Inside the $700m plan to bring a giant indoor snow park to Sydney

Western Sydney could soon boast Australia's first indoor ski slope after developers struck a game-changing deal with global snow centre giants from China.

Renders of the planned $700 million indoor snow ski centre at Penrith. Picture: supplied.

Stunning plans to build a $700 million indoor snow ski centre in Western Sydney have gathered speed with support secured from the world’s largest operator based in China.

The Australian group behind the proposal has signed an agreement in Guangzhou today with Asian giants Bonski who run almost a dozen facilities across China.

“It’s a massive milestone for us,” Peter Magnisalis, founder and managing director of Winter World Sports, told The Daily Telegraph.

“It’s validation of our vision to bring Australia’s next tourism icon to Western Sydney.

“We want to operate with global leaders and Bonski are the best credentialed, most specialised indoor snow ski operators in the world.”

Images of the planned $700 million indoor snow ski centre at Penrith. Renders: supplied.

To be based in Penrith, and with planning approvals secured, World Winter Sports aim to deliver a 300 metre indoor ski slope, 4.5 star hotel, snow play area for families, and a hospitality precinct including café and restaurant.

Economic impact reports project 1350 jobs during construction and a further 1350 ongoing once the centre is in operational mode.

“We will employ around the same number of people as Penrith Council,” Mr Magnisalis said.

“We’re talking about a globally competitive asset that will attract more than 1.35 million visitors a year, and inject $220m into the economy on an annual basis.”

The world’s biggest indoor snow ski centre opened by Bonski in Shenzhen, China, in September. Picture: Supplied

A capital raising program is underway with Mr Magnisalis saying domestic and international investors have expressed “significant interest” and “we are encouraged by the momentum to date”.

He expects the deal with Bonski will provide confidence to potential backers that the big-budget development is on track almost a decade after the idea was first floated.

“We’ve got the land and all the planning approvals secured,” Mr Magnisalis added.

“We are what I would class as ‘shovel ready’. We’ve also got the compelling economics behind it, a unique market position in the tourism sector, and we’re partnering up with world class operators.

“No one in Australia has done this before.”

Artist’s impression of the planned $700 million indoor snow centre at Penrith, to include a 300m ski slope. Render: supplied.

While the funding package still needs to be finalised, Mr Magnisalis expects to turn soil by mid-2026. Construction time is forecast to be two-and-a-half years, leading to a likely opening in the second half of 2028.

Renders of the planned $700 million indoor snow ski centre at Penrith. Picture: Supplied

“It was nine years to get through approvals,” he said. “But that just represents the complexity of this project.

“There was a planning proposal initially, then a design competition process leading to endorsement from the NSW government architect, followed by a state significant approval process.

“You’ve just got to give the project the respect it deserves because of the scale and size of it. We’ve worked it through methodically, strategically, deliberately.

“We’ve done the financial modelling and brought robust assumptions to it.

“One of the best things is, from a standing start, we’ll be creating 1350 jobs in tourism and hospitality. We’re extremely proud of that.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns visited the site 12 months ago, saying Winter Sports World “will be Western Sydney’s jewel in the crown of tourism attractions ... I can’t wait to see it enjoyed by people not just from our state, but from all around Australia and beyond.”

Originally published as Inside the $700m plan to bring a giant indoor snow park to Sydney