Cairns Regional Council gives go-ahead for new Reefsedge waterpark

A new waterpark at Kewarra Beach in Far North Queensland is set to proceed after Cairns Regional Council granted planning permission for the construction of a three-level slide tower complex, a King Cobra water slide, wave pool and lagoon-style swimming pool on the site.

The approvals included in the scope of approved works agreed at Wednesday’s ordinary meeting of the Council also include a dedicated children’s water play area with five small children’s slides and a planning permit for a new tourist park of 374 cabins and 53 caravan/camping sites.

As reported by The Cairns Post, approval for the $140 million PPNQ Developments Reefsedge facility comes almost a year after the initial development application, and prior lengthy legal fight to redevelop the former Paradise Palms Golf Course by landowner Darren Halpin.

The attraction park will comprise a $55 million waterpark with a 2500 square metre wave pool and 25 water slides, the tallest of which will reach 18 metres.The water and tourist park is part of The Palms masterplan, which is also made up of 438 residential lots divided between an estate and land lease community, a primary school and various commercial uses.

Cairns Region Deputy Mayor and Northern Beaches Councillor Brett Olds said after more than two decades of being promised a large-scale waterpark attraction, the people of Cairns were on the cusp of being delivered the landmark attraction.

Deputy Mayor Olds commented “people have been promised this stuff before and it has never come through, and the difference this time is (that the developer) has the financial backing to get it done.

“I would say the best part of 20 years, before Sugar World, we had the water park in the CBD and then they closed and Sugar World opened up, and since then people have been talking about it and now it’s closer than it has ever been.

“It’s absolutely fantastic and to date Darren Halpin has honoured his word about this development.”

A revised timeline on the water park opening now means the attraction is expected to be operational between September and June in 2026, assuming all goes well.

Noting that carparking issues needed to be ironed out in order for Cairns locals to be able to use the facilities and at this stage annual passes for the attraction were not part of the Reefsedge business plan, Deputy Mayor Olds went on to tell The Cairns Post “it’s going to be the biggest in the southern hemisphere in terms of the amount of slides, there’s a bit of everything for everyone.”

The attraction will be built off Paradise Palms Road in Kewarra Beach in close proximity to the old golf course clubhouse.

Images show concepts for the planned waterpark within the Reefsedge tourist park. Credit: Supplied.