Students return to Qld's Longreach Pastoral College site

The plan to offer accommodation for school camps, events and short term workers is the brainchild of Dan and Brooke Walker, in partnership with the former college's owners, Peter and Carol Britton.

In doing so, 'Outback Dan' and his Camden Park station tourism experience will be rebranded Longreach Station and transition to the college grounds, utilising the dormitories, dining room, pool area and oval to host up to 120 students plus support staff at a time, giving them a five-day taste of outback life.

"I always want to make that connection between city and country," Mr Walker said.

"We're taking that market away from the school trips to Canberra, back to where it belongs.

"We're fighting back, and we present the history of the college as well, which is substantial - ten thousand kids went through here in 50 years."

The state government closed the Longreach Pastoral College and Emerald Agricultural College at the end of 2019 on the recommendation of the Coaldrake Review, a decision hotly disputed by the pastoral industry, the central west community and former college students.

The Queensland Agricultural Training Colleges property was carved up into three parcels and sold by tender for $12.4m last year, with the Brittons securing the campus and grazing land south of the Landsborough Highway for $7.6m.

Mr Walker said a lot of people had come up to the revamped venue shaking their heads at the injustice of the closure but walked away with a feeling of excitement for the future.

"It's gone to good hands in the community," he said. "We're a school camp at the moment, but that might evolve."

The Walkers have employed Courtney Horan, who had been teaching agriculture in the district, as their business manager.

She said she could see the opportunities the outdoor education format would give her to teach people about the value of agriculture in a tourism format.

"There is so much happening in Longreach - people like Dan, his brother James, Pru Button's iButton Events are very entrepreneurial, and I love seeing small businesses starting and ideas come to fruition," she said. "Tourism is also providing more opportunities for people to see where their produce is coming from."

That means people staying will be able to have a paddock to plate experience, with sheep and cattle grazing in the paddocks beside the college and the Jemco Meats online butchery and delivery service operating on the premises.

"Guests love it," Mr Walker said.

The business has had a soft launch over the last few weeks, hosting Outback Aussie Tours' progressive dinners, and Ms Horan said a number of school groups had been booked to arrive in coming weeks.

Others testing the revamped facility include a Remote Employment Services team building event, the Outback Futures mental health and wellbeing team, and Mount Isa and Charleville distance education teachers in town for an Outback Alliance week.

Opera Queensland event participants are booked in, and possible new sporting events bringing teams in from away are also on the cards.

Mr Walker said they were working in partnership with the Gold Coast's AB Paterson College and its Winton accommodation centre as well.

He said the venture was already having a positive impact on accommodation tariffs in Longreach, which had been a talking point in the last couple of years, resulting in calls for more choices.

"We're not taking any business away from anyone - we're bringing more," Mr Walker said. "We're giving more supply for the demand."