Court approval for wave park at Glass House Mountains on Sunshine Coast

Plans for a wave pool in the Sunshine Coast hinterland have been given an official tick of approval, but a Gold Coast venture could still be up and running first.

Photos from the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch in inland California.

The race is on between the Gold and Sunshine coasts to build Queensland’s first surf park.

The battle for man-made barrel bragging rights comes after court approval for a wave pool in the Sunshine Coast hinterland on the Sunshine Coast.

It will go head to head with a $120m surf park being developed by surfing legend Mick Fanning and partners at Parkwood on the northern Gold Coast.

Australian surfing legend Mick Fanning. Picture: Luke Marsden

Surf parks, where visitors ride perfect waves generated by machine, have boomed in popularity since 11-time world surfing champ Kelly Slater opened his Surf Ranch in inland California in 2015.

Parks have sprung up around the world, including in Sydney and Melbourne.

Gold Coast-based wave pool developer Surf Lakes opened a prototype facility at Yeppoon in 2018 but it has so far only been surfed by invited guests, including Chris Hemsworth and former world surf champ Mark Occhilupo.

The Planning and Environment Court has just ticked off on amended plans for the Sunshine Coast project, Surf Farm, to be built on a 13.4ha site on Johnston Rd at Glass House Mountains.

It follows a lengthy legal stoush with would-be rival wave pool developer Sanad Capital which planned to build a park at Glenview.

Sanad Capital took Surf Farm Pty Ltd to the planning court, arguing it was not viable to have two surf parks within 20km, but withdrew its bid after losing the appeal in 2023.

The court recently granted approval for a scaled-down Surf Farm, including a slightly-smaller wave pool than first proposed as well as reduced building floorspace.

A smaller paddle pool has been removed from the plans and extra parking spaces and landscaping added.

Parkwood Village managing director Luke Altschwager. Picture: John Gass

Surf Farm has been given six years to develop the site but may be beaten to the punch by the Parkwood Village group, headed by former pro golfer Luke Altschwager.

Work is scheduled to start on the so-called Palm Valley surf park, on the site of the Parkwood Village golf course, by mid-year.

Fanning, a former triple world surfing champion and keen golfer, recently came on board as an investor and ambassador for the project which will include a wave pool, hotel-resort, restaurants, bars, retail outlets and sports centre.

It is due to be finished in 2027 and is being touted as a potential training or even surfing competition venue for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

The facility will harness the Endless Surf technology used in a world-class wave pool which opened recently in Munich, and which Fanning test-rode.

Originally published as Court approval for wave park at Glass House Mountains on Sunshine Coast