Australia’s largest high ropes course — Next Level — has officially opened at Sunshine Plaza in Maroochydore.

The $3-million investment by Melbourne-based TreeTops Adventure Group boasts seven circuits across four levels of difficulty, including 145 aerial obstacles connected by 16 zip lines.

TreeTops Adventure Group CEO, Nicolas Dansin, said the team at the park — which is the group’s first urban, outdoor park and Australia’s first high ropes course at a shopping centre — couldn’t wait to welcome the first players to tackle the circuits.

“Next Level is an aerial adventure like no other and we’re not only celebrating the opening of our first urban park, but also our expansion into Queensland,” he said. “We already have 13 successful parks across Australia all set in the natural environment, and this wealth of experience combined with a great deal of research internationally led to the design of our first urban park, Next Level.

Australia’s largest high ropes course features a 22m-high viewing platform with 360-degree views of the Sunshine Coast

“The unique design is a real engineering feat, including three hexagonal towers made up of 35 poles, each up to 20m high. We encourage our players to start on the two easier courses and then progress to the ‘next level’ all the way up to circuit seven, which is based around Tower One and a real challenge,” said Dansin.

The course has more than 1km of zip lines, the longest of which spans 135m across Cornmeal Creek, taking participants from all levels back to the starting point on the main tower.

Next Level also includes a 22m-high viewing platform offering impressive 360-degree views of the Sunshine Coast, which can be accessed as a separate activity to the high ropes.

Lachlan Dyson, Head of Operations for Lendlease, congratulated Dansin and his team on the opening of the high ropes course and welcomed the new experience as part of Sunshine Plaza’s vision.

“I’m thrilled to welcome TreeTops Adventure Group to the Sunshine Plaza family, joining over 300 other stores and services we already have here,” said Dyson.

“The opening of this course marks the completion of Sunshine Plaza’s momentous $440 million redevelopment, and realises our vision for the centre: to create a world-class dining, shopping and now adventure experience at Sunshine Plaza.”

The course has more than 1km of zip lines

As part of the celebrations, Cornmeal Promenade — which looks over the creek and the Next Level course — will come alive this summer with the StrEATside Market expanding on the centre’s dining and entertainment offering over the coming months.

The StrEATside Market will bring some of the Coast’s most popular street-food vendors, an artisanal Pop Up bar and a range of musicians and entertainers to the creek-side precinct.

This offer is in addition to the existing dining options of Japanese cuisine from Motto Motto, Vietnamese favourite Nguyen Brothers and Roti & Buns serving Malaysian and Hong Kong street food, the soon-to-be-opened Hello Harry The Burger Joint will serve delicious burgers and craft beer and Artisan Coffee Roastery & Toastery Criminal Coffee Co will add gourmet toasties and its awarding-winning coffee to the menu.

Councillor Jason O’Pray and TreeTops’ Nicolas Dansin

Dansin said the diverse dining options would further add to the experience for those who work up an appetite on the high ropes course, irrespective of what circuit they complete.

“Players as young as six can enjoy the experience on the lower levels while even the most capable climbers would find themselves challenged on circuits six and seven,” said Dansin.

“This is the perfect activity for families and those looking to have some fun during the festive season. We are delighted to open at a time when Australians are encouraged to explore their own backyard and expect demand will be high across all our parks in the months ahead.

“We know the tourism trade at Sunshine Plaza accounts for about 20% of all sales and we are confident that Next Level will be an additional drawcard to bring people into the region — particularly from the drive markets,” Dansin added. “We’ve also had a great response to our recruitment drive, which has seen us employ about 30 local team members. These are exciting times for us and we thank the Sunshine Coast for welcoming us with open arms.”

Entry level circuits take up to one hour to complete

Next Level tickets start from $25 for six to 17 year olds, $35 for 18 years plus and $5 for the viewing platform.

To celebrate the opening of Next Level, players who go on the course between 27 November and 20 December will receive a FREE $20 dining voucher to spend at one of the Cornmeal Promenade Creekside restaurants including Hello Harry, Nguyen Brothers, Motto Motto or Wine and Nine.