As an integral part of their training, NMIT (Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE) students develop practical skills through supervised work at institute training centres and facilities designed to mirror real work environments.

Northern Lodge - Eden Park

Located 40 kilometres north of Melbourne in the beautiful foothills of Victoria's Great Dividing Range is NMIT's 320 hectare farm, Northern Lodge at Eden Park. The farm provides dedicated training for two of Victoria's prospering industries, thoroughbred racing and viticulture.

Northern Lodge Stud Since its inception in 1993, Northern Lodge has gone from being eroded land worth $450,000 to a spectacular 60 hectare stud valued in excess of $4 million.
Its lush irrigated pastures, first rate stables, a covering barn, menage, teasing facilities, a 1400 metres running track, a sand roll and state of the art scanning equipment make Northern Lodge one of the finest thoroughbred training properties in Australia.
Northern Lodge Vineyard NMIT's ten hectare vineyard has flourished since it was first planted by students in 1996, reviving the once thriving wine industry in the Plenty Valley.
Fourteen grape varieties are grown at Northern Lodge including chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, semillon, riesling, pinot noir, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.
While adding to their own skills and knowledge, the work of viticulture and winemaking students also contributes towards the institute's goal of developing Eden Park into a productive vineyard. NMIT celebrated the bottling of its first vintage in 1998 with the second to follow in early 2000.

Northern Lodge Yan Yean

NMIT's second fully operational farming property is located 25 kilometres north of Melbourne at Yan Yean. The 200 hectare property is dedicated to training students in cattle and deer farming, aquaculture and the production of medicinal herbs and essential oils.

The Growling Frog Vineyard at the Growling Frog Golf Course is located nearby. There is also 1.5 hectares under cultivation at Braemore Place, Beveridge.

NMIT Kyneton Park

Established through a partnership agreement with Kyneton District Racing Club (KDRC), NMIT Kyneton Park is a thoroughbred racing and training facility and education centre at the Kyneton Racecourse in the Macedon Ranges region, operating from 1 August 2009.
(See joint Media Release (PDF))

Freshwater Fish Farming

In response to demand for inland aquaculture training, NMIT has developed an indoor recirculating aquaculture facility at the Epping Campus and two outdoor holding ponds at Yan Yean. As well as producing a variety of indigenous freshwater fish, the indoor facility provides valuable industry related research. The system carries up to 2000 kilograms of fish and boasts automatic feeders, biofilters and computerised monitoring equipment.

Aquaculture
Agriculture and Animal Science

Performing Arts and Video Production

Recording studios at Greensborough and Collingwood campuses enable music performance and sound production students to produce CDs entirely in-house. A range of digital and analogue equipment is used, mastering to both ADAT and DAT formats. Rehearsal rooms and a Macintosh Computer Laboratory supporting Logic Audio are available for student projects. Video production students train in a television studio of industry standard. Located at the Collingwood Campus, the fully operational studio includes digital cameras and several editing suites fitted with Macintosh computers and Avid software.

Performing Arts

Tourism and Hospitality Training Centre

Considered one of Melbourne's premier hospitality training facilities, the Tourism and Hospitality Training Centre is situated amid a picturesque landscape garden and graceful poplars at NMIT's Preston Campus. The centre features a restaurant and bistro, training bars, commercial kitchens and a simulated hotel foyer, front desk and hotel suite.

St Georges Restaurant is a fully licenced a la carte restaurant with an extensive wine list which functions as a classroom seven days a week. Hospitality students welcome and seat diners and are responsible for taking orders, table service and bill payment. Apprentice chefs and commercial cookery students prepare all meals in the restaurant's fully equipped commercial training kitchens boasting plenty of bench space and natural light.

The attractive surrounds and impressive features of St Georges makes it a popular venue of choice for statewide industry competitions.

Manufacturing, Engineering and Building Industry Training Centre

Custom built in 1994, the centre located at NMIT's Heidelberg Campus, contains Victoria's most technologically advanced training facilities for the manufacturing, engineering, building and construction industries. Each trade area benefits from a workshop specifically designed to allow students to learn in an environment similar to real work situations using equipment and fittings donated by industry. The institute's plumbing training facilities are recognised as a national industry benchmark. They include a plumbing sandpit, simulated house stations and an advanced gas training laboratory.

Green Skills Centre of Excellence

Custom built in 2010-2011, the centre located at NMIT's Epping Campus, sets a new standard for training in environmentally sustainable practices across a wide selection of industry sectors including manufacturing, construction, training, retail, installation, repair and maintenance. The new Centre provides learning and skills development in Sustainability and environmentally sustainable practices and technologies including carbon trading, solar power and water heating, wind power generation, geothermal exchange heating and cooling, black and grey water treatment, rainwater harvesting, waste management and recycling, water resource management for horticulture, and agricultural and horticultural land conservation. The five-star energy rated building embodies many of the environmentally sustainable principles that will be taught within it.