The Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC), located in Penrith,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, is a

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

and

canoe sprint Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed sprint canoes or sprint kayaks on calm water over a short distance. Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing. The term is still in use today ...

venue built for the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. It is now a popular sporting venue, with the Head of the River Regatta held annually.

Description

The Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC) is a 196-hectare outdoor sport and entertainment facility, for both on and off the water activities.Penrith Lakes. (2015). History of the Penrith Lakes Scheme. Sydney, Australia. 1–2. Retrieved from http://admin.penrithlakes.com.au/content/2015/03/HISTORY-OF-THE-PENRITH-LAKES-SCHEME_MARCH-2015.pdf SIRC was built as part of the larger

Penrith Lakes Western Sydney Lakes is an area located in the suburb of Castlereagh near Penrith in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was previously known as the Penrith Lakes until 2022. It features lakes and parklands as well as recreational f ...

Scheme consisting of 2000 hectares of former quarrying land, redesigned to accommodate 6 major lakesincluding the Sydney International Regatta Centre. Its construction was finalised in 1995 prior to the Sydney

. The Sydney International Regatta Centre contains outdoor and undercover exhibition spaces, multiple conference rooms and a spectator grandstand, architecturally designed by

Woods Bagot Woods Bagot is a global architectural and consulting practice founded in Adelaide, South Australia. It specialises in the design and planning of buildings across a wide variety of sectors and disciplines. Former names of the practice include Woo ...

which seats 1000 spectators undercover. SIRC consists of a 2300m competition lake, a 1500m warm up lake and a 5 km cycling and running loop amongst other prominent features. The regatta centre is utilised for activities such as; rowing, canoeing, triathlons, catch and release fishing competitions, walking/jogging/rollerblading along the 5 km track surrounding the course, scuba diving lessons and corporate events and functions. The Sydney International Regatta Centre averages over 50 000 visitors a month, resulting in over half a million international and domestic visitors annually. Defqon.1 Weekend Festival Australia was also held at SIRC; as a newly established and reasonably popular hard dance music event Defqon.1 Festival requires a large venue which is somewhat removed from residences, making the Regatta Centre an ideal location. In May 2012 the second round of the UIM world powerboat championships for Blown Alcohol and 6 Litre boats was held here over 3 days and will return in 2013 It is part of the

. The site is managed by

NSW Sport and Recreation The New South Wales Office of Sport, an agency of the New South Wales Government, is responsible for assisting the people of New South Wales to participate in sport and active recreation, in order to improve personal and community well being. A ...

Specifications

Undercover area at the Sydney International Regatta Centre

The Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC) is a 196-hectare on and off water, outdoor activity centre. It consists of 60-hectares of landscaping, and 98-hectares of water surface making up the 2300m competition lake and 1500m warm up lake with width of 170m and average depth of 5m.NSW Office of Sport. (2019) Our lakes. Sydney, Australia. Retrieved from www.sport.nsw.gov.au/regattacentre/facilities/lakes Under the freshwater, native aquatic plants totalling over 50,000 were planted.Olympic Co-ordination Authority. (1999). Compendium of ESD initiative and outcomes. Sydney, Australia. ''2,''100–105. Retrieved from www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/-/media/files/sopa/sopa/publications/environmental-publications/esd_compendium_1999.pdf?la=en&hash=EF6EE2421902A120B5650FD86197726DF65525B5. The landscaping includes a 5 km running and cycling loop, and along the track over 30,000 native trees and shrubs have been planted. The competition lake consists of nine competition lanes spanning 13.5m wide. SIRC's island capacity is at 20,000 people, and overall venue capacity is at 30,000. However, SIRC can host up to 50,000 people upon approval of an application. Within the Pavilion and Boatshed facilities located on the island there are 4 conference rooms equipped with audio and visual equipment, as well as a Lakeside function room. Furthermore, the grandstand and pavilion seats 1000 people. Parking at SIRC provides for 2000 cars and is situated off of ''Old Castlereagh Road''.

