as supporting regional students, the campus allows agriculture students from the University’s Parkville campus to spend up to a semester on site. The campus can currently accommodate up to 200 live-in students at any time.

“Additional residential facilities will optimise the use of the campus for other training activities including residential workshops, training camps, visiting study groups and work teams,” Professor O’Bryan said.

“These activities could be accessed by a wide range of user groups including secondary schools, tertiary institutions, agribusiness professionals and farmers.”

University of Melbourne Provost, Professor Nicola Phillips, said giving students the opportunity to experience life in a farming community is not only pivotal for their learning but also benefits the broader region.

“The University has a deep partnership with the Goulburn Valley, and we’re invested in providing learning and research opportunities that benefit our students and academics, as well as the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of the region. This is achieved through industry connections, community partnerships and local placements,” Professor Phillips said.

“Today’s 21 million University of Melbourne Dookie Campus Student Accommodation Project will provide at least 85 additional beds which can be used by students and, importantly, as temporary accommodation by emergency services personnel in the case of an emergency, as happened during the 2022 Victorian floods.

“This additional capacity benefits the entire Goulburn Valley region, increasing its capacity to respond to national disasters.”

The initial phase one funding boost was part of $6 million Victorian Government investment for agricultural colleges, announced in 2020 as part of the Growing Victoria agricultural industry initiative.

Minister Tierney said the investment ensures the Dookie campus continues to be a leader in the agricultural field while supporting the next generation of leaders.

“Every student deserves to be able to get a great education close to home. That’s why we have supported this important upgrade, along with other upgrades to agriculture colleges at Glenormiston and Longerenong,” Minister Tierney said.