The fact that Perth’s last big tourist attraction wasn’t built until more than 25 years ago is a quietly telling sign. Yes, that is a true statement. In January 2026, Andrew Ross, chair of the company that is building the surf park, made it clear: the Perth Surf Park will be “the first major tourism attraction to be delivered in Perth in over 25 years.” That gap is hard to explain for a city that has grown a lot since then and often has to compete with Sydney and Melbourne for skilled workers and business investment.
Western Australia is not a place that is short on money or ambition. For decades, the state’s resources sector has made a lot of money. Even so, its entertainment infrastructure has stayed surprisingly weak. There isn’t a big theme park. No well-known vacation spot. Optus Stadium, which is truly world-class, is sitting on the Burswood Peninsula by itself, waiting for something to come along and surround it.
That’s finally going to change. At the moment, two big projects are going on at the same time. Together, they show that WA is changing how it sees itself as a destination, not just an economy.
A private $120 million project called the Perth Surf Park was started in Jandakot, close to Cockburn Central station. Early work began in early 2026, after years of planning delays and uncertainty about funding. The 2.2-hectare surfing lagoon will have a 62-module Wavegarden Cove system, which is said to be the biggest of its kind in the world and can make waves all year for surfers of all levels. Up to a million people are expected to visit each year, and it will bring in more than $300 million for the WA economy over the course of its life.
The goal right now is to open in late 2027. There are also restaurants, a wellness center, a skate park, glamping, and a high-performance surf academy in the project, which shows that the creators are planning for more than just one attraction and want to make it somewhere people will want to spend a whole day or weekend.
On the other hand, the Cook Government’s Perth Park project on the Burswood Peninsula has moved from design consultation to site establishment works. Connecting Optus Stadium, the State Tennis Centre, Belmont Park Racecourse, and Crown Perth, the $217.5 million precinct has an outdoor amphitheater with room for 12,000 people, a multi-use track for cycling and motorsport events, indoor courts with disability sport facilities, a possible private hospitality venue, and an urban forest with up to 150,000 new plants. ACIL Allen, an independent economics firm, found that the precinct would bring in $61 million a year in economic activity, giving it a benefit-to-cost ratio of 1.84. Work on the site’s fencing and access started in February 2026. After that, the main construction began, and the opening was planned for 2027.
You should ask yourself why this is happening now. Some of the answers have to do with politics. Perth Park was promised by the Cook Government during the election, and the surf park finally got the money it needed when the RAC joined the Wyllie family as an investor in the middle of 2025. However, more and more people agree that Perth’s identity has become too tied to its natural landscape. The beaches are truly amazing. The wine country really is the best in the world. But tourists also want built experiences, and Perth hasn’t had much to offer in that area besides the obvious for too long.
Seeing all of this happen makes me think that WA is trying to make up for years of not investing enough in leisure and tourism infrastructure. It’s still not clear if these two projects are the start of a longer change or just a one-time push. But now something is moving that wasn’t there before. The cranes are coming. There will be fences. And finally, after 25 years of waiting, Perth is building something that people might go out of their way to see.
