Shire splashing out on $3.3m water park
Tourist Attraction
Construction of a $3.3m water park near Four Mile Beach behind Port Douglas Surf Club is set to start in March.
The water-based playground, which is expected to include a nature-themed splash park with a 400sq m splash pad, new footpaths, picnic shelters, a barbeque area and a carpark upgrade, will be situated at Jalunbu Park behind Surfy Bistro.
A report tabled in today’s (Tuesday, November 26) Douglas Shire Council meeting stated the park would be on “undulating land, with well-established vegetation in parts” and include “glimpses of the ocean”.
Mayor Lisa Scomazzon welcomed the splash park announcement.
“It’s quite exciting to have this finally happening,” Mayor Scomazzon told the meeting.
“I think the community will be happy once this is finished and I think we will be too.”
Although the park has been in planning since 2020, latest estimates show building was scheduled to start in January and finish in June, so if that construction timeline is maintained, the water park will be completed by August.
Cr Damian Meadows said he was “totally impressed” with the park designs.
“The project team has done a fantastic job,” he said.
“It’s amazing what they’ve come up with.”
Originally planned with a $1.5m funding pledge from the State Government, the council will inject more than $1.7m of ratepayer money into the splash park to build a “larger concept” design, the tabled report stated.
Other as-yet-unnamed capital works projects will be delayed to cover the extra costs.
Requests for tenders also came in higher than expected, with Brisbane-based company J Mac Construction eventually winning the bid.
“The market response was above the estimated construction costs, reflecting current trends in construction escalation,” the report read.
Public consultation done earlier in the year showed “overwhelming local support” for the park.
Operational cost of the splash park is expected to push up rates by 0.3 per cent.
The splash pad will be designed to capture and recycle water to minimise usage.
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