Australia's first longboard park
This is not a thread about a longboard park that is on the way, but about making one happen.
Did you know Australia has a claim to the World's first skateboard park? Many claim to be the first, usually the argument centres on two parks in the USA, California Skateboard City and Carlsbad Park. There was a skatepark created and skated in Albany Western Australia in 1975 (maybe early '76). In fact it still exists, and gets skated every day. So it would definitely have the be the oldest skatepark still in use, and probably was Australia's first skatepark.
Have a quick read of the history of Albany skatepark, and how it was created.
What's this all got to do with Australia's first longboard park?
I read that story, and thought these kids managed to organise themselves to build one of the world's first skateboard parks.
Longboarders number in the tens of thousands in Australia and we still do not have a park designed and built specifically for longboarding. Skate parks do not get created in Australia by some big skateboard association. We can not expect ASRA one day to announce they will build a park. Skateparks get built because skaters of all ages get together and fight old people in council meetings. They hassle the government so much they give in or at least listen.
So I am starting a discussion. The idea is to discuss making Australia's first longboard park or
roads specifically for longboarding. Lets talk about design, size, purpose, lobbying and funding.
Something like this can only be done if a group get together and make it happen.
Maybe we can create a framework/document, to help longboarders all over Australia to approach their local government to get something built in their area.
Did you know Australia has a claim to the World's first skateboard park? Many claim to be the first, usually the argument centres on two parks in the USA, California Skateboard City and Carlsbad Park. There was a skatepark created and skated in Albany Western Australia in 1975 (maybe early '76). In fact it still exists, and gets skated every day. So it would definitely have the be the oldest skatepark still in use, and probably was Australia's first skatepark.
Have a quick read of the history of Albany skatepark, and how it was created.
What's this all got to do with Australia's first longboard park?
I read that story, and thought these kids managed to organise themselves to build one of the world's first skateboard parks.
Longboarders number in the tens of thousands in Australia and we still do not have a park designed and built specifically for longboarding. Skate parks do not get created in Australia by some big skateboard association. We can not expect ASRA one day to announce they will build a park. Skateparks get built because skaters of all ages get together and fight old people in council meetings. They hassle the government so much they give in or at least listen.
So I am starting a discussion. The idea is to discuss making Australia's first longboard park or
roads specifically for longboarding. Lets talk about design, size, purpose, lobbying and funding.
Something like this can only be done if a group get together and make it happen.
Maybe we can create a framework/document, to help longboarders all over Australia to approach their local government to get something built in their area.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Arbi on -
Excellent to see this being discussed. A few years ago some local skaters (4122 crew) raised 15000 bucks and got the council to chuck in about 25000 towards a skate bowl. There was heaps of red tape and headaches at the time but the bowl is still there and gets alot of use to this day.
With economic incentive packages and cheap labour -the groms! - there is a chance of turning some of these ugly ditches around the burbs into crazy snake runs. It would involve working with park skaters, bmx etc etc for the numbers to get council to listen. (totally agree Robbo)
Or working with the lycra mob to get Mt Gravatt blocked off to traffic for an hour in the morning (it's gated overnight anyway). The risk assesment for Mt G isn't good though and most Downhillers wouldn't think it's fast enough to bother with all the hassle...
Also there are grants available and elections approaching which is a good time to get promises in writing... I will be up at the God Bowl 422? Wecker rd Mansfield Tues night 4/5 7:30 pm if anyone wants to chat about this stuff, seems to be a few motivated local longboarders. There's also tons of scrubby steep bushland off the back of the gateway motorway and the old abandoned boral quarry. hmmm Arbi 0401058637
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Jack on -
hmmmm. good idea.
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Permalink Reply by tim hills on
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yea this sounds great ill try help as much as i can ive spoken to some people out of my local council and a few said its a good and safer idea. (it will also help the scene) word
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by nathan on -
i think anything that takes cars out of the equation would be great!
If you have a moment flick through this document
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/esp/files/RLCIP_250_31082009m.pdf
It will make you wish we were having this conversation 12-18 months ago!
There are a lot of possible models for making this happen, Geez a monthly road closure is a bloody longboard park in my mind.
i love the stuff that has happened in the states around Channel street etc http://www.sanpedroskateparkassociation.org/Channel_Street/%22The_S...
although very different there are many lessons to be learnt, there are many skilled and talented people on this website from all walks of life (Ive met a lot of them!) Im optimistic Hop.
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Steve on -
Ive often thought about the park I would build if I won the lotto. I would have three tracks or courses
1 A 5m wide tight tecnical course with large 8ft high banked corners, berms, dips and undulations. Think snowbordercross without the large jumps. I think some sections where you are almost weightless would be good though or jumps designed so you get air but are only 1-2 foot off the ground to reduce big impact stacks. 300m long
2 A 8m wide buttersmooth ashpalt finish nice and steep with many hairpins with differrent radius, camber etc flowing onto a faster part with sweepers. This would be the race track. 800 - 1000m long
3 A super steep straight, where speeds well in excess of 100km/h are possible. This would be for people to hit that top speed and practice their tucks 700 - 800m long
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by sean meaney on -
i think the best idea is for something very technical and steep with some banked corners, and a few nice hairpins, it would need to be very very technical to be able to fit on most blocks around melbourne if you ask me. it seems like a great idea to get it going.
