Australia already has two open Wavegarden Coves and one under construction. Surf Farm makes it the fourth Wavegarden project in the country and a first for Queensland, planned for a 10-hectare former pineapple farm beside Johnston Road at the Glass House Mountains, on the Sunshine Coast about 55 minutes' drive from Brisbane Airport.
A technology switch, explained
Surf Farm didn't start out as a Wavegarden project. When Sunshine Coast Council approved a surf park on the site in 2021, Glasshouse Country & Maleny News reported that it was being driven by Surf Parks Australia, which held the Australian franchise for American Wave Machines' air-pressure wave technology. In April 2026 Wavegarden announced that, following what it calls "a comprehensive technical and financial evaluation", the Surf Farm team had chosen its electromechanical system, moving away from pneumatic systems. Wavegarden's announcement gives its reasons: it says its technology consumes up to ten times less power than pneumatic alternatives, with "a direct and substantial impact on operational costs", and that its system significantly reduces initial lagoon construction costs. It presents the decision as part of a broader shift, with developers "increasingly prioritizing proven performance, cost effectiveness and long-term efficiency."
The planned system is a 62-module Wavegarden Cove, the same module count as Beyond the Club in São Paulo, and Wavegarden says the setup "enables the widest possible range of programmable wave settings". Wavegarden also says it will be the largest Wavegarden installation on Australia's east coast. The regional qualifier matters: Perth Surf Park, under construction on the west coast, is also being built around a 62-module Cove by its developer, Aventuur.
Who's building it
Sunshine Coast News reported in April that the project is led by a team including UrbnSurf foundation shareholders Adam Lamond and Chris Salmon, with Craig Morrison also a founding developer. As of 11 October 2026, Surf Farm's own team page lists Chris Salmon as director and describes him as a founding investor and board advisor to UrbnSurf, which has sites in Melbourne and Sydney Olympic Park. The same page lists Craig Morrison and former world champion Joel Parkinson as board members and Mark Salmon as project manager. In May 2026 Surf Farm announced that Global Shred Ventures, whose executive chairman is Adam Lamond, had signed a memorandum of understanding to work on finalising development and equity partnership arrangements, and Chris Salmon said the agreement was expected to be finalised in the coming months.
Timeline
In April 2026 Sunshine Coast News reported that construction was scheduled to start later that year, and project officials told the paper the venue was planned to be completed by mid-2028. In September, Chris Salmon said he expected preliminary earthworks to start on site in early 2027. That month Surf Farm also confirmed a strategic partnership with URBNSURF Partners, the operator of the Melbourne and Sydney parks, to test its commercial projections and operating assumptions against their real figures. The site already holds a development permit from Sunshine Coast Council (application MCU20/0381), and Sunshine Coast News reported in April that, because of the change in wave technology, a minor change application would soon be lodged with the council. As of 11 October 2026, Surf Farm's team page describes the project as progressing toward capitalisation and delivery. At a stated cost of up to $60 million, the plan pairs the lagoon with restaurants, retail, community spaces and year-round programming, and Wavegarden says the 62-module setup will accommodate surfers of all levels, from beginners to elite athletes.
Where it fits
Surf Farm joins URBNSURF Melbourne, URBNSURF Sydney, Perth Surf Park, The Break Surf & Stay in South Australia, Wisemans Surf Lodge in New South Wales, and two other Queensland projects, Palm Valley Gold Coast and Surf Lakes Capricorn Coast. As of 11 October 2026, that makes eight Australian wave pool projects in our directory, spread across five states. For the full lineup with pricing and status on the two that are actually open, see our guide to surf parks in Australia. Surf Farm has its own park page in the directory.
