The construction of a huge wave generator for an artificial surf park will begin in Sydney within weeks.
Urbnsurf has announced it is on track to open its Sydney Olympic Park site in Autumn next year after opening its first site near Melbourne Airport in January 2020.
The project was granted planning approval in December 2017 and started construction in late 2021, but heavy rain and disruptions in the construction industry have been cited as factors delaying its opening.
“Due to heavy rainfall that was unfortunately unavoidable during construction, we have experienced delays from when we first hoped to open it to the public … but it’s just like the saying goes, good things come to those who wait!” Urbnsurf chief executive Damon Tudor said.
Once opened, the park will be able to host more than 1000 surfers a day. It is set on a 3.2 hectare site.
The precinct will have an event space, cafe, roof top bar, beach club, beach cabanas, skate ramps, health and wellness studio, 20m leisure pool and 8m kids pool.
Urbnsurf said the concrete was poured for the wave machine in April, the main buildings were also underway and “Roary 2.0” (the wave generator) would commence building in the coming weeks.
There will also be a surf shop with wetsuit and board rentals, as well as a surf academy.
It will include training programs for beginners through to elite level surfers, as well as personal and group fitness classes.
LED lighting will allow surfing at night and different waves are created for different abilities.
“When we first wanted to launch a wave park here in Australia, we wanted to launch one from the start here in Sydney’s West,” Mr Tudor said.
“To see that dream and vision come to life is really exciting.”
While good surf isn’t as hard to find in Sydney as it is in Melbourne, the idea is that the park will offer “perfect” waves all year-round.
“Melbourne has countless interstate visitors who come through the gates every week, and many of whom are from New South Wales,” Mr Tudor said.
“We’re pumped to bring our experience and knowledge of running Australia’s first surf park and finally be able to bring perfect waves to Sydney’s West.”
The installation of the wave generator – “Roary 2.0” – will take three months.