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Permalink Reply by Jezza on
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Problem with an asphalt 'road' is the price. As a general rule 1m of road (for 2 lanes along the road, not a square meter) will set you back 1-1.5 thousand dollars, depending on the work prior to laying (earthworks ect), more if you have to cut it into the side of a mountain or use smaller aggregate (to get that buttery smooth finish). I know it sounds a lot but its true, so an 800m section of track could foreseeably set you back a cool million. If you only want one lanes worth that would lower the price, but unless your Dan Mactaggart thats a lot of cash......
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Permalink Reply by nige on
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IF it was skate, bike specific you don't need any where near the earthworks(road base ,compaction,etc.) that a normal road needs, lowering the costs significantly.
Jezza said:Problem with an asphalt 'road' is the price. As a general rule 1m of road (for 2 lanes along the road, not a square meter) will set you back 1-1.5 thousand dollars, depending on the work prior to laying (earthworks ect), more if you have to cut it into the side of a mountain or use smaller aggregate (to get that buttery smooth finish). I know it sounds a lot but its true, so an 800m section of track could foreseeably set you back a cool million. If you only want one lanes worth that would lower the price, but unless your Dan Mactaggart thats a lot of cash......
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Trikes on -
Hey Hop just thought you and the other brother skaters out there ought to know we now have the fresh faced Southern Tasmania Skateboard Association down under under and yep we've got the Park issue happening too. Even though we've some beaut skate parks unfortunately their not really Longboard Parks, but we do have about a dozen really cool places that Longboarders (and ButtBoarders) can really let it all hang out at. We recently had Ching and Gilbert (Newtons 09) over for the Drift Comp at Baskerville and they were really impressed with our range of hills and just how close together the hills were.
We also have the Tasmanian Longboarding site and the Southern Tasmania Billycart Group (on Facebook) which encompass's whatever else is out there that wants to roll eg Street Luge Gravity Bikes Billycarts Classic Luge etc.
So a stand alone Longboard Park may be as a national chain perhaps is grand idea. Lets get on with it. We may be separated by the creek but we're still a voice of support for you guys on the north island hehe...........trikes
Hop said:Re: Land
I drive around and see land everywhere. They find land for cycling tracks. They find land for roads for cars.
To Guff
Skateboarders have no members what-so-ever in an association. Nil, Zip, Nada. They get skateparks built for them everywhere. It has nothing to do with ASRA. Nothing to do with members. Everything to do with participation.
re: Where?
I would say Sydney would not get the first park. Who would have thought Albany WA would get the first skatepark? Who gets it is who is prepared to put in the work, who is motivated. There is probably a kid somewhere in Australia reading this thinking, you know what, me and my mates could get this started. Is it you?
To: Matthys: You dont need that much road. Pumpstation is only 800m at the most, and that is frickin awesome to skate. Think of some of the crappy corners we session, and get enjoyment out of. Here is the beauty of the downhill park. It is skinny. You build a skatepark and you need a big square bit of land, just like a house. You are competing with houses, and buildings. Plus we want slope, the steeper the better. Which makes the land even more unusable. Skinny steep bit of land. Sounds like something no one wants.
EVERYONE
This is not technical or hard. This is simply getting everyone to knock on a council/authority door. It is just a numbers game. We ask 100 councils/authorities for a park, I guarantee one will say yes.
If everyone says no, we do a skate day peak hour on the road out the front of every state parliament until they say yes. Hell we should do that anyway.
FACT
Did you know over this website gets over 30,000 visits a month? And that figure grows at least 10% every month. How many longboarders in Australia still have not heard of ASRA? We ARE the sleeping giant of skateboarding. Time to start mobilising the troops.
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Permalink Reply by Hank's Place Australia on
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For those that have ever spoken to us you will know this has been in the planning for a couple of years by us. We are now in possession of a business plan for 3 x 1km downhill road sections that intertwine so the route can be changed and will be suitable for street luge and downhill with varying degrees of difficulty, (have fielded the question of length already Newtons is 1.3km probably fun enough for practise especially when the route can be changed) an indoor temperature controlled skate park, mtb track accommodation blocks camping ground and ablution blocks along with a full sport therapy and physical rehabilitation clinic. We have also added in a little persons adventure playground, fishing lake (catch and release) and a few things for mum's and skate widows.
The whole thing will sit in around 30 acres which we are looking to purchase in the next financial year (before christmas 2010).
I haven't been around much lately because putting this business plan together ready for release in August and planning our second clinic which opens in June in Surfers Paradise, prparing the Newton's 2010 package and planning the opening of a third clinic in Hervey Bay at Christmas has taken up a bit of time.....but it's on the way lads, it's on the way.
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yeah, the actual load bearing material (underlay materials) would cost less, however the road cutting (assuming its on the side of a hill) would outweigh this, as would the cost of the land, hell, even the land tax would would cost in the tens of thousands of dollars if this thing was privately owned, cause you cant just buy a squiggly bit of land on the side of a hill.
nige said:IF it was skate, bike specific you don't need any where near the earthworks(road base ,compaction,etc.) that a normal road needs, lowering the costs significantly.
Jezza said:Problem with an asphalt 'road' is the price. As a general rule 1m of road (for 2 lanes along the road, not a square meter) will set you back 1-1.5 thousand dollars, depending on the work prior to laying (earthworks ect), more if you have to cut it into the side of a mountain or use smaller aggregate (to get that buttery smooth finish). I know it sounds a lot but its true, so an 800m section of track could foreseeably set you back a cool million. If you only want one lanes worth that would lower the price, but unless your Dan Mactaggart thats a lot of cash......
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