Wollongong Regional Tennis Centre is nearing completion after numerous delays. Photo: Wollongong City Council.
After weather delays and unexpected challenges, Wollongong’s long-awaited Regional Tennis Centre is entering the home straight, with final surface works underway and the doors set to open in mid-January.
Timed to be served up just as the Australian Open begins, the state-of-the-art facility will position Wollongong as a major destination for competitive and community tennis alike.
While the rain and heatwave conditions have impacted Wollongong City Council’s progress on the project, the warm days have allowed essential surface remediation works to be carried out.
Final coats of paint on the centrepiece courts were undertaken before Christmas in a bid to keep work on track for middle-of-the-month completion.
It marks the finalisation of what has been a massive project for the council and which has seen the phased opening of completed elements since January last year.
Wollongong Regional Tennis Centre will include eight international-standard, cushioned acrylic courts, two community hardcourts, four synthetic grass courts, and another multipurpose court available for public use.
New shade structures and seating, floodlighting, pathways and soft landscaping have also been installed as part of the works on the elite show courts.
Weather permitting, it’s now expected that the centre will be operational by the middle of January – just as the Australian Open begins in Melbourne – with an official opening planned to coincide with a Wollongong Festival of Tennis in collaboration with Tennis NSW in mid-February.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown said that after the project had encountered several unanticipated challenges since work began, she was ecstatic to see the final surface works nearing completion.
“We’ve obviously faced unforeseen issues with the discovery of asbestos and the surface ‘bubbling’ on some of the courts, but we’re absolutely delighted to see the finishing touches being carried out,” Councillor Brown said.
“Once the centre is fully completed, it will be one of the few Tier 2 competition venues in NSW, positioning Wollongong as a destination for international, national and state-level tennis competitions and all the benefits they provide for our city.”
Already, the courts are home to adult and junior competitions, private and group lessons, groups such as the Disability Trust and corporate entities, and school holiday programs.
“With 15 courts, including a multi-use court for things like pickleball, the facility will continue to provide opportunities for local and community play, coaching and school programs, and casual hire,” Cr Brown said.
“It will allow all ages and abilities to enjoy the game of tennis, while possibly unearthing the next Ash Barty right here in Wollongong.”
The original courts were laid in the 1960s, with the upgrade part of a wider master plan to redevelop the entire Beaton Park sporting precinct.
The council said it acknowledged the financial support from the Federal Government, NSW Government and Tennis NSW, and looked forward to celebrating the formal opening of Wollongong’s new tennis centre in February.
