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About Penrith Whitewater Stadium

Built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Penrith Whitewater Stadium is a world-class venue featuring a 320-metre man-made river with powerful rapids and a dynamic obstacle system. It continues to host elite competitions and offers unforgettable rafting and kayaking experiences for all skill levels.

A world class venue with an Olympic legacy

Purpose built for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the Penrith Whitewater Stadium was the competition venue for canoe/kayak slalom events. The construction of the Stadium was a joint venture between Penrith City Council, the International Canoe Federation and the Olympic Co-ordination Authority.

The whitewater course is one of only a few man-made rivers of its kind in the world, and was constructed using a combination of both natural and man-made materials to recreate the characteristics of a wild river.

The river is 320 metres long and drops 5.5 metres from top to bottom and is constructed in a ‘U’ shape. A moveable obstacle system makes it possible to change the whitewater channel which is concrete and varies in width from 8 to 14 metres.

14,000 litres per second of raging whitewater flowing over a moveable obstacle system has proven to be a challenging and exciting ride even for the best paddlers in the world. The water is drawn from the nearby warm-up lake by up to five 300kw submersible pumps. Each pump delivers 2,800 litres (2.8 cubic metres) of water per second to the start pool at the top of the course, from where it flows down to the finish pool. A conveyor carries rafts, canoes and kayaks along with their occupants from the bottom of the course to the top start pool.

The venue caters for whitewater rafting, kayaking, swiftwater rescue training and hosts local, national and international kayaking competitions.

Venue map (PDF, 154.55 KB)

Operating hours

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Main entry gate hours

Monday – Sunday
7am – 7pm

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Stadium hours

Monday – Friday
7am – 5pm

Saturday – Sunday 
Hours vary depending on bookings

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Office hours

Monday – Friday
9am – 5pm

Café Whitewater closed

The café is currently closed until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Venue regulations

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