We review Australia’s first aerial adventure park ahead of its official opening
TWO children, a 36-year-old dad, an SA CrossFit champion and an Advertiser journalist tried out Australia’s first aerial adventure park ahead of its official opening. So, what did they think of it?
FROM ground level, the Mega-Adventure Aerial Park’s 26m-high playground — called SkyMate — looks more futuristic than intimidating.
Its obstacles aren’t hanging in impossibly high positions, the monkey bars look easy and the rope bridge?
A piece of cake.
These are just some of the misconceptions uttered as The Advertiser’s five road testers — two children, a 36-year-old dad, SA CrossFit champion and myself — are strapped into safety harnesses.
Following a short briefing on how to operate our safety clips, we climb, chests puffed, to the first of three levels.
The $2.5 million SkyMate — about nine storeys tall — features up to 50 “crossings”: aerial obstacles like beams, swings, log steps and freefalls. The structure has the capacity to support more than 100.
For CrossFit champ James Newbury, 25, it was more a challenge of balance over strength. After all, he really did conquer the monkey bars and said they were his favourite crossing.
“It’s fun,” he said. “You’re not going to die, just get around and try every obstacle.”
Andrew Breeding said while the structure didn’t appear too high from below; up there it’s a “whole different story”.
“Even the first level you start to look down and you think, ‘oh, it’s a bit high’,” he said. “The first crossing on the top level, the swing rope, was absolutely petrifying at first but ... that was when the adrenaline was at its best.”
Tayah Spry, 11, who tackled the SkyMate with brother Mason, 12, said it was “kind of scary but not too bad once you get going”. Mason said: “It’s pretty high but heaps of fun”.
Founder and former military man Alex Blyth — who goes by the title of “chief mischief officer” — said it was the first structure of its kind in Australia.
“I’ve always thought given the Aussie reputation for being sort of robust, resilient and enjoying your outdoor pursuits that Australia was a natural market for this,” he said.
“The whole idea behind it is to get people from out behind their desks ... and do what they would have done 30 years ago as children.”
To celebrate MegaAdventure’s arrival at West Beach, 80 of The Advertiser’s readers have won the opportunity to be the first at the park when it opens tomorrow.