A Narooma venue hopes geothermal energy will warm up the appetites of prospective winter tourists.
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Tourist operators throughout the Eurobodalla Shire tighten their belts during “the hungry gap” between Easter and the October long weekend.
Now, in a bid to attract more visitors in the cooler months, Easts Big4 Holiday Park on “the flat” has opened a heated splash park.
Manager Lyn Field said they were looking for a way to boost numbers in the off-season.
However, rather than heating costing the earth, the venue has chosen to use the earth itself to warm the water and floor in the facility.
“The water is warm and the floor is heated using geothermal energy,” Ms Field said.
Geothermal energy is stored as heat in the earth.
According to the Australian Government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the heat is generated by the natural decay, over millions of years of radiogenic elements, including uranium, thorium and potassium.
“Geothermal energy can be drawn from the hot water circulating among rocks below the earth’s surface, or by pumping cold water into the hot rocks and returning the heated water to the surface,” the agency says.
“Geothermal energy holds the promise of being a renewable energy source that could operate 24 hours a day, providing base-load power for Australian homes and industries.
“Geothermal energy can be used for heating and cooling purposes.
“There are a number of buildings, residential homes and swimming pools that currently use geothermal for these purposes.
“Australia has considerable geothermal energy potential.”
The new Monty’s Island Oasis splash park and pool has a range of water features and attracted a lot of interest at its recent opening.
It will be open to the general public on Friday, but bookings are essential.
Management said numbers would be limited according to how many guests are staying at the park.
Geothermal energy holds the promise of being a renewable energy source that could operate 24 hours a day, providing base-load power for Australian homes and industries
- Australian Renewable Energy Agency