Perth is getting a wave pool the size of Optus Stadium — and you can ride it by next year
Forget driving to Yallingup. World-class surf is coming to the suburbs — and construction has just begun.
Landlocked surfers rejoice: the wait is nearly over.
Shovels have finally hit the ground on a $120 million surf park in Perth's southern suburbs, with developer Aventuur confirming work has officially started at the Jandakot site.
The site is sandwiched between the Kwinana Freeway and Cockburn Central train station and it had taken years of planning, renders and funding speculation to reach this stage of development.
If everything goes to schedule, the first waves will break in spring 2027.
What's being built is no ordinary wave pool. The centrepiece is a 62-module Wavegarden Cove lagoon, matching the largest of its type anywhere on the planet.
The mammoth pool is capable of churning out consistent, programmable surf around the clock, 365 days a year, for beginners and advanced riders alike. Its footprint rivals Optus Stadium in scale.
Surrounding the lagoon is a full lifestyle precinct: surf academy, skate park, wellness studio, beach club, restaurant, bar, café, equipment hire and rooftop accommodation with water views.
Think Rottnest meets Bondi, but a 20-minute train ride from Perth CBD.
For metro Perth surfers who know all too well the frustration of flat spells, onshore winds and overcrowded breaks, this proposition is straightforward. Quality waves, no swell forecast required.
Surfing WA chief executive Mark Lane said the facility would take pressure off Perth's busiest ocean breaks while opening the sport to a new generation of riders.
"It will complement our natural coastline and create new opportunities for participation and athlete development right on Perth's doorstep," Lane said.
Aventuur chair Andrew Ross, who was joined at the ground-breaking by Deputy Premier and Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti, said the development was an expression of something deeper than a tourist attraction.
"For Perth, this is about delivering a truly special community asset that embodies our surfing history, culture, and coastal lifestyle," Ross said.
The numbers behind the project are significant. More than 280 construction jobs have already been generated. Annual visitation is projected to exceed one million.
Over its operating life, the precinct is forecast to contribute more than $300 million to the WA economy — a figure that has seen it positioned as the state's largest private tourism infrastructure project in a quarter of a century.
An opening date in 2026 was previously floated; the expanded scope of what's now being delivered pushed that timeline back.
Keen surfers can join a waitlist for foundational memberships, which include first-wave access in spring 2027, priority bookings, discounted sessions and use of a dedicated members' clubhouse.
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