Post-Conference Site Visits

Please be aware that the two site visits are scheduled to run concurrently. As such, you may only register for one of the site visits.

Site Visit 1 - Luggage Point Innovation Precinct

Urban Utilities is one of the largest water utilities in Australia, servicing a population of 1.6 million South East Queenslanders. Our shareholders are the councils of Brisbane, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Somerset and we service these regions across an area of 14,384 km2. We take great pride in providing water, wastewater and recycled water services to our customers and communities and are committed to innovating for a safe, secure, reliable and affordable water future.

The Innovation Precinct, located at our Luggage Point Resource Recovery Centre, is an Australian-first, currently supporting some $26M of collaborative research. This dedicated facility provides access to seven different types wastewater and process solid streams delivered to a central tank farm at the precinct. These process streams support global and Australian-first exploration of technology and enable the research and development of new technology to help us revolutionise the future of water.

To accelerate the development of next-generation sustainable solutions, the Innovation Precinct extends the reach of our Innovation Program by engaging university and industry partnering, providing career pathways, and enabling community engagement.  The facility houses cutting edge technologies for carbon and nitrogen removal from wastewater. These new technologies can reduce the cost of aeration, chemical dosing, and sludge handling.  We are also exploring increasing the recovery of resources from wastewater treatment, including via our algae research programs. We have a fully functional pilot sewer and our newest installation includes a world-leading anaerobic digestion facility to explore how we will best manage imported organic waste and explore the future of organic waste valorisation and resource recovery.

Cost: $25 per person. Registration is limited to 50 participants.

The cost include transportation and site visit expenses. 

The coach is scheduled to depart from the conference venue at 9:00 a.m. on 21st November and will return to the same location around lunchtime. 

More details about this site visit can be found in https://www.urbanutilities.com.au/about-us/innovation.

Site Visit 2 - Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) WWTP

Full-day tour to the picturesque North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) to explore and learn about how nutrients are managed in this special piece of paradise. Throughout the conference you will have heard about efforts to protect Brisbane’s Moreton Bay from nutrients. We have arranged for you to cross the Bay by ferry and tour Redland City Council’s Point Lookout sewage treatment plant (an MBR commissioned in 2017 designed to meet the fluctuating flows of this of this popular holiday destination).  After visiting the STP, there will be an opportunity for free time to visit the impressive Gorge Walk with your conference colleagues. It’s up to you whether you talk about nutrient recovery or try to spot turtles, dolphins, mantra rays or a late migrating humpback whale from the lookout. After lunch (included in tour cost)  there are presentations from local experts Julie McLellan, CEO Healthy Land and Water and Cameron Jackson, Future Specialist Environmental Water Quality Urban Utilities on the work utilities and councils have undertaken over more than 12 years, in an effort to ensure this beautiful part of the world is protected for future generations. What a way to conclude an inspiring conference!

Cost: $160 per person. Registration is limited to 50 participants.

The cost covers transportation by coach and ferry to and from the island, as well as lunch, afternoon tea and tour of Point Lookout STP. The site visit will also feature two presentations with a Q&A session, and a period of free time in nature to reflect on why we care about nutrients and where they end up. 

The coach is scheduled to depart from the conference venue at  8:00 a.m. on 21^st November and will return to the same location at approximately 6:00 p.m. 

More details about this site visit can be found in https://stradbrokeisland.com.