Built by learning, growing and changing things as we went.
King Valley Aquaponics has never been just about equipment. It has been about learning how fish, plants, water and people can work together to grow food.
Seedlings, markets and a growing interest in aquaponics.
By 2016 KVA was growing and selling seedlings, herbs and vegetables, sharing seasonal planting ideas and taking produce and young plants to local farmers' markets. Aquaponics became another part of that food-growing work rather than a stand-alone technology project.
We were interested in how a recirculating system could produce healthy plants with less water, how different crops behaved in different bed types and how a protected system could be adapted to North East Victoria's seasons.
Training gave us a stronger foundation.
In 2017 Matthew and Kaylene completed Murray Hallam's aquaponics Master Class. The training covered far more than putting fish and plants together: water quality, biofiltration, plant nutrition, system operation, farm design, budgeting, planning and produce marketing were all part of it.
Those lessons became one influence on how we approached our own systems: learn the principles, build it, operate it, then keep adjusting it from what the fish, plants and water tell you.
Read the Master Class story →
Our own systems became the real classroom.
Back in the King Valley, the learning continued through practical work: grow beds and liners, plumbing and water return, aeration, fish management, media beds, floating rafts, trellising, seedlings and crop trials.
Some ideas worked brilliantly. Others needed changing. That process is the part of aquaponics we value most — understanding the system well enough to keep improving it.
See the systems →
Food growing and markets
Seedlings, herbs, vegetables and local customers.
Master Class and system learning
Advanced training followed by more design and operating experience.
Systems in operation
Grow beds, raft beds, fish, plumbing and a wide range of crops.
A new chapter
Fresh crop trials and planning for a more resilient protected-growing setup.
Growing more reliably through the King Valley winter.
The next direction we're exploring brings together what we've learnt over the years with a more controlled growing environment.
The concept includes protected growing, a wood-fired hydronic heating system with gas backup, and a practical space where systems and crops can be demonstrated and discussed.
Hydronic heating is being considered because water is already central to aquaponics. Used well, it could help manage colder conditions without trying to heat an entire greenhouse like a house. Gas backup would provide another layer of reliability when needed.
This is a future, staged development. Final size, equipment and timing will depend on approvals, resources and funding.
Protected growing
Better control over wind, frost, rain and seasonal temperature swings.
Wood hydronic + gas backup
A proposed heating approach aimed at supporting water and crop temperatures through winter.
Learning space
Room for future demonstrations, workshops and hands-on food-growing education.