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Locked up and locked out, Big Splash\u2019s family restaurant has already packed up after a single day of trading out front of the boarded-up water park, leaving many, including Amelia Tattam, angry and confused. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.<\/p>\n
Access Canberra has confirmed Big Splash\u2019s 24-hour, makeshift \u2018family restaurant\u2019 complied with the reopening conditions of its crown lease, despite many labelling it a barbecue in disguise.<\/p>\n
The waterpark, which is now 20 years into a 99-year crownland lease, was bought by Translink Management Group in 2021 for $7.5 million but closed its doors just two years later, in late 2023.<\/p>\n
The site has had several orders to reopen since its closure, one in November 2025 and more recently on 1 November 2026, with the site\u2019s regulator, Access Canberra, threatening to terminate the lease if the lessees were non-compliant.<\/p>\n
Although the site failed to reopen in 2025, with the owners blaming rising renovation costs, Access Canberra was satisfied work was underway to reopen the park.<\/p>\n
In June 2026, Big Splash was listed for sale. Despite still being on the market, Big Splash was still required to open in some capacity by 1 November.<\/p>\n
Big Splash technically met its 1 November lease requirements by opening what it labelled an unlicensed family restaurant at the park\u2019s entry. However, those who visited the park on Sunday were greeted with a small marquee, a barbecue and a portable toilet.<\/p>\n
Not even a day later, the temporary set-up had been packed up.<\/p>\n
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All that remains from Big Splash\u2019s family restaurant are some chairs and a portable toilet. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.<\/p>\n
Amelia Tattam, who has been leading the Save Big Splash campaign, was left mortified by Big Splash\u2019s reopening, calling the event a box-ticking exercise for owners to keep the lease.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I arrived on Sunday, there was a little food tent set up. Not quite the restaurant we were promised,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were told there was going to be a restaurant after they knew they weren\u2019t going to open the park by 1 November. Now, not even a day after it opened, it\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo call it a restaurant is quite generous, especially given the other cafes and shops around the Jamison Centre. It just felt like a way to tick a box so they can keep a hold of the lease a little longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A QR code linking to a frequently asked questions website has been hung on the front gate of the park. The site was last updated in July 2026. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.<\/p>\n
Despite the disappointment of Ms Tattam and others hoping for the park\u2019s reopening, Access Canberra has given the barbecue the tick of approval, saying it considered the lessee compliant with its lease conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Crown lease does not define the term \u2018unlicensed family restaurant\u2019 or prescribe a particular building type, operating model, scale or minimum frequency of operation,\u201d an Access Canberra spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recognise that this outcome may not meet the expectations of members of the community who want to see Big Splash restored as a water park. There has been significant community interest in the future of the site. However, the role of the regulator is to apply the law as it stands, based on the facts and circumstances of each individual matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegulatory action cannot be taken simply because a different outcome may be preferred and where there are not reasonable prospects of success of litigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Crown lease permits the site to be used for an aquatic facility, an indoor sports facility or an unlicensed family restaurant. Access Canberra\u2019s role is therefore to determine whether the use of the land complies with the lease and relevant legislation, rather than to determine which permitted use should be pursued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no current regulatory matters in progress relating to this lease.\u201d<\/p>\n
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