The spectacular Winter Sports World indoor snow centre planned for Penrith near Sydney in Australia is anticipating a late 2027 or early 2028 opening.

“This is one of the most common questions we get. Trust us, we’re just as eager as you to be carving up the powder and sipping hot chocolate. After nearly six years of navigating a host of hurdles, we received our final planning approval in January this year. Since then we’ve been busy assembling a team of global, and local, consultants and stakeholders,” an online statement from the $400m centre outlines, continuing, “We now expect to start construction in the first half of 2025 with preparation for the basement walls and excavation to prepare the infrastructure works that will go into the basement such as the underground water tank for the snow making, mechanical plant rooms, loading docks and carpark.  Our estimated opening date in late 2027 or early 2028.”

Designed to be “net-zero carbon ready”, the facility will include a 300-metre indoor ski slope and a dedicated space for ice hockey, speed skating, alpine skiing and ice climbing as well as a winter wonderland snow play area for children.

Access will be made easier by the opening of nearby Western Sydney International Airport, set to debut in 2026 and welcome 10 million passengers a year.

Australia currently does not have an indoor snow centre, although it did operate the world’s first in the modern area, Mt TheBarton in Adelaide, between 1987 and 2000.

Winter Sports World was officially given approval by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, at the start of the year.