Playgrounds, pet hotel: Sunshine Coast’s quirky, unique projects
Parkour circuits, luxury pet hotels and island mansions are just some of the many projects on the Sunshine Coast spicing up the development industry. SEE THE FULL LIST:
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Development on the Sunshine Coast is at an all-time high with applications for residential and commercial projects flooding in daily.
Among the standard applications, a handful of unique and even eyebrow-raising projects can be found that certainly stand out from the rest.
From parkour circuits to luxury pet hotels and island mansions, these are some of the quirkiest projects on the Sunshine Coast that have already been built or are currently in the works.
QUIRKY PROJECTS APPROVED AND BUILT:
Surf Parks Australia’s wave park, Glass House Mountains
A young Sunshine Coast businessman’s wave pool project at Glass House Mountains has been granted council approval.
It will be built on a 13ha block of former pineapple farm land and has received plenty of interest with 958 submissions lodged on the application – the majority in support.
Sunshine Coast property developer and Surf Parks Australia chief executive Craig Morrison is behind the estimated $30m surf park.
It has also been subjected to criticism from rival wave pool developer Sanad Capital, who also plan to build a similar tourist attraction on the Sunshine Coast (featured below).
The park will offer one-hour sessions with 50 surfers in the water at a time.
The proposal includes the wave park, a wellness centre for yoga and meditation, paddock to plate food and beverage and ocean and marine protection education.
Sanad Capital’s wave pool, Glenview
Sanad Capital has handed infrastructure plans to Sunshine Coast Council for its $130m tourist attraction and resort development with water park and wave pool at Steve Irwin Way, Glenview.
The development which was approved in early 2020 includes the Actventure waterpark, a “multi-generational” tourism resort called Invigorate and the Endless Surf wave pool.
It also includes earth and civil works, carparking, vegetation clearing and stormwater infrastructure.
The water park will feature a host of free fall, raft and tube slides up to 14m high and 25 thrilling rides – some not seen before in Australia.
Stage one includes the 160-villa family resort, called Invigorate, the water park and retail with dining and a microbrewery.
Stage two, which could open in early 2024, included the eastern carpark, main entrance, ticketing booths, administration areas, retail shops, food and drink outlets and more.
Ninja Jungle, Forest Glen
An all-action jungle gym complete with swings, ladders and climbs to bring out the inner Ninja Warrior opened at Forest Glen in 2021.
Associate professor David McIntosh, 48, is the driving force behind Ninja Jungle.
Mr McIntosh said the courses were designed to bring out the Ninja Warrior of its users, in a set up similar to the hit television show.
“The great thing about it is that it’s open to anyone, tailored to everyone and anyone,” Mr McIntosh said.
Ninja Jungle comes with almost 30 challenges that vary from simple to “tricky” to “super hard” and down right “torturous”.
“The whole point of it is that it can’t be too easy or you’d get bored,” he said.
“Kids can come in and play with a full bodied engagement. But they don’t see it as a gym, they see it as fun.”
Resort-style island mansion, Bokarina
A multimillion-dollar mansion sitting on a rare 2000sq m block inside in an exclusive island estate created a swarm of international inquiries when it was on the market in 2019.
The five-bedroom, five-bathroom home at 5 Entrance Island, Bokarina, which backs onto Lake Kawana, was built in 2017 by its current owners.
Jennifer Trafford Property agent Jennifer Trafford said the home had a resort-style feel to it, and loomed large when driving over the Lake Kawana Boulevard bridge.
She said it was part of the iconic estate Entrance Island, with the property completed with palm trees, lap and children’s pools, media room and outdoor entertainment.
The island has “smart” features never seen before on the Sunshine Coast such as a front gate that photographs visitors so the homeowner can see who is there.
They can then open the home electronically, put on the lights, the music, even the bubbles in the spa for their arrival home.
Parkour circuit, Pelican Waters
Fitness lovers of all ages are able to unleash their inner ninja while using the region’s first outdoor parkour facility.
The new parkour circuit is located in Pelican Waters and is a central feature of the large 2ha park.
Pelican Waters development general manager Hamish Pressland said the Finnish-designed equipment drew inspiration from urban landscapes to promote creative movement.
“The parkour sports park is in keeping with Pelican Waters’ philosophy of creating active spaces for all age groups in the community,’’ Mr Pressland said.
“It’s a motivation for teenagers to put down the electronic devices and engage in some fun outdoor activity.
“We also see it as a great meeting place and a way of promoting interaction between generations.”
The parkour zone is just one part of the grand Central Park at the southern end of the estate.
A custom-design basketball and netball court are located beside the circuit, providing opportunities for a wide range of age groups to keep active.
Salty Souls Legacy office and storage, Maroochydore
A development application was lodged on January 27 on behalf of Salty Souls Legacy for a unique shop building in Maroochydore.
Salty Souls Legacy is a charity which uses surfing to help disengaged and vulnerable children and teens heal mentally and physically.
Their fully funded learn to surf “Stand Tall” program is being offered to vulnerable youth aged 5-17 years.
