At Ballarat Grammar, agriculture isn’t an elective tucked away in the timetable. It’s a hands-on, immersive part of a student’s education from Year 4 right through to graduation.
The School’s 120-acre Mount Rowan Farm Campus, just minutes from the main site, gives students a working farm as their classroom. From their first visit in Year 4, students get real exposure to the land. By Senior School, that early curiosity has grown into a formal Agriculture subject covering animal husbandry, crop management, sustainable farming, agribusiness, and food systems. Students don’t just learn about the land, they work it, developing practical skills and a genuine understanding of the environment that few classroom-only programs can match.
It’s an approach that reflects Ballarat Grammar’s broader philosophy: that a good education is built from a mix of experiences, academic, creative, practical, and personal, that together prepare students for life beyond school.
That same hands-on spirit runs through the rest of the School. The Academy, Sound and Performance, launched in 2024, sees students recording original music and working alongside industry professionals. The outdoor education program, running from Prep to Year 12, builds confidence and resilience alongside academic learning.
Looking ahead, the new Mafeking property in the Grampians will extend this experiential model even further. Students will live and work on site, cooking meals, managing solar power, growing food, and planning expeditions, while learning bushcraft, navigation, and land management. The program includes a strong focus on First Nations perspectives, connecting students to the Gariwerd landscape and the knowledge of communities who have cared for this Country for tens of thousands of years.
For regional and rural families, boarding is available from Years 7 to 12, with dedicated support for students starting secondary school in junior boarding. It’s a natural fit for families who want their children to have full access to programs like Mount Rowan Farm while living on campus during the week.
Ballarat Grammar’s agriculture program is more than a subject. It’s a genuine pathway into farming, agribusiness, environmental science, and land management careers, built on real paddocks, real animals, and real responsibility. To book a tour and see Mount Rowan Farm Campus for yourself, visit bgs.vic.edu.au or contact our Admissions Office at admissions@bgs.vic.edu.au.
Ballarat Grammar is a co-educational day and boarding school serving the educational and pastoral needs of children in Victoria and […]