Construction of URBNSURF Melbourne to support 300 jobs

Australia is set to have its first man-made surf park in early 2019, with works due to begin on URBNSURF Melbourne located near the Melbourne Airport.

The new surf park is going to be just minutes away from Melbourne Airport’s departure and arrival terminals, adjacent to the Essendon Football Club. URBNSURF will sit on a 2.1-hectare site leased from Melbourne Airport for 30 years.

The park’s lagoon is capable of pumping out approximately 1,000 waves throughout six surf zones an hour, with waves varying in height – from 0.6 to two metres – to accommodate different surfing skill levels. The lagoon will also have LED lighting to enable surfing even at night.

Source: URBNSURF Melbourne

Aside from the surf lagoon, URBNSURF Melbourne will also feature a number of amenities, including:

• A food and beverage precinct
• A fully equipped pro-shop which sells surfing hardware as well as offer wetsuit and board rentals
• ‘The Academy’, a facility that will cater to training programmes for all levels of surfing and to host various “surf-fit” styled fitness classes for groups and individuals
• Beach cabanas, skate ramps, playgrounds, rock-climbing and mountain bike pump tracks
• High quality landscaping that will reflect the local and Victorian coastal habitats which will integrate the man-made environment into the natural
• Cutting edge RFID, guest management and video tracking technology that will further enhance the visitor and surfing experience

“Opening up this area of the airport for experiences like URBNSURF Melbourne will bring a whole new industry to the area, resulting in hundreds of additional jobs being established at the airport and a new world of opportunity for young people from the suburbs surrounding it,” Melbourne Airport’s Link Horton said.

Source: URBNSURF Melbourne

URBNSURF – the project developer – will be utilising renewable energy to operate the lagoon which is roughly the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Approximately 20 megalitres of treated stormwater from the area is going to be used to replenish the water in the lagoon each year.

For the development of the project, URBNSURF has secured approximately $28.3 million in funding.

URBNSURF Melbourne is expected to support up to 300 jobs during construction and another 50 full-time positions once the park is operational.

For this project, Ertech has been appointed as construction partner – as announced by the company on their official LinkedIn page.

URBNSURF Founder and Executive Chairman Andrew Ross said: “Melbourne’s 200,000 or so existing surfers, plus all of those who want to give surfing a go, will now be able to enjoy high quality surf, year-round, and all within a 25-minute drive of the Melbourne CBD.”

URBNSURF Founder Andrew Ross at the sod turning ceremony at Melbourne Airport (source: Ertech LinkedIn)

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year and the new park is set to open to surf by Easter 2019 – just in time to allow surfing training for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

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Source: URBNSURF, The West Australian, The Age