JCU Central Queensland Centre for Rural and Remote Health

09/03/2026

A different kind of orientation today! ☔

With all the rain around, we had to cancel our usual town tour. Instead, we ran a little in-house orientation and cultural training session to help our new students settle in and learn more about the community they’ll be working in.

Today we welcomed:
• 2 Speech Pathology students
• 2 Social Work students
• 4 Medical students

We’re excited to have them here and look forward to supporting them during their placement in the Central Highlands!

04/03/2026

03/03/2026

🍞Wholemeal Damper 🍞

💎 COOKING UP GEMS 💎

Try this simple, nutritious twist on traditional damper, inspired by the locals of the Gemfields. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or as a snack with your favourite toppings!

This is a little snapshot of what the follow-along cooking videos that come with the Cooking Up Gems recipe book.

Like what you see?

Click the link below to check out our ‘Cooking Up Gemz’ recipe book.

Get the eBook: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGyW8qMlBk/ynFX6z2ZZu2BAwH9suDVvw/view?utm_content=DAGyW8qMlBk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h0e478c6870

Our goal is to help you feel more confident cooking healthy, affordable meals at home. Along the way, we hope to build your awareness of how healthy eating can support your wellbeing and help prevent or manage health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and some cancers.

02/03/2026

🎉 Orientation Day!

Today we welcomed 2 Nursing students from JCU: James Cook University, Australia and University of the Sunshine Coast and 1 Physiotherapy student from JCU: James Cook University, Australia to our community!

Over the coming weeks, they’ll be gaining hands-on experience at the hospital and at Construct Health, learning more about their roles and the unique opportunities and challenges of working in a rural community.

We’re excited to support them on their placement journey and showcase the incredible work happening in rural health 💙

Please join us in making them feel welcome!

28/02/2026

The students always have a wonderful time at Line Dancing & the crew there always make them feel so welcomed!! Thank you!

Love love love these awesome “JCU Kids” 😍 Sadly 3 of the girls are at the end of their placement 😢 But I get to keep the others for a while longer yet ☺️💙

16/02/2026

Following our Interprofessional Learning Session (IPL), we held our first ‘Monthly Mingle’ for 2026.

It was a fantastic opportunity for students & CQCRRH staff to catch up, connect and enjoy a bite to eat together. A great start to the year!

16/02/2026

💎 COOKING UP GEMS 💎

Marry Me Chicken

Try this creamy, flavour-packed chicken recipe inspired by the Gemfields community. Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner that feels fancy but is simple to make!

This is a little snapshot of what the follow-along cooking videos that come with the Cooking Up Gems recipe book.

Like what you see?

Click the link below to check out our ‘Cooking Up Gemz’ recipe book.

Get the eBook: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGyW8qMlBk/ynFX6z2ZZu2BAwH9suDVvw/view?utm_content=DAGyW8qMlBk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h0e478c6870

Our goal is to help you feel more confident cooking healthy, affordable meals at home. Along the way, we hope to build your awareness of how healthy eating can support your wellbeing and help prevent or manage health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and some cancers.

11/02/2026

🎉 Our First Interprofessional Learning (IPL) Session for 2026 🎉

We were excited to welcome students to our first Interprofessional Learning (IPL) session for the year.

The session was facilitated by our Clinical Leads in Social Work and Speech Pathology from JCU CQCRRH here in Emerald.

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, effective collaboration and communication across disciplines are essential skills. As future healthcare professionals, students will work alongside colleagues from diverse professional backgrounds—each bringing unique expertise to support holistic, patient-centred care.

Interprofessional Learning sessions provide a safe and supportive environment to:
• Understand the value each discipline brings to the healthcare team
• Strengthen teamwork and communication skills
• Prepare for practice in multidisciplinary healthcare settings

As part of our commitment to high-quality rural placements in Central Queensland, the JCU Centre for Rural and Remote Health continues to deliver monthly IPL sessions for students completing placements in Emerald. These sessions are engaging, informative, and designed to support future practice.

Thank you to everyone who attended—we look forward to the next session!

09/02/2026

Welcome to our UQ School of Pharmacy Pharmacy Students! 💊

Today we welcomed three new University of Queensland pharmacy students to the Central Highlands, where they will complete a six-week placement.

During their time here, the students will rotate through pharmacies across Emerald, gaining valuable hands-on experience while getting to know our local community and health services.

We also had our new Indigenous Allied Health Assistant join us for orientation today. We are so excited to welcome Laurel to the team and look forward to the knowledge, connection, and care she will bring to our community.

We’re thrilled to have you all here and wish you the very best for your time in the Central Highlands!

07/02/2026

Students making the most of their rural placement in Emerald!

Our 2 newest “JCU QUT” kids 🙃
They are dancing queens 🤩🤩…and it turns out that I went to high school with Della’s mum 😯

02/02/2026

Beef Stir-Fry 🐂

💎 COOKING UP GEMS 💎

This low-effort stir-fry is perfect for those nights when you have no time and energy. Inspired by members of the Gemfields community, this recipe is very nutritious, while also delicious.

This is a little snapshot of what the follow-along cooking videos that come with the Cooking Up Gems recipe book.

Like what you see?

Click the link below to check out our ‘Cooking Up Gemz’ recipe book.

Get the eBook: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGyW8qMlBk/ynFX6z2ZZu2BAwH9suDVvw/view?utm_content=DAGyW8qMlBk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h0e478c6870

Our goal is to help you feel more confident cooking healthy, affordable meals at home. Along the way, we hope to build your awareness of how healthy eating can support your wellbeing and help prevent or manage health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and some cancers.

31/01/2026

🌟 Well done to our QUT (Queensland University of Technology)Dietetics students on placement for taking part in Emerald parkrun this morning!

Parkrun is such a great event for our students to get involved in — supporting health and fitness, connecting with the local community, and enjoying our beautiful gardens all at the same time.

Love seeing you embracing these opportunities while on placement. Keep up the great work! 👏🏃‍♀️🌿