About the SMFC

As a result of regional demands for tertiary education, the University of Wollongong developed the South Coast Education Network (SCEN), which includes the Shoalhaven Campus at Nowra. In the early stages of development of SCEN, coastal environmental research was identified as a regional priority and Federal funding sought to establish a “marine” centre in the Shoalhaven region.

The recent construction of the Shoalhaven Marine and Freshwater Centre (SMFC) represents an excellent opportunity for the university to establish a research presence on the Shoalhaven Campus. A University of Wollongong Strategic Research Initiatives grant is providing some seed funding to provide basic resources and thereby assist in the long-term development of the Centre. The significance of this funding proposal is that it will establish some core funding for a range of research activities at the Shoalhaven Marine and Freshwater Centre and allow the centre to grow into a major attractant of regional and national research funding and consultancy activities.

The Shoalhaven Marine and Freshwater Centre has aquarium and tank facilities for holding marine and freshwater fauna and flora, as well as a large teaching laboratory.