Your 90-minute challenge begins with getting hold of a canoe and hauling it over to the start of a gushing stream of water down a concrete half-pipe. Fingers gripped tight around your paddle you step in and push off, tugged by the current in a wild turn down the river. The trees and scenes hurtle past you, the blur of the iconic Blue Mountains just barely visible at the corner of your eyes. You’re digging your paddle in and pulling back relentlessly, narrowly missing jutting boulders and abrupt turns. Through the foam and spray you push forward and before you know it, you’re being helped out of the water and running back to the start line to repeat the entire journey.

The Penrith Whitewater Stadium that rose to fame first after hosting events of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games is the best place to get your adrenaline fix while in Western Australia. This man-made whitewater river is the first and only one to be found in the Southern Hemisphere with all the thrills and spills one would expect of whitewater canoeing or rafting in the wild. Together with the moveable obstacle course and flatwater lakes are a wide range of packages and programs for visitors to try regardless of your skill level. You could be picking up the basics of rowing a kayak or tackling Grade 3 rapids under the blazing sun. Penrith is just as inclusive to everyone. With that in mind are you ready for your 90-minute challenge.