Council to rule on $6.5m wakeboarding park after airport objection resolved
Revised plans for a $6.5m wakeboarding park have landed before the Geelong council, with a neighbouring airport now backing the project despite initially raising safety concerns.
Revised plans for a $6.5m wakeboarding park in Connewarre are before the Geelong council after a meeting to rule on the controversial project was cancelled last year due to a late objection.
Plans for the proposed Barwon Park at 1392-1450 Barwon Heads Rd were first lodged in October 2020, however its progress halted due to a number of safety and environmental concerns raised by objectors.
Landowner and applicant Travis Tait faced a major setback in August last year when the neighbouring Barwon Heads Airport submitted and then withdrew an objection the week of the deciding council meeting.
Geelong council cancelled the meeting to consider the issues raised, despite the airport supplying a conditional letter of support shortly after withdrawing the objection.
The conditions stated by directors of GSA Operations – the organisation that took control of the airport in 2023 – included a minor repositioning of the park to the south and the installation of flashing beacons atop its towers.
The Barwon Heads Association also raised concerns at the time regarding the park’s proximity to the airport.
Mr Tait said he was confident the revised plans for the wakeboarding cable park would address any lingering concerns.
“We have had community engagement with the objectors the whole time, and we also had a sit down meeting facilitated by the council,” he said.
“We gave attention to their objections and we actually did make a small design change to accommodate one of their objections.
“At the end of the day, we’re trying to build something that works for everybody.”
Barwon Head Airport’s Andrew Townley said Mr Tait and the Barwon Park group had “resolved everything” by implementing the airport’s recommendations to ensure safe aircraft landing and take off.
“Everything we objected to last time has been rectified, which is great, and the airport has no more objections,” he added.
The proposed plans feature one 700m circular main cable lake, a rectangular 150m beginner lake, a restaurant and bar, and 24 small accommodation cabins.
Six years after his first pre-planning meeting with Geelong council officers, Mr Tait said he was “beyond excited and very optimistic” about completing construction and opening the park by September 2027.
“As it’s a recreational facility that will be used more in the warmer months, it would make sense for us to try and have the doors open around September, heading into summer,” he said.
“We will be looking to get approval before September next year so we have 12 months to open by the following year.”
If council approves the plans, Barwon Park would become the ninth full size cable park in Australia, and offer approximately 60 full time positions and more than 100 construction jobs, according to Mr Tait.
It would operate seven days a week from 8am to 8pm between September and May, with patrons capped at 60 per session/per hour.
“It’s got everything good to offer to the community. It creates jobs. It boosts tourism,” he said.
“It’s also something that engages with people of all ages in the local community.”
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Originally published as Council to rule on $6.5m wakeboarding park after airport objection resolved
