When you think of Sydney you think of its incredible beaches, girls in bikinis, bros in short shorts and of course, surf. Bondi, Bronte, The Bra, and Sydney have an almost endless supply of waves. So why open a surf park? We went to find out.
Having grown up in Melbourne I make the annual pilgrimage to see my parents each Christmas. This means catching up with friends, eating and napping on their couch. Once I tried URBNSurf in Melbourne, that all changed. My Christmas holidays are now spent visiting the URBNSurf Melbourne regularly to get my hours up and practice my decidedly average bottom turns.
To be honest, it’s been a game-changer. Consistent waves are surfing’s biggest challenge when you’re learning, which is why surf parks have exploded in popularity. And finally, URBNSurf is set to open its Western Sydney location on May 13th.
RELATED: URBNSURF Review: Melbourne’s Best Man-Made Wave
We were invited by a random bunch of scallywags who managed to book a private session on a very cold (for Sydney) and wet evening. Under lights, 20 of us braved the cold and tested Sydney’s hottest new attraction.
The result? We’re on. Hook, line and sinker.
New facilities are a level up on Melbourne’s shipping container design
If you’ve been to the Melbourne Urbnsurf, you’ll notice from the photos that Sydney is a level up. A brand-new building and much more compact, which is good. The board hire and surf schools are all close by, as are the bathrooms and hot showers.
The facilities — changing rooms, bathrooms, and alike — are pristine and well-designed. There’s plenty of space to get changed and ample showers for each group rolling through.
There’s a massive Ripcurl surf shop in there too, so if you forget your wetsuit or break a board you can buy a new one. Yay, more money!
All that aside, the staff at Urbnsurf are f*cking lovely. They could quite easily be miserable pr*cks, but they’re not. Super helpful and they share the stoke with every customer. This goes for the surf coaches and lifeguards who are on duty for every session; good blokes the lot of them.
You can choose between left or right breaks but you’ll need to buy the break session and stick to it. However, because our session was private we had the luxury of chopping and changing.
Where is URBN Surf Sydney located?
It’s in Homebush in the Olympic Park precinct.
How different is URBNSurf to Sydney to Melbourne?
A bit. I would say the take-offs are a bit steeper. The park does feel smaller and the chop on the water is a bit more hectic on Advanced sessions. Even the rip feels a bit different. We’ve heard the wave machine is a newer model than the one in Melbourne.
Did I mention the water is the bluest blue you’ve ever seen? Incredible.
It’s still the Wavegarden model, which you can read plenty more about.
How much does URBN Surf Sydney cost?
It’s slightly more expensive than Melbourne at $104 per session… plus a few payments on the tollways of Sydney from Bondi to Homebush.
Expensive? Not really. It’s better than splitting a bag with degenerates on a Saturday night. Would do this a thousand times over.
Opening May 13th, better get in quick!
URBNSurf opens in Sydney on May 13th… and it’s already getting booked up fast.