Queensland’s new Rookwood Weir has celebrated another milestone, with water from the weir now being delivered to Central Queensland irrigators
Rural Funds Management is the first customer to take water from the weir, using it to irrigate macadamia orchards in the Lower Fitzroy. The water from Rookwood Weir is enabling the company to plant 800,000 macadamia trees over 2,500ha of orchards within the Fitzroy region, west of Rockhampton.
More weir customers are expected to use water for their operations in the coming months.
Sunwater CEO, Glenn Stockton, said that this milestone is the culmination of years of hard work by hundreds of people to plan, construct and deliver Rookwood Weir.
“It is great to see businesses now taking water and Sunwater looks forward to partnering with our customers in the years to come to deliver water for prosperity across Central Queensland,” Mr Stockton said.
The Queensland Government said that the weir is providing a significant boost to the region’s water security and will drive economic growth and job creation for generations to come.
More than 36,000ML of water from the weir has been allocated to agricultural use, with a mix of small businesses and larger enterprises now able to expand or diversify their operations.
The Queensland Government estimated that at least 500 full-time jobs will be created through agricultural growth thanks to Rookwood Weir.
In July 2024, the Infrastructure Sustainability Council awarded the Rookwood Weir project an “excellent” rating for sustainability performance during the weir’s construction.
This recognition follows the project winning the 2023 Premier’s Award for Excellence and being named joint winner of the Queensland Major Contractors Association’s Project of the Year Over $100M Award.
Construction of the weir was completed in November 2023 and the process to test the weir’s infrastructure was finalised in April 2024.
Federal Minister for Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, said, “It is wonderful to see water flowing from Rookwood Weir and onto the farms of Central Queensland.
“Labor has delivered a world-class piece of water infrastructure that will create jobs and boost economic growth in Central Queensland for many years to come.
“Water from the weir will support primary industry, from grain, fruit, and nut cropping, to livestock production.”
Queensland Minister for Water, Glenn Butcher, said that water being available from the weir is an important milestone and the culmination of years of planning and hard work.
“This is an asset that will yield 86,000ML each year to boost economic growth, agricultural production and industry in Central Queensland,” Mr Butcher said.
Member for Rockhampton, Barry O’Rourke, said that the construction of Rookwood Weir provided more than 350 jobs and invested more than $270 million into the local economy.
“With water now flowing for businesses, the weir will continue to support economic growth whether through the creation of local jobs or the delivery of flow-on impacts in the supply chain for local businesses,” Mr O’Rourke said.
Rural Funds Group National Manager, Dan Edwards, said, “We are pleased to be utilising water from the Rookwood Weir to support our macadamia orchard operations along the Lower Fitzroy River.”
“This reliable water allocation is critical to our development plans, which will require a significant local workforce with a more diverse skill set being developed within the region.
“The Rookwood Weir provides a fantastic opportunity for procurement from the local community for goods and services to support our development and operations.”
Featured image: a birds-eye view of the completed Rookwood Weir. Image: Sunwater.
