Port Douglas splash park: Public to have say on location of new water precinct

A vocal Far North community is expected to have a big say in where a long-promised water precinct will be built.

THE Port Douglas community will soon get the chance to speak up on what kind of swimming and splash park they want following a $5m injection to the project from the Coalition.

Federal Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch announced the commitment to the precinct should they win the upcoming election, but the exact cost and scale of the project is yet to be ironed out.

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr, who has faced opposition for previously pushing for an Olympic-sized swimming pool at Reynolds Park (on Davidson Street) said regardless of the location it “will go down in history” after many failed attempts to construct a swimming alternative to Four Mile Beach.

Douglas Shire Council mayor Michael Kerr (right) and Cairns mayor Bob Manning at a meeting in Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

“This has been a project that has been ongoing for many, many years,” he said.

“We are very excited to put this forward, I know we are going out to engagement shortly with our community to find out exactly what they want and how they want it.

“That will be exciting to see.

“The contribution towards this project is something that will go down in history.”

Possible locations are expected to include the area behind the Port Douglas Surf Club, Reynolds Park and land overlooking Dicksons Inlet.

The likelihood of it looking anything like a proposed $30m lagoon next to Four Mile Beach, pitched in 2019, was slim with Cr Kerr flagging the $5m hand out could be enough.

** EMBARGOED THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 5 ** An artist's impression of a swimming lagoon at the site of the Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club.

“It (estimated cost) will vary of course on what size they (community) want, what shape they want, whether it’s a kidney shape, a lap pool, a lagoon style pool,” he said.

“All those things will have to come into consideration but with the contribution of $5m, if we can’t build a decent size pool for that then there is something wrong.”

Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club president, John Goodman, said there was a critical need for a safe swimming pool in the town for both his club and the public.

“To have a 50 metre or a 25 metre pool for our kids to train outside that stinger season environment, it will help,” he said.

A design used as an example by Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr for a water park at Port Douglas.

“We do train in the off season when the junior championships are on and it’s very hard to find a place to do that, we have to travel over to Mossman and down to Cairns to do it.”

It comes as the state government recently committed $1.5m towards a splash park being built at the Mossman Pool, 20 minutes north of Port Douglas.

Council has also given development approval for a $317m Northbreak Port Douglas surf park to be built on the outskirts of Port Douglas.

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Originally published as Port Douglas splash park: Public to have say on location of new water precinct