Tocal College

Tocal College is a heritage-listed agricultural college at 815 Tocal Road, Tocal, City of Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Philip Cox and Ian McKay and built from 1963 to 1965. It was formerly known as C.B. Alexander Campus or C.B. Alexander Presbyterian Agricultural College. The property is owned by the C. B. Alexander Foundation. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 17 April 2013. The college is now known as the Tocal Agricultural Centre, a Centre of Excellence within NSW Department of Primary Industries.

The college was established on land originally part of the colonial Tocal Estate which is located on a knoll in the Paterson River valley, NSW. Tocal is in the Hunter Valley region of NSW at the junction of the Paterson River and Webbers Creek. The Paterson River valley was once occupied by the Gringai clan of the Wanaruah (or Wonnarua) Aboriginal people. The diverse ecosystems that were once prevalent in the valley from the rainforest along the river banks to the wetlands, lagoons and surrounding paperbark forests provided an abundance of food, fresh water and materials. The land on which the Tocal Homestead and College is situated was used by the Gringai clan for many years. Grooves worn into rocks by grinding seeds and plants, indicate Tocal was a popular camp site for the Aboriginal people. “Tocal” is an Aboriginal word, and at one stage it was thought to mean “ducks-a-plenty” in the local Aboriginal dialect. However, the weight of recent evidence indicates Tocal simply means “big” or “plenty”. Aboriginal grinding grooves have been located within the homestead complex at Tocal.

Courses Available

• Agriculture
• Business and Management

How to Apply?

For International Students