Surfers Paradise Slingshot: When Cavill Ave attraction opens
The long wait for the return of the Surfers Paradise Slingshot was meant to happen this Christmas. Now, council documents reveal what’s happening with this new attraction.
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THE long wait for the return of the Surfers Paradise Slingshot is expected to stretch into the new year.
The project was approved nearly two years ago and was on track to open by Christmas, but the developer has written to the council saying it will take more time because of further changes needed to the Cavill Ave building.
“(We propose) further changes to the approved development, primarily involving changes to the main building at the rear of the site,” the letter reads.
“We note that the Slingshot tower has been constructed and the building and site work are nearing completion for an initially planned opening date of Christmas 2021.
“Despite being close to completion, a number of changes have arisen which are not considered to be generally in accordance.”
Changes made to the building include the addition of mezzanine floors, rearrangement of viewing deck, changes to the layout and landscaping.
The Slingshot, which has operated since 1995, was first mooted for a move to Cavill Ave from Cypress Ave in October 2017 in the hopes of having it operational just after the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
It was welcomed by business leaders.
Long-time owner Melissa Hircoe told the Bulletin 2017 that the relocation of the ride to Cavill Ave was to ensure its future.
“The Cavill Ave site was for sale so we quietly picked it up with the intention of putting the Slingshot on it,” she said at the time.
“We wanted to buy somewhere and settle.”
It’s back: Why this event is worth $16m to Coast
THE Australian Surf Life Saving Championships will return to the Gold Coast in 2022, with the Glitter Strip luring the iconic event away from Western Australia in a $16m boost to the economy.
The event, which brings in more than 6000 competitors, will be held from April 2-10 next year at Broadbeach, which secured the event from Perth because Covid border rules would prevent competitors from entering the state.
The event won’t go to Western Australia until a year later in 2023 instead.
Surf Life Saving Australia president John Baker said the early decision would provide “clarity” for clubbies.
“We are very pleased to be able to announce the success of negotiations which now allows a straight swap of locations between the 2022 and 2023 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships,” he said.
“The Gold Coast is a location that is a well-known venue for the Aussies, and I’m sure that there will be plenty of excitement about being able to return to Broadbeach a year earlier than planned.”
The Gold Coast was the long-time home to the event through the 1990s and 2000s before it was lured to Western Australia in 2008.
The city won it back but the event was marred by tragedy, including the deaths of two young competitors in the early 2010s which led to it being relocated from Kurrawa to the southern Gold Coast beaches which are better protected from the elements.
Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said hosting the event would provide an economic boost for the Gold Coast.
“This will bring our decade-long deal with Australian Surf Life Saving to host the Championships forward a year to support tourism jobs on the Gold Coast for our Covid-19 Economic Recovery Plan,” he said.
“We’ve worked closely with Surf Life Saving Australia to help them navigate around the pandemic’s logistic challenges on the West Coast by bringing the Aussies to Broadbeach.”
“Earlier this year, the Sunshine Coast hosted the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships and generated more than $16m for the local visitor economy.”
Queensland is scheduled to host the Aussies eight times between 2022 and 2031 and will be split between the Gold and Sunshine coasts.
Gold Coast young gun qualifies for WSL tour
GOLD Coasters may have seen Liam O’Brien out on the waves at Snapper but they’ll soon be seeing the rising star on their TV screens.
O’Brien has qualified for the World Surf League championship tour for 2022.
The 22-year-old will be joining the likes of Gabriel Medina and fellow Gold Coaster Owen Wright on next year’s tour.
A semi-final spot in the Haleiwa Challenger got O’Brien to 34th on the end of season rankings – inside the top 36 that automatically qualify for the next year.
He joins Callum Robson and Jackson Baker as new Australian faces on the tour that starts January 29 in Hawaii at the iconic Pipeline.
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