Penrith White Water Stadium
One of the many great legacies of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, is the Penrith White Water Rafting Stadium, which still caters for elite athletes, but also has given locals the opportunity to experience the thrill of rafting.
Booking
Booking beforehand is essential, so phone and book well in advance on (02) 4730 4333. The staff member will give you all the information you will need, and send a confirmation email, which also contains the necessary details for this thrill.
Arriving a half an hour beforehand gave us the opportunity to complete the necessary paperwork and grab some wetsuits and to see the local kayak club training, which was great.
The stadium provides all of the required safety gear, helmet and life vest. If needed, wet suits are available for hire, but not essential, as t-shirts and shorts are acceptable. However, for safety, closed in shoes are essential. Bring a change of clothes as you will get wet, even if you don’t fall in. The bathrooms are huge and have a big area for changing. There are also lock up areas to store your bags and valuables until you have completed rafting.
The trip starts with a safety briefing and a description of the next hour’s events, as well as life vest and helmet fitting. Safety is their priority, and the briefing made us feel very safe. We did not start our lap until everyone was happy that we were ready to do the course. It is also emphasised that you can get out at any time, so if you feel unwell or are not enjoying the experience, the guide will stop at the next safe stop and you can get out of the raft.
The Course
The course starts at the loading ramp where we carried the raft into the water, followed by instructions from the guide in how to paddle the raft. Once they are satisfied that you are OK, the fun begins with a trip up a conveyor belt, that transports the raft to the upper pool. From here, you follow a circular route through rapids, back down to the starting location. We managed about eight trips in our allotted time, each one becoming more difficult at our request. The guide decides how difficult, each trip is, depending on how your party is going.
We had a great time and highly recommend this for anyone looking for a more adventurous experience while being in a safe environment.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
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