Barambah Environmental Education Centre

Overview

Fleetwood was contracted to design and construct a new Teaching, Learning and Sharing Centre at Barambah Environmental Education Centre (Barambah EEC). The centre is located in the Wrattens Regional Park near Gympie Qld and acts as a camp facility, providing engaging outdoor learning experiences for students. Fleetwood was tasked with creating a new learning area that could integrate with the existing buildings with minimal disruption to the local environment, plus a landscaping package that incorporated the unique location’s natural history.

Solution

Fleetwood worked closely with the Department of Education, indigenous elders and the local community to design the facilities. The centre has close ties to the local indigenous community, particularly the Wakka Wakka people. Close collaboration and engagement were essential to developing a design that would be fit for purpose and facilitate indigenous styles of teaching and learning. Colours and materials were chosen to match the existing buildings and landscape, and strict biosecurity controls put in place to protect the surrounding native flora and fauna of the national park during construction.
The 5-module facility upgrade includes:

• 2 general learning areas
• Teachers prep area
• Activity room
• Timber deck frontage

The upgrade also included a landscaping package to upgrade the existing walkabout track and install a yarning circle.

Benefits

Continual engagement with the local community during the entirety of the project ensured they could retain safe access to Barambah EEC during the course of construction. Upon completion, the community now has an additional 226m² of custom-designed teaching and learning spaces, allowing for a smooth transition during activities between the outdoor and indoor space, and encouraging students to connect to country through a diverse range of preferred learning and interaction styles.