Penrith Whitewater Stadium
Encyclopedia
The Penrith Whitewater Stadium is located near Sydney
, Australia
. It is an artificial whitewater
sporting facility which hosted the canoe/kayak slalom events
at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
. The facility is part of the Penrith Lakes Scheme, which is converting open-pit sand and gravel mines into lakes for recreation. It is close to Cranebrook, New South Wales
and is adjacent to the Sydney International Regatta Centre
. These lakes are not filled via the Nepean River, but are filled via rain water
and ground water. The operation of the facility aerates the water and improves water quality in the flat water rowing and canoeing course.
The course is in the shape of a massive 'U', 320 metres in length, between 0.8 and 1.2 metres deep and between eight and 12 metres wide. The overall drop from top to bottom is 5.5 metres. During events a conveyor belt is used to take boats, and their occupants, from the finishing pool back to the start.
As the course has been built in a relatively flat area (flood plain), it has been built up and landscaped to create the sloping course necessary for the required rapids. Five of the six available 300-kilowatt pumps lift the water from the bottom to the start of the course, at the rate of 14 m³/s.
The channel is constructed from concrete with sloping sides. By setting river pebbles into the concrete an effect to make the course look like a natural river has been created. Large immovable rocks shape the course, as well as movable obstacles which may be used for varying the difficulty of the course and for fine-tuning of the rapids.
The total cost of construction was $6 million, of which $1.5 million was paid by Penrith City Council
, $1.5 million by the International Canoe Federation
(including $300,000 by Australian Canoeing) and $3 million by the Government of New South Wales
.
The facility, which includes a cafe, is a popular recreational area, offering large rubber raft rides, as well as individual kayaking/canoeing. It is regularly used for local, national and international canoeing/slalom events. It is accessed via McCarthys Lane, which runs off Castlereagh Rd, Cranebrook.
It served as the host venue for the 2005 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is an artificial whitewater
Artificial whitewater
An artificial whitewater course is a site for whitewater canoeing, whitewater kayaking, whitewater racing, whitewater rafting, playboating and slalom canoeing with artificially generated rapids.-Flow diversion:...
sporting facility which hosted the canoe/kayak slalom events
Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics was held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre for the sprint events and the Whitewater Stadium in Penrith for the canoe and kayak slalom disciplines. The repechage rounds that ran from the 1960 to the 1996 Games were eliminated in the sprint events while...
at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. The facility is part of the Penrith Lakes Scheme, which is converting open-pit sand and gravel mines into lakes for recreation. It is close to Cranebrook, New South Wales
Cranebrook, New South Wales
Cranebrook is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cranebrook is located 65 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region....
and is adjacent to the Sydney International Regatta Centre
Sydney International Regatta Centre
400px|thumb|Sydney International Regatta Centre BridgeThe Sydney International Regatta Centre, located in Penrith, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is a rowing and canoe sprint venue built for the 2000 Summer Olympics...
. These lakes are not filled via the Nepean River, but are filled via rain water
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
and ground water. The operation of the facility aerates the water and improves water quality in the flat water rowing and canoeing course.
The course is in the shape of a massive 'U', 320 metres in length, between 0.8 and 1.2 metres deep and between eight and 12 metres wide. The overall drop from top to bottom is 5.5 metres. During events a conveyor belt is used to take boats, and their occupants, from the finishing pool back to the start.
As the course has been built in a relatively flat area (flood plain), it has been built up and landscaped to create the sloping course necessary for the required rapids. Five of the six available 300-kilowatt pumps lift the water from the bottom to the start of the course, at the rate of 14 m³/s.
The channel is constructed from concrete with sloping sides. By setting river pebbles into the concrete an effect to make the course look like a natural river has been created. Large immovable rocks shape the course, as well as movable obstacles which may be used for varying the difficulty of the course and for fine-tuning of the rapids.
The total cost of construction was $6 million, of which $1.5 million was paid by Penrith City Council
City of Penrith
The City of Penrith is a Local Government Area in Sydney, located about west of Sydney's central business district.- History :The Municipality of Penrith was incorporated on 12 May 1871 under the Municipalities Act 1858. On 3 March 1890, St Marys was separately incorporated, and on 26 July 1893...
, $1.5 million by the International Canoe Federation
International Canoe Federation
The International Canoe Federation is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide...
(including $300,000 by Australian Canoeing) and $3 million by the Government of New South Wales
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
.
The facility, which includes a cafe, is a popular recreational area, offering large rubber raft rides, as well as individual kayaking/canoeing. It is regularly used for local, national and international canoeing/slalom events. It is accessed via McCarthys Lane, which runs off Castlereagh Rd, Cranebrook.
It served as the host venue for the 2005 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
2005 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
The 2005 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium under the auspices of International Canoe Federation...
.
Reference
- 2000 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. p. 377.