If you've bemoaned the fact that inner-city Melbourne doesn't have proper surfing beaches, this is for you. Head along to Australia's first inland surf park, Urbnsurf, located within spitting distance of Melbourne Airport in Tullamarine.
This inland wave pool is the first full-sized surfing lagoon to use Wavegarden technology. If that all sounds like gibberish, let us explain: the pool uses technology to create long, man-made waves in a closed environment. According to Urbnsurf, it's able to pump out up to 1,000 perfect, two-metre-high ocean-like surfing waves every hour.
The two-hectare surfing lagoon has areas customisable for all ages and abilities – so if you're not Layne Beachley just yet, you'll do just fine. The modular wave generator means that there can be different kinds of waves in different sections of the pool. Beginners can attend surfing lessons in the whitewash with friendly and talented surfing coaches while the pros can stick to the back with consistent waves above two metres tall.
Pro surfers will be pretty content with the quality of wave barrels at Urbnsurf. And while the backdrop of an airport isn't as atmospheric as the shores of Byron Bay, the most jarring difference here is the lack of sand. The pool isn't that deep (especially in the whitewash) so falling off or tumbling means you might scratch yourself on the concrete floor. But being able to play God like this with the frequency of waves means Urbnsurf has the capability to stop the waves completely. This is handy for the times when you want to wade back to the middle of the pool without having to battle oncoming waves face first.
After your surf, you can lounge around on one of Urbnsurf's day beds, inside one of their beach-style cabanas or even on the landscaped areas. A café-restaurant by Three Blue Ducks has opened to accommodate your post-surf hunger, too.
