Tasmania’s ice sports enthusiasts have received an unexpected solution to their three-year local rink shortage.
Following the completion of the JackJumpers’ NBL season, a temporary skating facility has taken over Hobart’s MyStateBank Arena.
The rink, previously used at a shopping centre in Cairns, was transported to the island in two 40-foot shipping containers.
Since Saturday, arena staff have been working around the clock to prepare the ice surface, meticulously spraying water layer by layer to create an optimal skating base.
Local athletes have already put the rink to the test and given it their stamp of approval.
Player Daniel Briggs told WIN the ice “feels awesome”. “It’s nice and hard. You can slide [and] move around quite good,” he said.
“You’ve got good cornering, good edge. It’s not mushing away underneath.”
The temporary installation helps bridge the gap left by the closure of Glenorchy’s rink three years ago, which left Tasmania without a dedicated ice sports facility.
Ice Sports Tasmania President Anna Holliday said the short-term solution is appreciated, but stressed the sport is “desperate” for a new facility of its own.
“We are extremely grateful and excited for our ice sports athletes to have the opportunity to skate here at home, even for a short period during June-July this year,” she said.
In late 2024, the state government took steps to attract investors for such a project, following the release of a feasibility study indicating that an ice rink could attract 75,000 visitors annually.
The temporary rink, which incorporates an eco-friendly plan to recycle melted ice water for local farms, will open to the public in June.
