cable car and pinnacle centre on mt wellingon hobart

[wayno]

should they be built?

[wayno]

its really about a company looking for a monopoly to make money on a scenic destination and degrading the scenery in the process
they keep trying to do this all the time in nz, dream up ways to put in gondolas. monorails. extra tunnels and roads and its all by people with vested interests in making more money from the tourists and stuff the effect on the scenery, even when an area already has bushwalkers who are attracted to the remoteness and lack of development and theres already and alternative form of transport there anyway...
having a carpark right at the top of a mountain is bad enough, you cant enjoy the mountain devoid of vehicles around you and extra crowds.

[frenchy_84]

I personally thinks its a good idea, create some international stnadard MTB tracks with season lift passes, have a small venue centre up there, there was talk of the botanical gardens having an alpine/antartic garden up there which i like the idea of as well. I think a few cable car spans will hardly destroy the mountain, it will have a smaller visual impact than the road and the tower. and if the bushwalkers still think it has ruined there experience the much nicer Snowy range is a short drive away. It will be another tourist drawcard for hobart

[wayno]

just use a shuttle bus service to get the mtb's up there there are other options than sticking more cables across the skyline and a big ugly terminal at the top

[Hallu]

Well how about making the city prettier instead... It's bad enough there's a building and a road leading to Mt Wellington, now they wanna add a cable car... I could only agree if they would destroy the road and car park in exchange.

There's a chair lift at the Nut in Stanley, which they overcharge for like crazy, and while it give the opportunity for older people for a quick getaway, it also bring a lot of irrespective and rude Asian tourists who stomp outside the tracks on the bird nesting grounds and yell. There's also a cable car in Queenstown, not exactly the prettiest sight in NZ...

Now there's a question in the survey saying "would you agree to the cable car if the some of the money collected helped PWS TAS". Well I certainly hope some of it will go to PWS, the contrary would be just scandalous. This makes me feel as if you have to sacrifice some mountains to be touristy as hell, for some others to be preserved, I'm not sure what to think about that. It's already been done with Cradle (mostly the Crater Lake/Dove Lake area), and on the verge to be done with the Tasman peninsula.

[sthughes]

I personally thinks its a good idea, create some international stnadard MTB tracks with season lift passes, have a small venue centre up there, there was talk of the botanical gardens having an alpine/antartic garden up there which i like the idea of as well. I think a few cable car spans will hardly destroy the mountain, it will have a smaller visual impact than the road and the tower. and if the bushwalkers still think it has ruined there experience the much nicer Snowy range is a short drive away. It will be another tourist drawcard for hobart

I agree entirely!

The area already has an ugly road, an enormous communications tower and associated buildings as well as amenities and visitor shelter anyway. As long as it is done right it should be great and not easily visible from most areas, certainly not as visible as the giant tower up there.

Now if you were to ask about putting a visitor centre and cable car up most other mountains in Tassie I'd say no, never!

[Nuts]

Ok Wayno, iv'e copied to here (for fear of my question becoming white noise). I'll refrain from voting here (or adding to the survey ) for now.

The cable car for Roland didn't make any sense. There is no aging summit development to upgrade and no environmental benefit (no road to reduce traffic from). There's no way of not detracting from the view (of the mountain) and I can't see how it would get a steady flow of users.

On Mt Wellington, I haven't read much besides the sample proposal attached to this survey (which I had a look at last night). Which aspect doesn't make sense? Are people posting here that they answered the survey in support? Just curious (If it's a bad idea I don't really care if it becomes another debate, i'm happy to be educated here.. Not a 'brownie' ftr, iv'e done conservation work on both mountains ..)

[wayno]

overall they should be trying to minimise infrastructure on mt wellington, the carpark at the top becomes more redundant with the cable car, that should certainly go, and or shut off the road on teh top part of the mountain if the cable car goes ahead..

[frenchy_84]

yeah, in my opinion the road and carpark should be closed, however if they did that they would never get communtiy support to go ahead

[frenchy_84]

There's a chair lift at the Nut in Stanley, which they overcharge for like crazy, and while it give the opportunity for older people for a quick getaway, it also bring a lot of irrespective and rude Asian tourists who stomp outside the tracks on the bird nesting grounds and yell.

