The action at Sunshine Plaza has soared to new heights with the announcement that Australia’s largest high ropes course, Next Level, will open its zip lines to the public at 9am on Friday 27 November.
The adventure park is Melbourne-based TreeTops Adventure Group’s first Queensland location following the success of 13 other parks across Australia, and forms part of Sunshine Plaza’s vision to create a world-class dining, shopping and adventure experience.
TreeTops Adventure Group CEO, Nicolas Dansin, said the much-anticipated high ropes course will provide an opportunity for those wanting to test their skills and challenge their limits as they scale the obstacles and fly the zip lines over Cornmeal Creek in Maroochydore.
Nicolas Dansin, CEO of TreeTops Adventure Group
“We are delighted to be opening our first Next Level branded park here in Queensland, which has seen us expand from building high ropes courses in the natural environment to creating our first ropes course on poles in an urban, outdoor location,” said Dansin.
“While the build has had its challenges – including procurement delays from suppliers abroad and the advent of COVID-19 – we are excited to announce that we’ll be ready to welcome our first customers on November 27.”
“There really is something for every level of participant, starting from the age of six and ranging up through all ages and skills to the most capable climbers, who will enjoy the challenge of the three most difficult courses, which reach up to 18m above the ground,” said Dansin, adding that entry level circuits take an hour to complete. “The park includes seven different high ropes circuits categorised across four levels of difficulty and – working within the COVID-safe guidelines for our industry – we can have up to 140 people across the 145 aerial obstacles and 16 zip lines at any given time.”
The course has more than 1km of zip lines, the longest of which spans 135 metres 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.
Lendlease’s $440 million Sunshine Plaza redevelopment
Sunshine Plaza Centre Manager, Michael Manwaring, said this latest addition to the centre’s offering will be a great drawcard, not only for locals but also for key markets like Hervey Bay, Bundaberg and visitors from the west whom already travel to Maroochydore to experience the first super-regional shopping centre north of Brisbane.
“The adventure course will not only activate Cornmeal Creek thanks to the zip lines whizzing people across the waterway, it will also create a visually appealing outlook for those enjoying our quality dining experiences on Cornmeal Promenade,” Manwaring said. “We will have a diverse range of cuisine on offer on Cornmeal Promenade by the time Next Level opens on 27 November.
“In addition to our great 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. This strong dining offer further enhances our customer experience by providing more opportunities to relax, dine and be entertained while enjoying our impressive retail offering,” said Manwaring.
Cornmeal Promenade dining precinct
“We are also excited to announce that strEATside Market will open on Cornmeal Promenade on November 27, including eight of the coast’s most popular street-food vendors, musicians and entertainers,” explained Manwaring. “We are thrilled that Tree Tops Adventure Group recognised the opportunity to open the country’s largest high ropes course on poles right here at Sunshine Plaza.”
Dansin said the group identified Sunshine Plaza as the ideal location for the company’s first foray into Queensland and the launch of Next Level, the urban version of TreeTops’ adventure parks.
“Through this challenging year, our commitment to the Sunshine Coast never wavered and we are very excited to now be opening at a time when Australians are holidaying at home, interstate borders are expected to reopen and people are hungry for new experiences,” said Dansin. “The build also progressed when unemployment was rising due to the impact of COVID-19 and I’m pleased we were able to use many local suppliers for cables and timbers as well as local tradies for the ticket office build, poles installation and pole manufacturing.”
Next Level tickets start from $25 for six to 17-year-olds, $35 for 18 years plus and $5 for the viewing platform.
