Sea-themed mini golf to be tourism boost
This attraction under construction at Redcliffe is expected to draw people from across the region, Brisbane and beyond when it opens later this year. It’s mini golf, but not as you know it.
The mini golf and amusement centre is starting to take shape at Bluewater Square shopping centre, corner Anzac Ave and Sutton St, and is being described as Time Zones meets Holey Moley.
Elanor Investors Group Leasing Manager Jason Cravino is excited about the development he says will be an “all-inclusive, interactive mini golf spectacular”.
“It is for entertainment, leisure and it’s a tourism attraction. It’s something the Redcliffe Peninsula doesn’t have,” Jason explains.
The under-the-sea-themed 18-hole mini golf course and amusement centre will include the latest in digital arcade amusements and virtual reality, a bar, and two rooms for birthdays or corporate events.
Jason says it will be an immersive experience, with all-abilities access so everyone can enjoy it.
Why will this work in Redcliffe?
Jason says when the tenant flew up from New South Wales to look at the site and they were investigating emerging interactive experiences, a community Facebook discussion was happening which caught their attention.
Residents were remembering the indoor roller skating ring, rollercoaster and carnival that were once at Redcliffe.
It made them realise residents missed those amusement experiences and it was something they could tap into.
The under-the-sea theme will run right through the attraction with a striking exterior featuring a seascape starting on Anzac Ave which becomes the sunken wreck of the HM Bark Endeavour as it wraps around to Sutton St.
It’s being created by Highvale-based sculpture masters Natureworks, headed by David Joffe. Previous projects include installations at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Sea World, South Bank and many more across Australia and the world.
What will it look like?
“This mini golf is a potpourri of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Pirates of the Caribbean and Gilligan’s Island, Creatures of the Deep with David Attenborough and Mutiny on the Bounty,” David Joffe says.
“It’s a touch of fantasy, it’s certainly not a museum exhibit, and it’s a touch of madness.”
Golfers will walk through the jaws of a giant armoured prehistoric fish to play golf on the ocean floor with flying fish, giant deep-sea monsters, Great White Sharks, sea snakes and potato cod just some of the creatures they’ll encounter.
The design and its creatures are the product of David’s imagination and he describes himself as the “silver-back gorilla of the theming industry in Australia”.
“This is what Natureworks has been doing for over 40 years,” he says. “I’ve got 3000 weird creatures in my repertoire.
David reckons a visit to the attraction will be a chance to forget the real world, dubbing it ‘Joffastic Park’.
“We’re essentially having some fun and building something we believe in. We’re giving it our best shot,” he says.
“The shopping centre is doing something for the community. They know it’s good business-sense to bring people into the shopping centre by making it a fun experience.”
When will it open?
Everything is on track for completion in August, and subject to COVID-19 restrictions, they will have a soft opening and trial events, so they’re ready for the September school holidays.
It will be open 10am-10pm, seven days a week, catering not just for kids, but adults too with a bar and food offering making it a fun place to catch up with friends, celebrate an occasion or have a corporate event.
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