Melbourne's Long-Awaited Surf Park Urbnsurf Is Finally Filled with Water

Landlocked surfers of Melbourne, rejoice — Australia's first surf park is finally filled with water and almost ready to start makin' waves. And it's a lot closer to the city than Torquay or the Peninsula.

Urbnsurf Melbourne will open in Tullamarine, near the airport, just 16-kilometres north of the CBD. Plans for the park first surfaced way back in 2016 and, while the team was initially hoping for a spring opening, Urbnsurf has today revealed that the park is now filled with water, will start pumping out surf in the coming weeks and is set to open its doors to the public by summer this year.

At the moment, the site is a very still lagoon — but when it opens, the two-hectare space will power up to 1000 waves per hour, day and night. And you'll get a choice of waves. Want to ride nothing but perfectly-formed right-handers for an hour? Or would you prefer a random selection, like what you'd experience in the ocean? You'll be able to take your pick. According to Urbnsurf founder Andrew Ross, "every wave has six different take-off spots", which equates to 3600 surfable positions every hour.

Courtesy Urbnsurf and Ed Sloane

So how does it work? Basically, the waves come from an 85-metre pier that runs down the centre of the lagoon. A series of pistons located on the pier then push the water to the left, then to the right, to create the waves. Ross likens the movement to "moving your hand back and forward like a shark's tail".

The ability to create waves means that the park will be built for both pros who are looking for steep, barrelling waves and novices looking for a safe place to get their start in the surf. At Urbnsurf, Ross predicts, most novices will stand on their board within an hour and ride across the green face within two. And not only will you get guaranteed waves — you won't be fighting for them. The park holds 84 riders per hour. And, should you get seriously hooked, you'll be able to enter amateur competitions, maybe with (or against) your mates.

If you need a break between sessions on the water, Urbnsurf will also be home to hot tubs, beach cabanas and a new two-storey restaurant by the owners of Sydney's Three Blue Ducks. And it's hoping to host a heap of live gigs, art shows and cultural experiences, too — we'll let you know when any are announced.

If you're not in Melbourne, you'll be happy to know that a second Urbnsurf is set to open at Sydney Olympic Park in 2021.

Urbnsurf is due to open in this summer near Melbourne Airport. You can sign up to test out the surf park before it opens on the website.