Urbnsurf to open man-made surf parks in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth

Here one second, gone the next, the perfect wave is allusive to say the least. And while its rarity is partly what makes it so special, Urbnsurf has a more reliable solution.  

The Perth-based company began construction on Australia’s first surf park in May 2018, and recently announced on its Facebook page that it planned to open the site near Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport this April.

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“Our next-generation wave generator has been installed, and our 2-hectare surfing lagoon is almost ready to be filled,” the post read.

“We’re on track to be pumping out perfect waves around Easter, and we couldn’t be more stoked.”

Roughly the same size as the MCG, the surf park will use the latest Wavegarden technology from Spain, known as “The Cove”, to produce between 600 and 1,000 waves an hour, generating everything from beginner-friendly paddling waves to tubing waves over two metres high.

It will come with its own pro surf shop and food and drink precinct, as well as a rock-climbing wall, skate ramps, and a mountain-bike pump track.

LED lighting will mean surfers can stay in the water well into the night, too.

Urbnsurf hopes the lagoon will be ready in time for the Australian leg of the World Surf League’s Championship Tour – which will be on the Gold Coast between 3 April and 13 April, and on Bells Beach between 17 April and 27 April – and plans to open similar venues next year in Sydney’s Olympic Park and at Tompkins Park in Alfred Cove, Perth – where it already has land set aside and plans approved.

“We’re looking to roll this out in all capital cities around Australia and potentially some of the larger regional areas, once we’ve proven up the model,” Urbnsurf founder and chief executive Andrew Ross told the ABC in April 2018.

“And we’re also looking to operate internationally.”