What is the vision for the proposed Point Nepean Research and Education Field Station?

The Point Nepean Research and Education Field Station will become a world-renowned research and meeting place for local and global communities, where researchers, Indigenous peoples, and the broader community will uphold Indigenous knowledge and environmental sciences by collaborating, educating, researching, protecting and experiencing the natural and cultural qualities of this unique intersection of land and ocean.. 

What kind of research activity is proposed?

The Field Station will be a national centre of excellence for open science, where the conduct of research is open to local communities and land managers, and the results of the research are available to all.  

Focus areas are likely to include:  

• Developing sustainable and adaptive methods to protect the coast, given the impacts of climate change and coastal urbanisation, through applying more nature-based solutions.  

• Developing best practice systems for the restoration and recovery of coastal terrestrial systems as an area of focus and providing opportunities to secure threatened flora and fauna.  

• Research focused on improving our understanding of the variability and drivers of coastal erosion leading to better informing planning decisions in relation to climate change

A key opportunity for the Field Station is to realise the potential of the site’s unique marine and coastal environment to support education and research. Core activities will include a convening space for research and teaching, a community and cultural engagement program such as activation programs that target school groups, and the field study base for the existing University of Melbourne National Centre for Coasts and Climate (currently based at the Parkville campus). 

Some of the initial research topics specifically relevant to this site are likely to include:   

• Archaeological,  paleoarchaeological  and  paleogeographical  investigation.

• Coastal processes and erosion: 

• Eco-engineering and restoration of marine and coastal habitats: 

• Restoration and conservation management of terrestrial systems. 

• Data collection, data analysis, complex systems modelling.

Who is leading the project?

The University of Melbourne and Monash University (the partnership/Universities). 

How is the project funded?

The Commonwealth Government have committed $17 million to support the $27 million development, with Monash University and the University of Melbourne equally contributing the remaining $10 million.

What project milestones have occurred to date?

Commonwealth Grant Agreement signed  - June 2020   

Media Release shared with community  - November 2020  

Early site investigations - June 2021 - June 2022 

Where will the Field Station be located?

The proposed site for the Field Station is located at the eastern edge of the Quarantine Station, adjacent to the former First and Second Hospitals, the First-class dining hall, the medical superintendent’s quarters, and the cadets’ accommodation dormitories from the Station’s time as a military facility. The area includes Badcoe Hall, a culturally significant existing building within the Quarantine Station precinct that will be retained and the internal facilities sympathetically modernised.

Who will operate the Field Station?

The facility would be jointly operated by the universities.

Will the Field Station align with the Park’s Victoria Point Nepean National Park Master Plan 2017?

The Field Station will align with the Point Nepean National Park Master Plan which was released by Parks Victoria in 2017.    

The Master Plan highlighted the importance of the site for research and education and the proposed facility is just one aspect of the activity proposed within the park.    

Visit Parks Victoria here to access the Master Plan.     

How is the project respecting the historical significance of the site?

The universities are committed to highlighting the importance of the site’s First Nation’s  heritage, values, and culture; and respecting and celebrating Traditional Owners’ knowledge of Country and environmental and cultural heritage.   

The importance of the site for research, education, engagement and cultural uses, as well as for activities drawing connections to the site's colonial and settler history are also core to the project planning and vision.

Will the community have an opportunity to inform the project?

Active, consistent and authentic stakeholder engagement is a key project principle. 

To deliver on this principle, a communications plan has been developed that is focused on ensuring the community and key stakeholders can receive project updates (via the project’s website, e-news and local media) and are provided with opportunities to engage, inform and learn about the project.   

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