Can always rely on racist stereotypes to get the conversation moving. I do hope that the tourism council informs all would be tourists that we dont accept rude tourists money.

[wayno]

well i have to agree about a percentage of asian tourists.
they frequent mt eden where i live, you can drive to the top hence i'mnot a fan of road access to the top of mountains
.... the asians are often are a pain, they walk side by side slowly, blocking tracks, not making way for you if you want to pass. talk loudly. turn up by the bus load. often not conservation minded about taking care about sensitive plants.
the tourists should be informed about being careful in green areas, esp since a lot of them have little or no experience in green areas from day to day....
i only go up mt eden for the exercise , certainly not for a quiet place to take in the scenery. for that i go where the tourists don't go...

[Nuts]

Ok, I can hardly ignore a conversation going that way when I read through it. Disregarding the irony, the odd dig aside, you two guys will have to find a way to refrain from having the subject descending into racial slur.

[wayno]

Id argue its culture clash. My partner is asian. She doesnt like a lot of the asian tourists either for the reasons ive outlined

[stepbystep]

I could handle a low rise pinnacle centre to fleece tourists and make the trip more worthwhile, more interps etc, the existing comms building can't be seen from below and could be disguised with very little visual impact from below but a cable car is a tricky one.

I live on the Eastern Shore with sweeping views of Mt Wellington and the road has no visual impact other than headlights going up and down at night time(I just stepped outside and checked ). A cable car would leave a scar through the forest for access to poles etc(am I wrong?) This is unacceptable and would detract for all time the look of the mountain.

So the question is, how do you get tourists up there affordably, in an 'exciting' way and in all weather? I have thought a light rail/tram system running parallel with the road? Maybe no good in heavy snow?

[Strider]

I personally thinks its a good idea, create some international stnadard MTB tracks with season lift passes, have a small venue centre up there, there was talk of the botanical gardens having an alpine/antartic garden up there which i like the idea of as well. I think a few cable car spans will hardly destroy the mountain, it will have a smaller visual impact than the road and the tower. and if the bushwalkers still think it has ruined there experience the much nicer Snowy range is a short drive away. It will be another tourist drawcard for hobart

Couldn't have said it better myself.

However, I do differ in that I would not expect the bushwalking experience to be altered much. As nice as Mt Wellington is to walk on, its not a remote area and cannot be expected to provide a similar experience to one.

A cable car would leave a scar through the forest for access to poles etc(am I wrong?) This is unacceptable and would detract for all time the look of the mountain

Isn't this the same argument Ogilvie faced when he had the road built in the 1930s? A look at the Tahune Airwalk will show how irrelevant this argument is.

[frenchy_84]

However, I do differ in that I would not expect the bushwalking experience to be altered much. As nice as Mt Wellington is to walk on, its not a remote area and cannot be expected to provide a similar experience to one.

I dont expect it to, but there are certain people that will no dout find something for it to ruin it for them

[stepbystep]

A cable car would leave a scar through the forest for access to poles etc(am I wrong?) This is unacceptable and would detract for all time the look of the mountain

Isn't this the same argument Ogilvie faced when he had the road built in the 1930s? A look at the Tahune Airwalk will show how irrelevant this argument is.

Tahune Airwalk is in a remote valley, Mt Wellington is the dominant landmark for the entire city. Show me the evidence it will have no visible scarring and you might sway me, other cable cars I've seen all over the world are very visible. I'm not against the development on the mountain we have to give some areas up, but let's do it right huh?

Frenchy is spot on re Mtn Bike trails I think the Wellington Park could be one of the worlds great venues.

[whynotwalk]

I sense the whiff of burning Abt railways here! A cable car, just like the Abt, would be economically unfeasible without vast government support. Set up costs would be horrendous. Issues of wind, cloud-cover and fire would all limit the amount of time the operators would be able to run a cable car. And local opposition would be assured (I speak as one who's been involved in opposing previous attempts.)

And of course there are numerous environmental and visual impacts to consider. But above all I just ask this question: Why should Hobart try to tart itself up to look like so many other UN-natural places, when the nature that it has right here on its doorstep is already its greatest asset? Leave the tarting up to the Gold Coast!

cheers

Peter

[frenchy_84]

i did a quick google images search "cable car forest destruction" and it showed a fair few examples where because of the long spans and the height gains, the cable car ran high above the forest so there was no need to cut a line of trees below like a power line easement or the queenstown cable car.

