By CASEY NEILL
BANGHOLME is to have a $5 million cable water-ski centre in time for summer.
City of Greater Dandenong councillors approved an application for the Melbourne Cable Park at 5 Riverend Road, adjacent to the National Watersports Centre (NWSC) on Patterson River on Monday night last week, 10 August.
The Journal revealed plans for the park in February, reporting it could attract 90,000 people to Bangholme each year and was on track to open late this year.
The company developing the park, Activ, has leased a grassed area that the State Government declared surplus to its needs.
There it will build lakes for water-skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding.
There’ll be two full lake systems with skate park-like obstacles and circular cable tracks to tow users and another two lakes will have what’s known as two-tower systems, which take the user from one side of the lake to the other and are designed for beginners.
The council initially received five objections to the proposal but these were later unconditionally withdrawn.
An officers’ report said the site design respected the surrounding environment and amenity.
“The proposed facility is envisaged to host local, national and international water sports events, providing a significant direct and indirect contribution to the local economy,” it said.
Activ managing director Ian Clark said solar panels would power the cable systems, which each use as much electricity as two washing machines.
He said it was an environmentally sustainable way to water-ski and would open the sport to people who had previously been excluded by the need for a boat.
Mr Clark said the park would average about 250 visitors per day, and the council has restricted numbers on the site to 370 at any one time.
He said the centre would be open seven days a week and would also feature a high ropes adventure challenge, cafe and inflatable aqua fun park.
