500 boats to celebrate Champion Lakes first regatta

11/11/06
Armadale's international-class rowing facility Champion Lakes, will be put through its paces when about 500 competitors take part in the maiden regatta on April 29, 2007.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister and Armadale MLA Alannah MacTiernan today announced the opening event would be a combined regatta involving dragon boats, rowing and kayaking - the first of its kind in Western Australia.
"This facility is a tremendous asset to the WA flat water boating community and to the Armadale region," Ms MacTiernan said.
"We are inviting the whole community to join in at the Champion Lakes regatta as spectators and participants, to experience first-hand Perth's only purpose-built rowing course - the only one in WA capable of staging national and international events.
"There is only one other facility of this magnitude and quality in Australia and that is the Sydney International Regatta Centre at Penrith, which was built for the 2000 Olympics."
The Minister said the Champion Lakes regatta would be a free action-packed event, with races being staged every 10 minutes.
She said the $26million facility had been developed by the State Government through the Armadale Redevelopment Authority as part of a long-term vision to strengthen the south-eastern corridor.
Year-round, the facility would be used by the three disciplines of rowing, kayaking and dragon boating for training and competition, with a track running down the western side of the lake for media coverage.
More than $4million would be spent on landscaping, with native species indigenous to the area being planted to recreate habitats lost during construction.
An island between the rowing course and the adjacent recreational lake would accommodate infrastructure for rowing competition and boat storage facilities. The bridges linking the island to the shore would be complete by early 2007.
The development of a prestige residential estate on the lakes shore was under way.
An Aboriginal interpretive centre, white water park, accommodation and conference facilities were also planned for the precinct.
For more information about the regatta, contact the ARA on 9399 9277.
Minister's office: 9213 6400