Bushwalkers condemn ‘secrecy’ of Cradle Mt cableway plan
Cradle Mt Visitor Centre. Image adapted from online concept.
Tasmanian bushwalkers have called for walking clubs and other outdoor groups to get involved in coming public consultation on a proposed cableway at Cradle Mountain.
The Launceston Walking Club and the Blandfordia Alpine Group have described the project as being ‘progressed in secret by the state government’s office of the co-ordinator general’.
‘There has been virtually no consultation with either the public or major stakeholder groups,’ says an email from the Blandfordia Alpine Group to their walking groups.
Launceston Walking Club president and adventure tourism guide Graeme Pennicott, who lives in Reedy Marsh, said the co-ordinator general reported to the August Tourism Industry Council Conference in Launceston that cableway planning is well advanced. His office is investigating routes, impacts, and economic viability.
‘Our concerns focus on the advanced state of the cableway planning, the secrecy and lack of consultation with key stakeholders regarding the proposal,’ Mr Pennicott said.
‘We are also concerned about the cableway’s potential impacts on the visitor experience and world heritage values.
‘There is a distinct lack of evidence justifying this development and a focus on tourism numbers and economics with no consideration of the quality of visitor experience.
‘We also believe the state government has failed to inform the World Heritage Committee of this major project.’
According to a Department of State Growth spokesperson, the plan is to shunt 10 people at a time across the wilderness between the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre and Dove Lake in a mono-cable gondola system.
Two months ago, State Growth said its analysis of potential cableway routes, to determine what is technically feasible with the lowest environmental and visual impacts, is nearing completion.
Once that is complete and cableway route options narrowed to enable a preferred option, ‘detailed stakeholder engagement’ will take place.
Consultation planning is under way. Environmental investigations and engineering assessments will follow the stakeholder engagement.
Mr Pennicott said, ‘Cradle Valley is a renowned and iconic landscape, and many Tasmanians regard it as their precious place.
‘It should be managed in an open and inclusive manner, and major proposals such as this must be fully debated from beginning to end, before they become a fait accompli.’
The cableway proposal received a significant boost in the 2018 by-election when the Tasmanian government gave $30 million to update the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre, transport in and out of the valley, and viewing facilities at Dove Lake, originally proposed in the Cradle Mountain Master Plan 2016.
If the project was demonstrated to be economically viable the federal government would match this funding.
President of the Tasmanian National Parks association Nick Sawyer, called the proposal an ‘extremely silly idea’ but NW tourism bodies have greeted the idea enthusiastically, seeing more infrastructure at Cradle Mt as having potential to attract tourists and provide jobs.
