The first Surf Ranch outside of the United States will be built in Coolum Beach, a seaside town located on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.
The World Surf League (WSL) teamed up with a local development partner to install Kelly Slater's signature wave pool in a parcel of land located ten minutes away from the Sunshine Coast Airport.
The $100 million project will feature a surf pool and tourism facilities.
"We chose the Sunshine Coast because of the temperatures year-round and the DNA of the area," explains Andrew Stark, general manager of WSL.
Air temperature is, in fact, a major variable when selecting a site for a wave pool.
The developers stressed that the only fault with the Lemoore wave pool is the rapid temperature fall experienced during winter in California.
As a result, WSL's assets can only be used for half of the year.
With Eyes on the 2032 Olympics
The new Australian Surf Ranch will feature event and training facilities, an eco-lodge, public open space, tourism accommodation, and an environmental experience center.
The governmental authorities are planning a bid to host the 2032 Olympic Games, and the Surf Ranch is a high-tech surfing project that could elevate sports tourism to new levels.
"We've been highly successful in attracting domestic and international sports teams to train on the Sunshine Coast," notes Simon Latchford, CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast.
"We have also hosted a wide range of international and national surfing, triathlon, and ironman competitions in the past. But the Kelly Slater name attached to the Surf Ranch could give our region even greater appeal internationally."
According to the developers, the wave pool could create more than 10,000 jobs in the region.