Having attended today’s community consultation launch for the new Entertainment & Sporting Precinct being developed at Burswood it is clear this will be a great facility for Western Australia – and a massive win for people who ride bikes.

The community’s longstanding call for a central Perth criterium track has been answered – backed by WestCycle advocacy – and wheels will be turning over its freshly laid tarmac track in about two years.

It is also clear the project is very much open to input from locals and other interested parties to guide “sustainable development” – including people who ride bikes. We have already suggested the inclusion of bike storage for events to complement the enhanced public transport that will also be an outcome of the new precinct.

Comprising a new motorsports street circuit, a community multipurpose cycling facility, function centre and 15,000+ seat concert bowl, the precinct will elevate the city and its status as a tourist destination – not to mention deliver brilliant facilities for all Western Australians to share.

Optus Stadium, despite initial opposition, is recognised as a world class facility and one of Perth’s infrastructural treasures. The new entertainment and sports precinct will add to the accessibility and usage of the area, creating a marketable tourism product that will benefit the whole state.

These kinds of precincts have won broad community support in other cities. Melbourne Park has become a much-loved asset in Victoria for example.

Burswood Park’s recent evolution from a rubbish tip, to golf course to underutilised open space – and now to a vibrant entertainment precinct is an exciting prospect for our city.

A much-needed central Perth bike riding facility for all – all year round

From a bike riding perspective, the criterium circuit is a multipurpose community facility that is a game-changing bike riding investment.

Multipurpose is the key idea here. A crit track will pump life into the Perth bike racing scene that has seen many events drop from the calendar in recent years due to cost and location issues. The fact the concert bowl provides an inbuilt grandstand is a bonus and makes it probably the most spectacular crit track in the country.

Not only that, it will provide a first-class space for club activities, kids’ bike riding, schools programs and inclusive groups like Break the Boundary to conduct programs – while functioning as an open space for casual bike riding throughout the year. WestCycle programs such as Women on Wheels and learn to ride sessions for multicultural groups will gain a go-to location of choice.

The tourist ticket

A venue of the calibre of the Burswood Park crit track will help attract world class cycling events to the state and deliver exceptional tourism and economic outcomes. Independent analysis showed South Australia’s 2024 Santos Tour Down Under generated $87.2 million from the 770,600 Australian and international fans who attended – with 490 full-time equivalent jobs generated.

WA recently hosted the highly successful Road Nationals, where about 20,000 people crammed into Northbridge to watch the criterium event. The appetite for these kinds of events here is clear.

Safe bike riding spaces

A million Western Australians ride a bike each year. Nearly half of those who don’t ride would do so if it was safe. The track will be a safe space for people who wish to ride bikes – and learn about riding bikes. The closed circuit will provide a car-free bike riding sanctuary at a time where road safety concerns are high – five bike riders have died on our roads this year already.

The Burswood crit track will be used by the public every day there is not a major event being held.

In addition to people on bikes, other activities such as triathlon, running and skating will also be able to use the facility. There is also the opportunity to create an administrative HQ on-site for WestCycle and AusCycling to better develop bike riding in WA.

Helping make WA an amazing place to ride

There has been much talk about the impact of the motor sports circuit and the Supercars event but this is a small part of the precinct’s offer – just a weekend of racing in the year. Whilst appreciating there will be some inconvenience to residents during this period, the year-round tourism, entertainment – and cycling – value of the precinct delivers an overall benefit to the people of Western Australia.

And while the land area is relatively small, our briefings have advised that absolutely minimising the environmental impacts of the project has been given the highest priority by the government.

The facilitation and expansion of bike riding and the use of public transport to the facilities encourages active transport and reduces private car use, creating less congestion and reducing environmental impact.

The Entertainment & Sporting Precinct is a great development for WA, creating venues for year-round use for a broad section of population. It will be a great boost for our community as we seek to shift to sustainable travel and boost health outcomes – while the multipurpose cycling track delivers a much needed facility that will be a safe environment for year round use by the community, clubs and events from local club crits to international races.

It adds a spectacular cog in WA’s growing reputation as an amazing place to ride.

For media enquiries and to arrange interviews contact:

Shane Starling (0492 897 199)

WestCycle Communications Manager