Redland Whitewater Centre
Redland City Council is advancing an exciting new Olympic-standard whitewater facility for Redlands Coast, Queensland and Australia.
The Redland Whitewater Centre will be a unique addition to sport and recreation facilities on Redlands Coast, and the potential event venue for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Brisbane 2032) Canoe Slalom events.
At its General Meeting on 15 May 2024, Council confirmed its commitment and ongoing support for the Redland Whitewater Centre. This reaffirmed previous Council decisions of 13 September 2023 and 1 April 2021 to be a Junior Games partner.
Council’s vision for the Redland Whitewater Centre is underpinned by a legacy first approach to provide sustainable world-class facilities for the community, emergency services and athletes so that:
- This generation has opportunity to learn about safety in and on the water in a controlled environment
- Young people can benefit from being immersed in adventure sports including paddling
- First responders and volunteers have access to the training they need to keep themselves and the community safe in increasingly volatile weather events
- Aspiring and elite Canoe Slalom athletes have the advantage of training and competing year-round in new purpose-built facilities on Redlands Coast.
The proposed Redland Whitewater Centre, to be located on about 18 per cent of the 26 hectare core parkland within the Birkdale Community Precinct, will be funded by the Australian and Queensland governments, and will be planned and delivered by the Queensland Government. The venue is anticipated to open in 2028, well before the Games.
The total area for the Birkdale Community Precinct is 62 hectares, which comprises a 36-hectare conservation area. The proposed Redland Whitewater Centre will encompass about eight per cent of the total area of the precinct.
Read the announcement: Council confirms commitment to proposed Redland Whitewater Centre.
Project status
The Queensland Government’s Project Validation Report (PVR) process on the Redland Whitewater Centre is in progress and, upon completion, will be considered by the Australian and Queensland governments for an investment decision.
The PVR process shows the Queensland community and Brisbane 2032 Games Delivery Partners that the government’s investment commitments are:
- fit for purpose and scoped well
- affordable
- delivering lasting benefits for the growing community
- delivering sustainable solutions
- including the private sector and local businesses in relevant opportunities
- deliverable using a risk-assessed plan that highlights on-time delivery and budget
- considering stakeholder and community interests.
Following consideration by the Australian and Queensland governments, anticipated to be later this year, summary Project Validation Report information will be released and made available for everyone to view at Q2032.au/plans/venues-and-villages. Council will also share the information with the community at that time.
Council intends to refer the Birkdale Community Precinct, which includes the proposed Olympic venue site, for assessment under the Australian Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.
No construction, beyond heritage and maintenance works, will be undertaken on the site until the EPBC referral process has been decided.
Legacy benefits
Being an event venue city will create opportunities to enhance our Redlands Coast lifestyle, create jobs, boost the local economy and continue to advocate to bring forward important transport infrastructure including the completion of the Eastern Metro to Capalaba with an extension to Cleveland.
Brisbane 2032 is forecast to drive more than 90,000 jobs per year, $3.5 billion in social benefits and more than $4.5 billion in tourism and trade boost for Queensland.
A major boost for the Redland Whitewater Centre is the important partnerships between Council, the Queensland Government and professional emergency service providers whose future access for emergency and resilience training and education would help augment the long-term value of the facility.
Council also acknowledges its partners and key stakeholders including the International Canoe Federation, Paddle Australia and Paddle Queensland, who continue to work with us to progress the Olympic-standard Redland Whitewater Centre.
The Redland Whitewater Centre will form a key addition to the naturally wonderful Redlands Coast, which already encompasses tens of thousands of years of Aboriginal canoeing culture, approximately 335km of coastline and 400km of recreation trails.
What is Canoe Slalom?
The sport of Canoe Slalom, in which competitors in canoes and kayaks navigate a series of whitewater rapid challenges, was modelled from ski slalom and began in Switzerland in 1932. In its early days, it was first performed on flat water but later switched to whitewater rapids. In Canoe Slalom the boats are small, light and agile, allowing for greater manoeuvrability through rapids.
Canoe Slalom made its debut at the 1972 Munich Games. Slalom racing did not compete again in the Olympic Games until the 1992 Barcelona Games. Canoe Slalom racers compete in four events, three for men and one for women, over the same course.