Gold Coast artificial surf attraction gains conditional planning approval

Plans for the Gold Coast's first artificial wave attraction have moved forward with the Gold Coast City Council this week granting conditional approval for the $300 million surf resort at Parkwood Village.

Currently an 18-hole golf course and the training base of the Gold Coast Titans, the proposal is for the site to be redeveloped with a 300 metre-long surf park as the centre piece of a precinct that will include a hotel and 225 residential units along with along with medical facilities, a brewery and retail and F&B/hospitality outlets.

Advanced over the last three years, the proposal also envisages $10 million also being spent on refurbishing and repurposing the existing golf course.

The most recent stage in planning for the precinct has included flooding emergency management and noise surveys along with new renders for the project.

Part of the investigations involved appointing an independent acoustics expert to monitor wave noise from the surf pool’s rock wall.

The modelling looked at the ‘slap of a wave’ considering different sizes and times of the day.

Community consultation with neighbouring residents led to villas being moved 10 metres closer to the pool, improving views and decreasing potential noise for nearby property owners.

Advising that the vision was to take the best parts of surf culture, golf, leisure and entertainment from around the world and create the ultimate integrated resort, Altschwager stated “the Endless Surf wave pool, childcare, retail, food and beverage, commercial and medical tenancies will dovetail into the existing uses at Parkwood Village to become a readily walkable precinct.

“There is nothing more quintessentially Australian than surfing and, complemented by the upgraded golf course and Titans training facilities, we want to make sure Parkwood becomes the heart of sport here on the Gold Coast.” 

“A world-class surf break is a perfect fit for our active community, coupled with a multi-million dollar make-over to the 18-hole golf course and a beautiful family resort, it will be like nothing before seen on the Gold Coast.”

The artificial wave technology being used in the Parkwood Village development is WhiteWater West’s Endless Surf product. This is in contrast to the Wavegarden technology used at Australia’s only current surfing wave attraction URBSURF Melbourne.

With a proposed completion date of late 2026, Altschwager said the road ahead will be a busy one, adding "we are thrilled to have received DA approval and will immediately begin planning for construction. These things take time though, so we ask the community to be patient with us as we move through the construction process."

Endless Surf President, Paul Chutter said the project is truly a world-class venue in the making, adding “we at Endless Surf are honoured to be the anchor of this vibrant lifestyle hub that will quickly become a staple destination within the region.

As one of our first signed contracts from when we launched Endless Surf three years ago, this project is a special one, and we are beyond thrilled to receive this approval.”

Images: The latest renders for the wave pool and surrounding buildings planned at Parkwood Village on the Gold Coast (top and below) and the 2021 site plan for the development (middle).

Article amended 4th December 2023 to include comment from Luke Altschwager and Paul Chutter.