At first glance, a sod-turning does not look or sound that exciting.
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But it is the prospect of the future development that creates a historic moment on any new build project.
The University of Tasmania's move from Newnham to Inveresk has been both much-maligned and much anticipated, depending on which slant you put on it.
But regardless of whether you are for or against it, it is one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Northern Tasmania, which in itself is worthy of awe and respect. UTAS is boldly going where no-one has gone before and embarked on a project that will transform its spaces and create new ones - it will also provide a completely different outlook for the existing Inveresk precinct when it is finally complete.
The turning of the first sod on the Inveresk precinct marks a historic moment for the redevelopment, which has been brought about by the unity of all levels of government, through the Launceston City Deal.
UTAS vice-chancellor Rufus Black says the move will bring vibrancy and life to the precinct and will ensure UTAS is literally positioned to become more visible.
This project will transform higher education in Launceston and Northern Tasmanian as it is being done in conjunction with an overhaul of the offerings and education course framework at the university.
A move towards embracing digital methods of lesson delivery and planning, along with region and place-based courses will, in theory, create uniquely Launceston (and Northern Tasmanian) education experiences. However, despite the first sod turning on this project, there are still unresolved questions that the university has yet to answer. A major one of those is how will the university will manage parking on the site. Another significant question many people want answered is if the university will be able to maintain and grow its domestic student numbers enough to support a pledge commitment to building student accommodation in the CBD. Now that this project is literally beginning to rise out of the ground, the clock is ticking for UTAS to be more transparent about these questions.
