Sorry about the cut and paste. This is from the courier mail. Could ks beat webber to the punch?
THE Gold Coast is locked in a race for Australia's first surfing wave pool - with Ipswich.
Yes, that surfing Mecca west of Brisbane - and about 100km from the nearest surfing beach - is in the frame to host the country's first purpose-built wave pool for surfing.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale will meet proponents for the concept in the coming days, while his Gold Coast counterpart Tom Tate will also meet officials in a bid to lure the project to Australia's surfing capital.
Chairman of the Gold Coast surf industry taskforce John Nielsen is a long-time advocate of wave pools as a way to combat the rising tide of surf rage on the Gold Coast's increasingly crowded breaks and has been pushing for artificial waves in Australia.
He said the multimillion-dollar project would be privately funded, with a number of backers and contractors ready to pull the trigger, including world surfing superstar Kelly Slater, who has his own wave pool design company, KS Wave Company.
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"The technology is there, the backing is there, it's just about getting the details right," he said.
"These will be a reality within two or three years."
Two Gold Coast theme parks have basic wave pools, but they are not suited to experienced surfers chasing the ultimate wave.
Serious wave pools, capable of generating set after set of perfect waves, already exist in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
An artificial wave pool in Dubai
Councillor Tate said the Gold Coast was a perfect fit for a wave pool tourist attraction.
"It fits the Gold Coast lifestyle perfectly," he said.
"To have a never-ending wave, so that you never have to worry about the surf being flat or too big or too crowded, it's a fantastic concept.
"And if they (the developers) are thinking about Ipswich, let me say, it's time to switch."
However Councillor Pisasale said Ipswich also had a compelling case for a wave pool attraction.
"Ipswich would be perfect," he said.
"We've got a great climate, we're close to the state capital and it would be a fantastic tourist attraction.
"The Gold Coast already has a number of tourist attractions so maybe it's time to share them around a bit."
thermalbenTuesday, 21 Aug 2012 at 6:21am
Interesting stuff crisp. I'll put a link in to the article (it makes sense to continue the discussion there).
Sorry about the cut and paste. This is from the courier mail. Could ks beat webber to the punch?
THE Gold Coast is locked in a race for Australia's first surfing wave pool - with Ipswich.
Yes, that surfing Mecca west of Brisbane - and about 100km from the nearest surfing beach - is in the frame to host the country's first purpose-built wave pool for surfing.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale will meet proponents for the concept in the coming days, while his Gold Coast counterpart Tom Tate will also meet officials in a bid to lure the project to Australia's surfing capital.
Chairman of the Gold Coast surf industry taskforce John Nielsen is a long-time advocate of wave pools as a way to combat the rising tide of surf rage on the Gold Coast's increasingly crowded breaks and has been pushing for artificial waves in Australia.
He said the multimillion-dollar project would be privately funded, with a number of backers and contractors ready to pull the trigger, including world surfing superstar Kelly Slater, who has his own wave pool design company, KS Wave Company.
Advertisement
"The technology is there, the backing is there, it's just about getting the details right," he said.
"These will be a reality within two or three years."
Two Gold Coast theme parks have basic wave pools, but they are not suited to experienced surfers chasing the ultimate wave.
Serious wave pools, capable of generating set after set of perfect waves, already exist in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
An artificial wave pool in Dubai
Councillor Tate said the Gold Coast was a perfect fit for a wave pool tourist attraction.
"It fits the Gold Coast lifestyle perfectly," he said.
"To have a never-ending wave, so that you never have to worry about the surf being flat or too big or too crowded, it's a fantastic concept.
"And if they (the developers) are thinking about Ipswich, let me say, it's time to switch."
However Councillor Pisasale said Ipswich also had a compelling case for a wave pool attraction.
"Ipswich would be perfect," he said.
"We've got a great climate, we're close to the state capital and it would be a fantastic tourist attraction.
"The Gold Coast already has a number of tourist attractions so maybe it's time to share them around a bit."