James Windsor searches for Australia’s next big thing…
Join James at the Mackay Cablepark in Northern Queensland as he introduces Australia’s next generation of talented wakeboarders.
The second stop of “Search for an Aussie Grom” took me on a 12-hour road trip to Wake House Mackay, located up the Northern end of Queensland. I’ve made the trip a fair few time, but this time it hit home how devastating the bush fires were, that ripped through so many parts of Australia earlier this year. I normally see dozens of kangaroos on the drive, but they were few and far between this trip.
Wake house Mackay has been operating since 2013. The newly married couple, Dan and Amanda Probert are the second owners, purchasing one of the eight full-size cable parks in Australia in 2019. It’s a park I’ve always loved riding at. I lived in Mackay for a couple of years, so it pretty much feels like a second home when I head back there.
The park is very unique in that it’s lake is located smack bang in the middle of a residential housing estate, so you can literary chill in bed, or hang out on your deck, and watch everything that’s happening on the water. The new addition of Shape obstacles has created an endless amount of lines, making it seriously a lot of fun to ride this anti-clockwise setup. Dan and Amanda have created an epic weekend vibe with live music sourced from local talent and great food, which brings the community together every Friday night. With pretty much perfect weather all year round, a great set up, and community vibe, you can easily see why they are producing next level riding at this park.
The “Search for an Aussie Grom”
It all kicked off with a “Ride with the Pro’s” on the Thursday, and continued over the weekend with Wake House’s season final of “Cash for Tricks”. It didn’t take me long to find a Grom that loves shredding on his Slingshot set-up. You can’t help but notice Matthew Green on the 2020 Solo. He’s a super nice kid, with a really unique style, and a full bag of tricks. I invited Matt to film with me, and I think you’ll agree he’s one to watch in the future.
To conclude, I’m not sure when I’ll get to do my next “Search for an Aussie Grom” but I plan on continuing the search when we come out the other side. The cable parks have opened back up here in Australia since June 11th , but travel is still restricted between each state. The COVID Virus has impacted everyone’s life in ways we didn’t think possible, but I’m sure we will all be shredding together real soon.
Stay safe around the world,
Miss you all heaps,
Meet Matthew Green
Name, how old you are, and how long you have been riding.
Matthew Green, 15, 4 years on and off.
Where is your home park, what do you love about your home park, and what is your favourite obstacle?
Mackay (Wake House Australia) I love the vibes at my park and how everyone can hype u to do anything. My favourite obstacle at my park is the Sam de Haan rail.
What’s your favourite trick?
Massive poked out nose grab pete or a poked out crow mobe.
What Slingshot board do you ride, and what do you love about your set-up?
I’m riding the 2020 Solo with the 2020 space mob set-up this season. I’m loving the flex tips on the Solo and the belly channels for locking into pipes.
How did you like being part of Slingshot Australia’s first “Search for an Aussie Grom?”
Absolutely stoked, it was so awesome riding with you Windsor, It was super fun filming and hanging out. Thanks for everything, come back soon.
Anything else that I should know, or you would like to share with the world?
Strawberry milk is better than chocolate milk.