[doogs]

They must be wanting to get this project up and running on the 'build it and they will come' theory as I just can't see there being the number of users/visitors for it to be viable. I don't have a problem with the idea, if done with consideration the cable car could be reasonably discrete obviously depending on the size of the cable cars used. I do worry that it will be a white elephant though...but if 'they come', to accommodate the increased numbers they can bulldoze Hobart and turn it into a giant car park?
Aonach Mor ski area in Scotland has a cable car up to it and to ensure year round use they built a world class downhill mountain bike track from the ski area down. This has increased visitor numbers and is very popular with locals but still they struggle financially. There just isn't enough up on Welly to attract people up the Cable Car when there is a road..

[Nuts]

There appear to be just two towers on the mountain SBS, would indeed be a shame if that one couldn't be accessed without clearing the line. If there is further info on this it would be good to have it posted on here (if it is relevant to a bushwalking forum then so are all the facts).

Snow pretty much stops reliable use (as I found out the hard way with a fishtailing bus load of con volunteers bouncing off the rails ) If there is a useful development on top surely reliable access is the key (whether a cable car is the only way)?

(edit.. started three four posts back lol)

[frenchy_84]

Aonach Mor ski area in Scotland has a cable car up to it and to ensure year round use they built a world class downhill mountain bike track from the ski area down. This has increased visitor numbers and is very popular with locals but still they struggle financially. There just isn't enough up on Welly to attract people up the Cable Car when there is a road..

Apparantly its tassies most vistited tourist attraction but yes they should close the road as well

[doogs]

Aonach Mor ski area in Scotland has a cable car up to it and to ensure year round use they built a world class downhill mountain bike track from the ski area down. This has increased visitor numbers and is very popular with locals but still they struggle financially. There just isn't enough up on Welly to attract people up the Cable Car when there is a road..

Apparantly its tassies most vistited tourist attraction but yes they should close the road as well

The Gorge in Launceston claims that too, there are probably half a dozen other places that do too!

[wayno]

the places where they have aerial gondolas in nz are all BIG tourist destinations with a milllion tourists a year....
and none of those gondolas are anywhere near as big and expensive as the mt wellington gondola will be to build...., they only climb a small fraction of the height...
how did they work out this gondola will pay for itself???? are they just looking at the cable car in the blue mountains and thinking CHOICE!!!$$$$$

[digitalgiraffe]

I could handle a low rise pinnacle centre to fleece tourists and make the trip more worthwhile, more interps etc, the existing comms building can't be seen from below and could be disguised with very little visual impact from below but a cable car is a tricky one.

I live on the Eastern Shore with sweeping views of Mt Wellington and the road has no visual impact other than headlights going up and down at night time(I just stepped outside and checked ). A cable car would leave a scar through the forest for access to poles etc(am I wrong?) This is unacceptable and would detract for all time the look of the mountain.

So the question is, how do you get tourists up there affordably, in an 'exciting' way and in all weather? I have thought a light rail/tram system running parallel with the road? Maybe no good in heavy snow?

A cable car would not leave a scar up the face of the mountain (if it did I wouldn't support it as I share the same sweeping view). They have made some great advances in technology over the years and any idea you have from the 1993 proposal can be thrown out the window. A route that has been floated is from McCrobies Gully (Tip site) and to install a cableway from here would require as little as 3 towers. The gondola would travel above the canopy and to the right of the organ pipes. Most people aren't even aware that there are cables running up the face of the mountain now and when you think about it a gondola is smaller than a bus. You can't clearly see buses traveling up the road.

As far as I know cableways can operate in winds up to 120km/h and with our predominant direction WNW having a system travel up the eastern slope will help shelter it from the winds. If they can do it in the Alps and on Whistler in Canada then there is no real reason it can't be done here.

Light rail would require the road to be widened which would reintroduce the scar across the face.

It would do wonders for mountain biking in Tasmania. Shuttle runs in cars/vans take up a lot of time and someone has to miss out on riding with their mates and drive up/down. From what I've read the estimated time from base to pinnacle is approx 9minutes.

Price wise I don't think $35-40 is too expensive. Last week in the mercury they were plugging segway tours that were $88 an hour. As a mountain biker/walker I'd look at buying a seasonal pass.

