The wait is over – Bato Yard opens at 3pm!

Bato Yard is the biggest skate park in the region and its opening has been the hot topic of conversation for local riders of all abilities and disciplines.

Council’s Landscape and Recreation Planner, Mr Boyd McMillan, said this skate park will be one of the biggest and the most diverse in Australia as it will have a few features no others can boast.

“Bato Yard has been built to a competition standard and has a rare feature in that it has a competitive street area and two competitive bowls all in the one park,” Boyd said.

“The quality of CONVIC’s work shows through all over the park but is on display in the deep bowl – one of the most innovative and exciting bowls in Australia.

“The highlight is the 12ft deep (3.6 metres) circular bowl with 1.5ft vert that rises to central 7ft twin hip open bowl and waterfalls down to a 9ft deep square end. It will be fast as riders can pump speed over the centre section while joining lines between four hips and enjoy the experience of granite coping tiles.

“There is also a smaller flow bowl aimed at learners and intermediate riders but includes features to attract advanced riders as well.

“In the street area, riders will love to take advantage of the stairs, rails, hubbas and manual pads. It caters for everyone from learning to push right through to street league obstacles including the seven stair set and quarter pipe with a coping gap.

“The Yard also caters for those who ride a skateboard, scooter, BMX, roller skates or blades – and it doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or looking to improve your tricks.

“If you want to get from one part of the park to the other, or just watch, the park has a complete path system so you get around without ever having to walk over a skate area.

“But it’s more than a skate park, there is plenty of seating for riders and families, shading, water, a basketball court and parkour elements to complement the local sporting precinct.

“It also has lights so people can enjoy riding after work, under lights until 10pm.

“Having started riding a skateboard in 1965, I can’t wait until the fences are down to see expressive sports like skate, bmx and scoot grow in the community.”

The design consultation of Bato Yard started with the community more than 12 months ago at workshops being run by Convic – one of the world’s best skate park design and builders.

Council’s Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said council and the community have come together to deliver something truly special for the Coast.

“The community were involved from day one with the best designers in the business to deliver a facility that is truly owned by the community,” Mr Reynolds said.

“This new skate place will not only be aimed at professional riders, it will also be a great spot for families and beginners as well.

“This new facility has the potential to attract major events to the Coast – which means more tourism for the area."

“We know how important tourism is to our economy particularly in creating local jobs for our young people.”

Skateboarding, BMX and scooter riding are obviously dangerous recreation activities. This park has the deepest bowl in Australia. It is important users take steps to make sure they are safe when riding.

“While the park has sections for riders of all ages and abilities, we recommend only experienced riders take on the big bowl – it is deep and steep,” Boyd added.

“There is plenty of opportunity to learn and enjoy bowl riding in the flow bowl, which is where you will find me!”

Some key steps riders should consider are:

• Always wear a helmet, pads and other protective gear when riding in the Yard, especially the bowls.
• Children, especially those under 12, need to be supervised at all times.
• A majority of the Yard is skateable which means the concrete has a clean surface to create that perfect ride, so when it’s wet it can become quite slippery and dangerous. Try to avoid riding when wet and always use care on the skate areas.
• Bato Yard is designed to flow and there is a chance riders, especially inexperienced ones, can be hit from any direction. If you don’t understand how a skate park flows, ask one of the experienced riders, they will be more than happy to share with you.

“This park is such a gift to the community, so please look after it. Metal bike and scooter pegs can cause irreparable damage to the concrete and tiles, so please use hard plastic pegs if you have to use them at all.  All graffiti will be removed if it occurs, but continuous removal will damage the smoothness of the riding surface,” Boyd said.

“Please respect our park we have built together, but most of all have fun!”

For those interested in being involved in Bato Yard, there are clubs being set up for all disciplines, assisting in the maintenance of the park and also staging local competitions for riders. Contact council for more details.

The official opening for Bato Yard will be held on Sunday 14 August and will be a jam packed with demos from professional riders, competitions, giveaways, stalls and more.

Details: www.wyong.nsw.gov.au/batoyard