Perth Football stadium to be turned into a Wavepool

Perth’s stacked full of surfers but rarely gets quality surf. Due largely to a dirty big island called Rottnest sitting just off the coast and blocking all the swell. What a better candidate then, for a wavepool! The wavepool locales up until now have been a little, well, random. Dubai, The Canaries, Japan, San Sebastian, Wales? But at last, there seems to be some logic behind the location.

The proposed location is the Subiaco Oval – the home of the West Coast Eagles and the Perth football hall of fame (whatever that means) in the inner-western suburbs of Perth. The proposed development’s estimated to cost $120 million, and as well as a Snowdonia style wavegarden, it’ll also include elevated parkland, market space, and shiny new apartments: It’s a yuppies dream!

Isn’t this just a picture of proposed modern bliss!

This outrageously ambitious project is a collab between local Subiaco architects MJA Studio, and the Wave Park Group, who’re the company that holds exclusive rights to develop and operate the patented Wavegarden technology in Australia (à la Snowdonia and San Sebastian)

The Proposed Stats:

• A 300m-long by 120m wide freshwater lagoon using groundbreaking “Wavegarden” wave generating technology only used in two European surf parks, with another under construction in Texas (Rick Kane’s reportedly wet with anticipation)
• Six zones with different sized waves catering for everyone from beginners to professionals, with scope for other water-based activities including uninterrupted 300m swimming laps. Waves would be up to 2m high and travel 200m for a 30-second ride;
• 220 dual-aspect one and two bedroom apartments ranging from $500,000 to $800,000;
• New elevated public parkland (12,800sq m extension to Kitchener Park) with views over Subiaco, Kings Park and Perth CBD, inspired by New York’s High Line park;
• Dedicated market hall and plaza and hospitality and wellness venues;
• 52 TERRACED homes along the railway line; and
• a permanent home for the WA Football Hall of Fame.

This all sounds marvellous, but as we’ve learnt with wavepools in the past, planning and executing are two very separate things. Call us cynical cliché merchants, but we’ll believe this one when we see it!