New water park at The Mill opens and is free to use

A new $11.5 million water park, just north of Brisbane, is open just in time for the summer holidays – and it is free to visit.

A new $11.5 million water park has opened just north of Brisbane in time for the summer school holidays.

The free to use water park is part of the The Mill at Petrie, the site of the new University of Sunshine Coast Moreton Bay campus.

It features two new playgrounds for older and younger children, a shaded splash pad with water bucket, and a large green space and barbecue area.

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Peter Flannery said it was a game changer and a great project to round-out 2020.

The new water park at The Mill is open just in time for summer.

“Despite the weather raining out the opening weekend, we’ve had massive interest from families across the region to come try our new water park and play space,” Cr Flannery said.

“It’s one of the best in southeast Queensland and we expect it will attract visitors from outside our region as well.

“We’ve also connected the new with the old by recreating the original cricket pitch that was built in the 1950s for the paper mill workers, and turned it into a stunning green space for all to enjoy.

“This is just the beginning of much bigger things for The Mill, with the MILLovate board now in place and the investment area here in The Mill PDA literally being 50 per cent larger than the area of the Brisbane CBD.

The new water park opened on the weekend.

“Five years ago council started our journey to turn the old Petrie Paper Mill site into a vibrant hub for recreation, education and economic activity for the whole region to enjoy.

“This year alone we’ve opened the University of the Sunshine Coast’s campus here, significantly boosted koala numbers and now we’ve transformed it into a public recreation space for our whole region.”

Federal LNP MP for Dickson Peter Dutton and the Federal Government provided ongoing assistance for The Mill at Moreton Bay through the Community Development Grants Program.

“The Mill at Moreton Bay is a vitally important project for the whole Moreton Bay Region and will be a massive economic boost when it’s needed most,” Mr Dutton said.

“The Federal Government has supported this since the beginning and the beauty is that there are still two thirds of this site yet to be developed.

The new water park at The Mill, Petrie.

The new water park is free to use.

“I’m excited to see this site transform into a bustling economic sector for Petrie and Moreton Bay Region as a whole.”

The Mill at Moreton Bay was first declared a Priority Development Area (PDA) by the State Government in 2016 to help fast-track development.

Deputy Premier and Minister State Development Steven Miles said this was a great addition to the community.

“I can’t think of a better addition to our community than a local splash park and I can’t wait to take my own kids to this amazing play space,” Mr Miles said.

“The Council has done a great job of bringing the University of the Sunshine Coast Petrie campus to life.”

The water park will be open from 8am-8pm every day.