Amaroo Environmental Education Centre (AEEC) is one of twenty-six Outdoor and Environmental Centres operated by the Queensland Department of Education. Amaroo EEC was opened in 1975 on the site of the former Kleinton State School and is located 22kms north of Toowoomba. The Centre employs a small, dedicated team including a Principal, Teachers, Business Manager, Cleaner & Unit Support Officer, all working collaboratively to provide quality learning experiences for approximately 5,000 students each year.
Amaroo Environmental Education Centre provides environmental and place-based learning programs for Queensland school students from Prep to Year 12 across the Darling Downs and South West Queensland regions.
Our programs intentionally weave First Nations perspectives, environmental inquiry and sustainability learning, while supporting students’ sense of belonging, wellbeing and connection to Country. Through partnerships with visiting teachers, learning experiences are designed to extend classroom learning and engage students in authentic environments.
Programs are aligned with the Australian Curriculum and Queensland Senior Syllabuses, with particular attention to the cross-curriculum priorities of Sustainability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures.
Learning Experiences
Many of Amaroo EEC's programs are delivered as full-day excursions (9.30am - 2.30pm), providing students with opportunities to engage directly with the natural environments and community spaces of the Toowoomba region. Programs are facilitated at the centre and at a range of local field sites that support environmental investigation and place-based learning. In some cases, Amaroo staff also work with schools to deliver learning experiences on school grounds.
These experiences allow students to observe, investigate and reflect on environmental systems and human relationships with the natural world.
Learning themes explored through Amaroo programs may include:
- freshwater and catchment investigations
- biodiversity and habitat studies
- sustainability practices such as energy use and waste minimisation
- rainforest and ecosystem exploration
- First Nations perspectives and connection to Country
- sensory engagement with the natural environment
- invertebrate (“minibeast”) investigations
- introductory outdoor experiences such as our daytime Prep camping program
Programs are developed collaboratively with teachers to support curriculum learning while fostering curiosity, care for the environment and a deeper understanding of place.
Learn More
You can see Amaroo learning experiences in action through:
These platforms share examples of student learning, environmental investigations and the diverse environments that support Amaroo programs.