Alexandrina Council will lease the top storey of the Goolwa Aquatic Building to the Goyder Institute for Water Research. 

It will be used as office and community engagement space for the recently established Coorong, Lower Lakes, and Murray Mouth (CLLMM) Research Centre. 

The Goyder Institute for Water Research will receive $8 million from the federal government over four years from 2022-26 to work with communities to investigate the impacts of climate change on the CLLMM region. 

The centre will occupy the site for the duration of the funding. 

“Alexandrina Council is delighted to be involved in this research program, which seeks to develop critical knowledge to support the health of the nationally and internationally significant Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region,” says Chief Executive Officer Nigel Morris. 

“Business Alexandrina has already been supporting this key initiative through our Business Hub in Goolwa, providing a coworking space as a launch pad for the Centre and its four-year program. 

“In November 2023, CLLMM used the Hub to engage with the community, showcasing its versatility beyond a workspace. 

“A special event, 'Creating Shared Knowledge - Where Our Waters and Our People Meet,' invited local businesses to deepen connections and set the foundation for the CLLMM Research Centre's work. 

“Our community is keenly interested in seeing the upper storey space in the Goolwa Aquatic Building occupied with a suitable tenant. 

“We believe having a Research Centre focussed on the future health of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth and strategically located here in Goolwa along the majestic River Murray is a game-changer for our region. 

“This initiative is not just a research project; it's shining a spotlight on our community's resilience and commitment to addressing the impacts of climate change. 

“We look forward to partnering with the CLLMM Research Centre as it works to develop relationships with First Nations, communities and industries to harness ideas to improve management of this ecologically important area.” 

Goyder Institute Director Dr Alec Rolston says the centre is delighted to be working with Alexandrina Council to support this critical research.

“Our aim is to provide an evidence-base for future management decisions in the region and the broader Murray-Darling Basin. 

“While our four locally-based staff members will be based at the Research Centre in Goolwa, our work will include reaching out to communities throughout the wider region. 

“The space will be utilised as a hot-desking space for visiting researchers, but also home to an augmented reality experience which will showcase the values of the region in a new and exciting way, as well as providing community space for engagement activities. 

“It will serve as a base for knowledge exchange and will showcase the research in our region. 

“We are very much looking forward to working with communities to inform management decision making in the region.” 

The CLLMM Research Centre will host a public launch in early February. It has also invited the community to have a say in future research priorities and engagement activities. 

For further information and to complete the survey, visit the website.  

The council has been seeking a tenant for the building’s top floor for more than a year. A previous proposal to lease it to funeral home was rejected as unsuitable for the location.