History

The concept to convert the gravel and sand quarries of Penrith into recreational lakes was initially conceived in 1968.Penrith Lakes. (2015). History of the Penrith Lakes Scheme. Sydney, Australia. 1–2. Retrieved from http://admin.penrithlakes.com.au/content/2015/03/HISTORY-OF-THE-PENRITH-LAKES-SCHEME_MARCH-2015.pdf In conjunction with the NSW Government's facilitation, land holding companies merged their quarrying operations and acreage establishing a joint venture forming the Penrith Lakes Development Corporation (PLDC) in 1980. Under the Environment Planning and Assessment Act they passed the Sydney regional Environmental Plan No.11. The NSW Government unveiled the 2000-hectares of aquatic based entertainment facility in 1986. The 196-hectare Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC) was completed in 1995 via the Penrith Lakes Scheme consisting of 2000-hectares of former quarrying land.

, Blue Scope Steel (Formally known as BHP Steel), North Shore Paving Co Pty Ltd, and Conybeare Morrison were among the companies which contributed to the creation of the facilities present on the regatta centre. The goal of the Penrith Lakes Scheme was to turn the area into a recreational space for the local community. SIRC was staged first for its use in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Water management

The Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC) draws a significant amount of water from the

Nepean River The Nepean River (Darug language, Darug: Yandhai), is a Perennial stream, major perennial river, located in the south-west and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Nepean River, and, continuing by its downstream name, the Hawkesbury ...

system. It has been used as a case study for innovative sustainable methods of water management. SIRC's “water quality has been suitable for primary contact 95% of the time since 1996”.Roberts, D. E., Sainty, G. R., Cummins, S. P., Hunter, G. J. & Anderson, W. J. (2001). Managing submersed aquatic plants in the Sydney International Regatta Centre, Australia. ''Aquatic Plant Management'', ''39'', 12–17. Retrieved from www.apms.org This was met for majority of the year with minimum intervention, recurrent budget expenditure and no chemical treatment. As a shallow, freshwater lake with depth of 5m, SIRC is at risk of water contamination by

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

and exotic

macrophytes Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic environments ( saltwater or freshwater). In lakes, rivers and wetlands, aquatic vegetations provide cover for aquat ...

. The lakebed is planted with over 50,000 native aquatic plants such as ribbon-weed (''

Vallisneria Americana ''Vallisneria americana'', commonly called wild celery, water-celery, tape grass, or eelgrass, is a plant in the family Hydrocharitaceae, the "tape-grasses". ''V. americana'' is a fresh water species that can tolerate salt, living in salinitie ...

'') and was introduced with bass (''

Macquaria novemaculeata The Australian bass (''Percalates novemaculeata'') is a small-to-medium-sized species of primarily freshwater fish, freshwater (but catadromous, estuarine spawning) ray-finned fish found in coastal rivers and streams along the eastern states of ...

'') fingerlings “to establish a ‘balanced aquatic ecosystem’ with a healthy aquatic plant assemblage, capable of out-competing nuisance algae and ‘exotic’ macrophytes.” The growth of blue-green algae (''

Oscillatoria ''Oscillatoria'' is a genus of filamentous cyanobacteria. It is often found in freshwater environments. Its name refers to the oscillating motion of its filaments as they slide against each other to position the colony to face a light source. ...

'') along the base of the ribbon-weed at SIRC resulted in the defoliation of 1997. Additional causes include; low dissolved oxygen levels, increased turbidity, rising water levels and stratification. To physically remove the floating foliage on the surface of the water, ribbon-weed aquatic weed harvesters were implemented.

Sustainability

The Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC) was developed with a focus on Economically Sustainable Development (ESD) specifically in regard to flora and fauna, people, construction, energy, water, air, soil and waste management. Ways in which they promoted this focus are: * Flora and fauna: Over 30,000 native trees and shrubs including 160 ''

Eucalyptus benthamii ''Eucalyptus benthamii'', commonly known as Camden white gum, Bentham's gum, Nepean River gum, kayer-ro or durrum-by-ang, is a species of tree that is Endemism, endemic to New South Wales. It has mostly smooth bluish grey or white bark, lance-sha ...

