Visit and Learn
Visiting the Western Treatment Plant is a great way to learn first-hand how the plant works and experience the scale and environmental importance of the site.
Tours
Melbourne Water offer pre-booked tours of the Western Treatment Plant to schools and community groups.
The tours are a unique opportunity for visitors to observe how sewage is treated and how methane gas is used to generate electricity for the plant. Tours can be complemented with various educational activities.
Tours must be pre-booked and are available:
- Monday - Friday
- 10am - 4pm
Groups are required to supply a bus for the tour and ensure that the bus company has the appropriate public liability insurance policy ($10 million minimum) before the visit.
Educational activities are a great way to complement the tours. Schools are also able to book some of our educational activities.
Make sure you read our information on keeping safe while visiting the Western Treatment Plant.
Costs
Costs vary depending on group and tour type. Prices are quoted per person and are GST inclusive.
| Group Type | Max. group size | Length | Cost | Min. booking fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years 3 - 9 | 90 | 1 hr | $3.60 | $180 |
| Years 10 - 12 | 90 | 2 hrs | $7.20 | $180 |
| Seniors | 50 | 2.5 hrs | $9.00* | $210 |
| TAFE, tertiary and community | 30 | 1-2 | $7.20 - $10.80** | $210 |
| International delegation | 1.5 | $12.00 | $375 |
*includes a morning tea
**depending on length of tour
Education Activities
Melbourne Water offers educational activities for students to complete before, during and after a visit to the Western Treatment Plant.
Teacher activities - before and after visiting
The following activities are for teachers to complete with students before and after visiting the plant.
These activities include hands-on investigations and discussions, enhance the tour experience for students, and support units of work around wastewater treatment.
Included in each activity document is its relevance to Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) and the Australian Curriculum.
Years 3 - 4:
What ends up at the Western Treatment Plant? (PDF, 836kb)
Years 5 - 6:
From past to present? (PDF, 1.5mb)
Years 7 - 8:
Micro-organisms at work (PDF, 1.2mb)
Years 9 - 10:
Cleaning up sewage (PDF, 1.4mb)
Tour activities - during the visit
School groups can book up to three of our education activities to be conducted while touring the Western Treatment Plant.
Our education officers run these interactive activities. Each activity costs $3.60 per student (including GST).
Discovery centre guided tour
Where does our drinking water come from? What goes on beneath our city? How is water recycled? Take a guided tour of the water cycle story from the catchments to the coast and learn how we’re helping to create a sustainable future.
Suitable for students in years 3 - 12.
Living in a catchment
What is a catchment? What’s in a catchment? What are the differences between the upper, middle and lower regions of a catchment? Students construct a giant jigsaw puzzle in teams to study the factors that affect water quality.
Suitable for students in years 5 - 10.
Stormwater story
How does litter and rubbish end up in our rivers and creeks? Students actively take on roles in a journey down the Yarra River from catchment to coast, to see how humans impact on the quality of stormwater.
Suitable for students in years 3 - 6.
Wetland food chain game
What happens to our food chain when there are too many predators? Students find out through this interactive game, which illustrates the food cycle and energy transfer in our special wetland environments. The game demonstrates the effects of pollution and predators on the transfer of energy between trophic levels.
Suitable for students in years 3 - 6.
What goes where?
Where should household wastes go? What can go onto the compost heap, the recycling bin, and in the bin? What should go into the sewerage and stormwater systems? In this interactive game, student teams actively debate the answer to these questions.
Suitable for students in years 5 - 10.
Western Treatment Plant Explorers
Can’t visit the plant in person? Our interactive, online Western Treatment Plant explorer program takes users on a virtual journey around the plant, allowing them to easily follow the sewage treatment process. There is also an online tool for learning about how we produce recycled water at the plant.
Open Day
Melbourne Water holds an annual Open Day at the Western Treatment Plant.
At Melbourne Water's Western Treatment Plant Open Day you can learn about life on the wetlands, visit one of Victoria's largest working farms and discover how renewable energy is created from our sewage treatment practises. The tours leave from the Discovery Centre on New Farm Road and visitors will have the opportunity to experience the learning activities including the Urban Water Cycle model.
Our next Open Day will be held on 25 March 2012.
Please register your interest in receiving information about the 2012 Open Day.
Discovery Centre
The Water Discovery Centre is located at Western Treatment Plant. It has interactive displays on the water cycle; where our water comes from and what happens to the water we flush down the toilet or pour down the sink.
The centre is open by appointment only. Register your interest using our online feedback form.
School groups can add a guided tour of the Discovery Centre to their tour of the Western Treatment Plant as part of their education activities .
Can’t visit the discovery centre? Our online Western Treatment Plant Explorer has information and resources designed to be used to support a tour of the site -virtual or actual.
Safety
Melbourne Water is committed to keeping all visitors to our sites safe.
Visitors to tour sites are asked to strictly follow these safety rules while on-site:
- wear flat sole, enclosed shoes at all times
- sandals and thongs are not permitted on-site
- stay with your tour guide at all times while on tour
- refrain from climbing on or over railings
- refrain from touching any machinery or equipment
- refrain from running
Both the Western and Eastern Treatment Plant are sewage treatment plants. Before and during the treatment process, sewage contains many micro-organisms, including bacteria, viruses and parasites.
When visiting either plant:
- avoid contact with sewage and sewage related products
- wash your hands before leaving the plant or eating
- refrain from eating or drinking during the tour
- wash any contaminated clothing separate to your normal washing
- ensure that any open wounds are covered
- report to any minor cuts or abrasions that occur while onsite to Melbourne Water
- wear appropriate clothing for all weather conditions as activities are conducted outdoors
For school groups, teachers and accompanying adults are expected to actively supervise students at all times. Students should not be unsupervised at any time. Supervision and discipline is the school's responsibility. We reserve the right to cancel a booked tour, and ask individuals or groups to leave the site immediately if any action or behaviour is deemed unsafe.