GAWLER thrill-seekers may soon have a place to satisfy their need for speed, with the announcement a new outdoor go-kart track and laser skirmish amusement park is being slated to be built on the edge of town.

Dubbed ‘Kart-astrophic’, the estimated $1 million facility – the plans for which have been released by Gawler Council today for a two-week public consultation period – will be set on three acres of land at 22 Tiver Road, Evanston South and feature 20 of the “latest and greatest” petrol-powered go-karts.

The centre will also include laser skirmish, and hopefully expand in future to incorporate a rock climbing wall and ‘reball’ arena – reball is a new form of paintball, whereby the ammunition is reusuable and creates less mess.

Kart-astrophic, which if approved will become Adelaide’s northernmost go-kart track, is the brainchild of Gawler resident Greg Cowie and his partner Sonya Edwards.

As owner of Sprint Auto Parts Munno Para, and with Ms Edwards being a joint-owner of Kart Mania at Gepps Cross for the past 20 years, Mr Cowie said their combined experience has them
well-positioned to take on their latest motoring venture.

He said while the application was officially lodged in September last year, the idea for the project has been at least two years in the making.

“We’ve gone through all the processes, we’ve done the acoustic tests, we’ve gone through everything to make sure it can be done, and there’s no reason why it can’t be,” Mr Cowie said.

“They (Gawler Council) are all for it, there’s no doubt about it.”

Mr Cowie said his 12-year-old son, Christian, is a three-time state go-kart champion and that having a track in Gawler would be a huge boost to the sport in the region, and also give people something different and fun to enjoy in their leisure time.

“Our involvement in go-karts led us to want to do something like this, because Gawler has nothing like this, and Gawler needs something like this,” he said.

“The northern area is the biggest area for go karting…(but at the moment) you have to travel too far to do these sorts of things.

“This way it gives the general public an opportunity in the north to have a bit of fun on the go-karts, have a go on the laser tag, and do different things.”

It’s estimated the hub could create anywhere from five to 30 ongoing jobs once fully operational.

For information on how to provide feedback on the proposed development, contact council on 8522 9211 or visit www.gawler.sa.gov.au