The application seeks development approval for a 1821m2 shop incorporating two shipping containers for an office and storage area.
The separate areas will be joined by an enclosed and roofed break out area with feature timber cladding.
The proposed signage includes a surfboard shaped sign and mural fronting Aerodrome Road.
Adventure playground, Mooloolaba
Division 4 Councillor Joe Natoli was excited to share news that a state-of-the-art playground was in the works for Mooloolaba.
The adventure playground will be positioned at the southern section of the Stage 1: Northern Parkland area, between a new sheltered barbecue area and the coastal pathway.
“What I’m absolutely most looking forward to is the new adventure playground,” Cr Natoli said.
“This will be the most significant playground council has delivered and it’s a one-of-a-kind design especially created for our Mooloolaba Foreshore.”
The three main play elements will be a climbing net, an adventure play tower and an extended swing set, which will have active and inclusive play elements.
The adventure playground is now being constructed along with a new public amenity, sheltered barbecue area and an accessible path that will link the new boardwalk to Mooloolaba.
High ropes course, Sunshine Plaza
Sunshine Plaza’s $3m high ropes course opened at the end in 2020, with the investment by Melbourne-based TreeTops Adventure Group boasting seven circuits across four levels of difficulty.
The course – Next Level – is the largest high ropes course in the country and comes packed with thrills.
It includes 145 aerial obstacles connected by 16 zip lines.
TreeTops Adventure Group chief executive Nicolas Dansin said the team at the park couldn’t wait to welcome the first players to tackle the circuits.
“Next Level is an aerial adventure like no other and today we’re not only celebrating the opening of our first urban park, but also our expansion into Queensland,” Mr Dansin said.
“We encourage our players to start on the two easier courses and then to progress to the ‘next level’ all the way up to circuit seven for a real challenge.”
The course has more than 1km of zip lines, the longest of which spans 135m across the creek taking participants from all levels back to the starting point on the main tower.
Next Level also includes a 22m viewing platform offering impressive 360-degree views of the Coast which can be accessed as a separate activity to the high ropes.
QUIRKY PROJECTS AWAITING APPROVAL:
Dinosaur park, Caloundra South
Stockland is set to step back into the Jurassic Age after the developer unveiled plans for an epic dinosaur-themed park in its Aura estate in Caloundra South.
The park is set to become part of Nirimba and is subject to approval from Sunshine Coast Council.
The plans show it could feature a giant “Aura-saurus” play piece for children, and possibly adults, to swing and slide on.
It includes a climbable neck and tail, a series of mini dino-eggs for younger ages and fossil designs in an archaeological digging pit.
The plans also include a recreational area complete with barbecues, hammocks, rest rooms and picnic shelters for events and community use.
If approved, the park would be delivered across two stages with the green recreational offering expected to be open by mid-2022 and the second by late-2022.
Stockland’s Aura senior development manager Hannah Madill said the prehistoric-themed park was highly anticipated by residents and the community alike.
“As our community grows, it’s encouraging to be able to offer our residents another exciting interactive play space, where imaginations can run wild with prehistoric adventures,” Ms Madill said.
The park is set to become part of Aura suburb Nirimba.
Luxury pet resort, Tanawha
A Sunshine Coast couple have revealed their plans for a luxury pet resort promising to pamper residents’ furry friends in a “Balinese” retreat-style facility.
The development application lodged with Sunshine Coast Council on January 14 proposes to build the high-end, short-term accommodation for dogs and cats on 134,400sq m of land in Tanawha.
Owners Kristyn and Brendan Williams said the design for their $650,000 Paw Seasons Resort and Daycare would accommodate about 54 dogs and 20 cats inside five dog villas and two cat buildings.
“I want it to be a bit of a holiday for them because I feel like for many of us now who have got dogs or cats they have become another family member and we can’t take them on holidays with us as much as we’d like,” Ms Williams said.
Pets staying at the proposed resort would enjoy their own separate rooms with beds, reverse-cycle airconditioning, ceiling fans, an air purifier, insulation and video surveillance.
For the dogs to enjoy some outdoor fun there would be five courtyards, a run yard with walk-in pool for pets to cool off, as well as a large, agility run yard.
QUIRKY PROJECTS KNOCKED BACK:
Rooftop tennis court, Minyama
A Sunshine Coast property owner built a rooftop tennis court on his Minyama home and after being denied approval by council he was ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines.
The retired owner-builder, Wayne Geoffrey Dwyer, was ordered to remove the structure by February 10, 2021 however “almost a year” after the enforcement order and 10 months after the date of compliance most of the roof structures remained.
Mr Dwyer and his wife Vicki Dwyer who own the property applied to the court in 2021 to vary the enforcement order and said they had satisfied part of it and wanted more time to comply.
Judge Glen Cash said in court documents Mr Dwyer had “no lawful excuse” for his noncompliance, however agreed the retired owner-builder did not set out to deliberately frustrate or delay compliance.
Judge Cash fined the Minyama man $5000 and told him to pay legal costs of the proceedings after Sunshine Coast Regional Council said the Minyama property owner “did not have permission” to build his tennis court.
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