'' were planted at SIRC. * People and their environment: The Pavilion was designed and placed to complement the natural environment surrounding the site. Its capability to retract seating and roofing provides the Pavilion a multipurpose capacity. Additionally, to minimise the environmental implications of bitumen car parks, SIRC parking lot is predominantly grassed. * Construction materials: The Pavilion is constructed of corrugated iron, recycled timber, timber and turpentine from managed regrowth forests, and steel. Concrete and bitumen were recycled and reused for the new concrete slabs and bitumen paving. Furthermore, recovered crushed sandstone and existing topsoil from the site was amassed and reclaimed during construction. * Energy: Solar panels installed atop the finishing tower feeds into the local grid. Consequently, saving 2.8 tonnes of gas emission per year. The lighting used is highly efficient low energy fixtures connected to motion and daylight sensors. To reduce the necessity of air conditioning, the Pavilion takes advantage of cool summer winds by utilising the east–west orientation. Whereas the overhanging roof allows winter sun to penetrate from the north. * Water: All water source points were installed with flow control devices and efficiency maximising fittings for minimal water usage. Irrigation at SIRC is minimal, however sourced from select areas of the lake when necessary. Thus, reducing overall water usage. * Air: Despite the Pavilion being designed to maximise natural ventilation, the air conditioning units installed are HCFC (R22) small package refrigerant. * Soil: Existing onsite topsoil was recycled during construction, and appropriate stormwater run offs were implemented to mitigate sedimentation and erosion. Additionally, revetments were implemented along the course banks to minimise return wake, soil erosion and distribution of bank material. * Waste management: during construction measures such as; careful consideration for materials ordered, waste disposal and an on-site

worm farm A vermifilter (also vermi-digester or lumbrifilter) is an aerobic treatment system, consisting of a Bioreactor, biological reactor containing media that filters Organic matter, organic material from wastewater. The media also provides a habitat f ...

for food scraps were utilised. Currently, SIRC upkeeps the use of recycling bins during its operation.

Past events

The Sydney International Regatta Centre has hosted various recreational and sporting activities since its completion in 1995. Events include: * The

Australian Rowing Championships The Australian Rowing Championships is an annual rowing event that determines Australia's national rowing champions and facilitates selection of Australian representative crews for World Championships and the Olympic Games. It is Australia's pre ...

: SIRC has hosted the Australian Rowing Championships on eleven occasions as of May 2020. 1996, 2000, 2005, 2008 and from 2013 to 2019. * NSW Schoolboy/Schoolgirl Head of The River (HOTR): Schoolboy and Schoolgirl HOTR has been held at the regatta centre beginning in 1997. * In 2013, an assignment on the sixth season of ''The Mole'' took place at this venue, which required the contestants to collect a number of inflatable balls on a set course that would win them some money for the kitty. * Defqon.1: Held between 2008 and 2018, Defqon.1 was “postponed indefinitely” (as of May 2019) after drug related complications which occurred at SIRC in 2018.The 2018 Defqon.1 Music Festival was attended by approximately 30,000 people, of which approximately 700 people sought medical assistance, and from 355 police conducted searches, 69 people were allegedly found with illicit substances.Begley, P. & Evans, M. (16 September 2018). ‘Absolutely tragic’: Premier vows to shut festival down after two overdose deaths. Sydney, Australia. ''The Sydney Morning Herald.'' Retrieved from https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/two-dead-after-defqon-music-festival-overdoses-at-penrith-20180916-p50422.html In light of the two fatalities recorded,

NSW New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

as of September 2018

Gladys Berejiklian Gladys Berejiklian (; born 22 September 1970) is an Australian businesswoman and former politician who served as the 45th premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021. Berejikl ...

, promised to “do everything we can to shut this down”,Rota, G. (30 May 2019). Defqon.1 festival ‘postponed indefinitely’, nine months after reveller deaths. Sydney, Australia. ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. Retrieved from https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/defqon-1-festival-postponed-indefinitely-nine-months-after-reveller-deaths-20190530-p51syl.html in reference to Defqon.1’s return to the Sydney International Regatta Centre. Member for Penrith as of September 2018,

Stuart Ayres Stuart Laurence Ayres (born 24 November 1980) is an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 19 June 2010 to 25 March 2023, representing the electorate of Electoral district of Penrith, Penrith as ...

declared that the Sydney International Regatta Centre “will not be hosting Defqon.1 into the future.”.

Sydney 2000 Olympic events

During the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the Regatta Centre held the rowing events and the canoe sprint events.

References

External links

Sydney International Regatta Centre website
{{Olympic venues rowing Sports venues in Sydney Olympic canoeing venues Olympic rowing venues Rowing venues in Australia Venues of the 2000 Summer Olympics Canoeing and kayaking venues in Australia Penrith, New South Wales