It would help take some pressure off the already sketchy road. I've driven it hundreds of times and it's still not a great experience.

It would be run off electricity also which would further strengthen it's environmental benefits.

Fingers crossed the ban is lifted so these guys can at least run a proper feasibility study. If the numbers add up then that's great, if not then what can you do? At least give them a chance.

[frenchy_84]

well said digitalgiraffe

[Strider]

Fingers crossed the ban is lifted so these guys can at least run a proper feasibility study. If the numbers add up then that's great, if not then what can you do? At least give them a chance.

The ban was lifted late last year, at which point MWCC was formed. This survey IS the feasibility study!

[digitalgiraffe]

Fingers crossed the ban is lifted so these guys can at least run a proper feasibility study. If the numbers add up then that's great, if not then what can you do? At least give them a chance.

The ban was lifted late last year, at which point MWCC was formed. This survey IS the feasibility study!

No the ban is still in place, they released a draft of their new management plan. They will make an announcement in April on their decision.

[stepbystep]

I could handle a low rise pinnacle centre to fleece tourists and make the trip more worthwhile, more interps etc, the existing comms building can't be seen from below and could be disguised with very little visual impact from below but a cable car is a tricky one.

I live on the Eastern Shore with sweeping views of Mt Wellington and the road has no visual impact other than headlights going up and down at night time(I just stepped outside and checked ). A cable car would leave a scar through the forest for access to poles etc(am I wrong?) This is unacceptable and would detract for all time the look of the mountain.

So the question is, how do you get tourists up there affordably, in an 'exciting' way and in all weather? I have thought a light rail/tram system running parallel with the road? Maybe no good in heavy snow?

A cable car would not leave a scar up the face of the mountain (if it did I wouldn't support it as I share the same sweeping view). They have made some great advances in technology over the years and any idea you have from the 1993 proposal can be thrown out the window. A route that has been floated is from McCrobies Gully (Tip site) and to install a cableway from here would require as little as 3 towers.

Their website states 7 different routes with no detail on any of them, so your statement is unconvincing to me

The gondola would travel above the canopy and to the right of the organ pipes. Most people aren't even aware that there are cables running up the face of the mountain now and when you think about it a gondola is smaller than a bus. You can't clearly see buses traveling up the road.

The Gondola's would be running all day and above the canopy, therfore far more visible than a bus operating amidst the trees on the road, and next to the organ pipes? Yuk, you've lost me.

As far as I know cableways can operate in winds up to 120km/h and with our predominant direction WNW having a system travel up the eastern slope will help shelter it from the winds. If they can do it in the Alps and on Whistler in Canada then there is no real reason it can't be done here.

Light rail would require the road to be widened which would reintroduce the scar across the face.

Fair enough, just a thought bubble

It would do wonders for mountain biking in Tasmania. Shuttle runs in cars/vans take up a lot of time and someone has to miss out on riding with their mates and drive up/down. From what I've read the estimated time from base to pinnacle is approx 9minutes.

Wouldn't a bike friendly shuttle bus do the same job? No-one mountain bikes under snow cover that I know of.

Price wise I don't think $35-40 is too expensive. Last week in the mercury they were plugging segway tours that were $88 an hour. As a mountain biker/walker I'd look at buying a seasonal pass.

It would help take some pressure off the already sketchy road. I've driven it hundreds of times and it's still not a great experience.

It would be run off electricity also which would further strengthen it's environmental benefits.

Fingers crossed the ban is lifted so these guys can at least run a proper feasibility study. If the numbers add up then that's great, if not then what can you do? At least give them a chance.

How about a tunnel from Ferntree?

[whynotwalk]

How about a tunnel from Ferntree?

Nice one Dan But seriously, if we want to have some vision for Hobart, and we're set on tunnels and similar engineering solutions, what about this?

We tunnel Davey Street from about Zero Davey up to the Mantra building (just past Sandy Bay Rd). This transforms the area into one big pedestrian mall, connecting the city to the waterfront, including the TMAG precinct. It could have open air cafes and stalls (to help pay for it), and it could be used it for big events (think Melbourne's Federation Square, only bigger and with real water access and mountain views). Now THAT would be an asset to the city, with big benefits and few environmental impacts.

cheers

Peter