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Marine centre in desert town
WOOMERA…Woomera Area School this month announced plans for a marine centre in the tiny outback township. The $64,000 proposal will see the school’s current aquaculture and tourism studies expanded to create a commercially-viable tourism business. Despite the paradox of a marine centre in the desert, WAS principal and Woomera Board chairman Stuart Knox argues that Woomera’s isolation from other marine centres is the foundation for local interest in aquaculture studies. “You ask, why a marine centre in the desert?” Mr Knox said. “My answer is why not?” “Because we are so far away from oceans, a lot of our kids are really interested in marine life. “We’ve had our aquaculture program running for a couple of years and we see this as an extension of those studies. “Originally we were thinking quite small, we started talking about breeding goldfish and then we thought about our students doing tourism studies and decided we could build on the idea. “We decided to look at a venture that we could promote within the town that was something different – not run of the mill – and link it back to our school motto – in science in learning. “The proposed marine centre will see kids
MARINE STUDIES...Woomera Area School students, breeding yabbies in the first year of the school’s aquaculture program, could not have imagined that the program would grow into a comprehensive marine centre aimed at complementing aquaculture and tourism in both the school and the small Outback community. throughout the school involved in the running of the marine centre tourism-wise, benefiting the 10 or so senior students we have studying tourism, but there will also be the educational outcomes they’ll get from raising freshwater and saltwater fish.” The proposed centre is expected to open in August this year and will be situated alongside the Woomera Community Centre in Banool Avenue. The plan outlines a reception and souvenir shop, visual displays about the project and its learning outcomes, a rock pool filled with marine creatures to encourage visitor interaction, along with a series of nursery tanks highlighting fish for public sale.
THE MONITOR - Your Community Newspaper
Mr Knox said the project is expected to complement and expand on current tourism programs in the Woomera region. “For us, the more things that are available tourism-wise to keep people in our region longer, the more we all benefit. “We’d like to see people make Woomera their base while they travel throughout the region – to Andamooka, to Roxby Downs and Pimba. “We’re already working closely with other tourism groups throughout the region because all our local communities need to work together to showcase our little part of the Outback. “We see it as a regional benefit – the focus really is to get people out here
to this area and keep them here, seeing as much as possible. “Our students will benefit from interacting with cooperating businesses and tourists visiting the area - developing skills which will later, lead to employment opportunities.” Woomera Area School and Woomera Board will jointly operate the facility and the school has already committed $50,000 of the $64,000 required for the project. “We’re still looking for corporate sponsors – the more support, the bigger and better this centre will be,” Mr Knox said. Copies of the Woomera Marine Centre business plan are available from the Woomera Community Centre - ph Travis Halliday, 8674 3226.
Planning the future of Roxby ROXBY DOWNS… The Roxby Downs community will, once again, have an opportunity to influence the future of the township when a series of community meetings are held next month. The public meetings are the next step in the ongoing Community Plan process when the Community Board will consult with the stakeholders in each community sector and form a series of Community Forums and Partnerships. The initial meetings will be open to all people who have an interest in any of these sectors and will explain how the forum and partnerships will operate, outlining the details of the plan for that sector. These briefings will list every planned initiative, the time frame, responsibility and how it will be resourced. At the end of each meeting the Board will call for interested individuals or groups who wish to be represented on the Forum. “The Board recommends that people attend the meeting read the Community Plan for the sector in which they are interested,” plan facilitator Ray Goldie told The Monitor. The initial meetings will be held at 7.30 pm at the Roxby Downs Cultural Precinct Theatrette Monday, June 6 - Family and Youth. Wednesday, June 8 Sport and Education and Workplace Training. Monday, June 20 - Education and Workplace Training. Wednesday, June 22 Business. For further information contact Ray Goldie on 0411 553 688 or r.goldie@goldiestrat egic.com.
Fax: (08) 8671 2843 Outback Arts & Entertainment
Page 12 RDAS School Newsletter Pages 18 & 19 Across The Regions Barry Wakelin’s Electorate Newsletter
Port Hughes/Moonta Bay
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L.J. HOOKER Moonta/Wallaroo Phone: 8825 2007
Thursday, April 14, 2005 - Page 1