An ambitious $700 million project to build Australia’s first indoor ski resort is getting ready to hit the slopes after securing the backing of a leading Chinese operator.
Winter Sports World managing director Peter Magnisalis has signed a memorandum of understanding in the Chinese city of Guangzhou on Thursday with BonSki Group, the world’s biggest indoor ski operator.
The development in Penrith, in western Sydney, is being billed as the biggest tourism construction project in Australia, with an Olympic-class ski run, a 4.5-star hotel and restaurants.
Mr Magnisalis said construction should start in a few months, with an opening set for 2028.
Under the milestone partnership Bonski – which operates indoor ski resorts in Chinese cities including Huafa Snow World in Shenzhen, the world’s biggest indoor snow village – will lend its expertise to the project once it’s up and running.
The project, which is shovel-ready after a 10-year approval process, received significant development status by the NSW government in late 2024.
Mr Magnisalis said the resort would have an “international, iconic appearance”.
“We’ve got the Opera House, we’ve got the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and soon we’re going to have Winter Sports World,” he told AAP from Guangzhou.
“There’s nothing like it in the world and it will put western Sydney on the global map.”
Winter Sports World estimates the “giant Esky” will attract 1.5 million domestic visitors annually, and expects strong interest from international tourists.
The ski resort will be located on the banks of Penrith’s Nepean River, 15km from Western Sydney Airport which opens in December 2026.
It’s also within reach of Penrith Beach – dubbed Pondi by locals in a cheeky nod to Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach.
The ski slope will be 300m long and its snow will be chemical-free, created only with air and water.
Nearly half of all Australians had never seen snow, Mr Magnisalis said, so the project would have a big “snow play” offering.
Visitors will be able to learn how to ski and snowboard, but the ski operation will also be able to accommodate up to Olympic-level training, he added.
The resort’s hotel will have 200 rooms.
Winter Sports World predicts the project will create 2700 jobs in western Sydney.
Financing for the project would come from a combination of domestic and international institutional groups, Mr Magnisalis said, declining to be more specific.
This post was originally published on Michael West.