Photo: Endless Surf. Mick Fanning on an Endless Surf wave at O2 SURFTOWN MUC in Munich; Palm Valley is not built yet.
Palm Valley Gold Coast, the surf and golf resort planned at Parkwood with former world champion Mick Fanning as a project partner, is targeting a public opening in 2028. On 22 May 2026 the developer said construction commences this year. As of 11 November 2026, that May post is still the latest on the project's news page, and no construction start has been announced.
What is planned
Palm Valley covers 56 hectares at Parkwood and is built around an Endless Surf ES48 lagoon, which the developer says will give rides of up to 24 seconds in single-peak mode. Stage one also includes a high-performance surf academy and an upgraded 18-hole golf course, and the developer plans four event spaces for business, sport and culture. The Queensland Government says it would be the Gold Coast's first surf park. The project is led by Parkwood Village managing director Luke Altschwager.
How the date has moved
The target has slipped with each update. When the Gold Coast City Council approved the plans in December 2023, Altschwager put completion at late 2026. When Fanning came on board as a partner, Endless Surf said Palm Valley was planned to open in mid 2027. In July 2025 Altschwager told Surf Park Central the project was construction-ready, expected construction to begin in the first half of 2026 on a two-year build, and was targeting waves by late 2027. In May 2026 the developer moved the public opening to 2028.
The funding
On 22 May 2026 the Queensland Government committed A$4 million to the first stage from its A$80 million Tourism Icon Investment Fund. Fanning said the grant showed the state was behind his plans for surf on the Gold Coast. The developer expects the project to support more than 1,000 jobs, counting construction and operations, and to draw 900,000-plus visitors in its first year.
Where you can surf a wave pool in Australia now
Not on the Gold Coast yet. Australia's two surf parks open to the public are both URBNSURF lagoons, in Melbourne and Sydney. Queensland has none: Surf Lakes' wave pool at Yeppoon was a research site the public could not use, and The Inertia reported on 10 November 2026 that its owners are now selling the site. That leaves Palm Valley and Surf Farm on the Sunshine Coast as the only Queensland projects in development in our directory.
Good to Know
There is nothing to book yet. Palm Valley's website still carries a "coming 2027" banner, but the developer's own May 2026 announcement targets 2028, so treat 2028 as the working date. For every other Australian project, see our guide to Australia's surf parks.
