Sunshine Coast Poised For $90 million Surge

The Sunshine Coast Council has given preliminary approval to a new $90 million water park to be built in Glenview ten kilometres west of Caloundra.

The approval comes after international entertainment company Waterplay Pty Ltd and Sydney based developer George Webber, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build the first Webber Wave Pool in 2012.

Preliminary approval does not allow any development to occur before the site’s flood risk is assessed and the developer has attained the permits for use of operational works.

The park, planned to be built on 24 hectares of land along Steve Irwin Way, will contain the world’s largest wave pool, a combination of pools and waterslides, restaurants, souvenir shops and hotel accommodation.

As per council guidelines, the resort complex must be integrated with the tourist attraction and accommodation will be capped at 247 rooms.

Although the site is not within an area with a designated tourism focus, the project has been supported due to its proposed 430 new jobs and estimated $11.7 million benefit to the area.

Noosa-based Waterplay spokesman David Baird

, said the site had been picked after several years of evaluating other Australian sites.

“We believe that Sunshine Park will complement the existing attractions in the area and firmly establish the location as a major tourism precinct,’’ he said.

The Sunshine Park will add to Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo and the Big Kart Track already located on the Sunshine Coast.

If approved, proposed development would be delivered in two stages over the next three years with the water and surf pool built first, followed by tourism accommodation and other features.

A render for the proposed park