Council welcomes whitewater upgrade

Redland City Council has welcomed the NSW State Government’s recent announcement of a $3.1 million investment to upgrade the Penrith Whitewater Stadium in preparation for the 2025 Canoe Slalom World Championships.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the two Councils were working together to ensure both the existing Penrith facility and the new Birkdale venue being delivered for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games were first class and continued to deliver legacies for their communities.

“We know the best way to deliver a first-class facility is to learn from others and our partnership with Penrith focuses on sharing information to ensure our Birkdale facility is not only used by tomorrow’s Olympic champions, but also delivers a lasting legacy for local families and businesses,” Cr Williams said.

“The announcement by the NSW State Government will allow us to work with Penrith as part of their upgrades and use that information to ensure the Birkdale venue is the best it can be.

“We have been working with Penrith City Council and Paddle Australia since last year as part of our plans for the Birkdale facility and, on behalf of the community, I congratulate them, the NSW Government and International Canoe Federation on the announcement.

“I will be writing to Penrith ... to arrange a discussion in the near future so we can start exchanging information as well as exploring training opportunities that will deliver significant tourism and economic benefits to both cities.

“It is exciting that we are working together to see two world-class Australian whitewater facilities come to fruition within the next decade, providing unrivalled opportunities for accessibility to this sport for all ages and abilities, including staging of elite competition, in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Birkdale Community Precinct will be home to the Redland Resilience Training Centre which incorporates the Redland Whitewater Centre.

The Redland Whitewater Centre will be capable of hosting international, national and state events before, during and long after the Brisbane 2032 Games, when it will be a host venue for Canoe Slalom competition.