I
FUNICULAR
Everyone is invited to join us for a community discussion on mountain access – equal enjoyment, community cultural development, arts, people, parks and the funicular…
12 April 2012 – 7.30pm
Lenah Valley Community Hall
22 Creek Road, Lenah Valley
What it’s all about:
Community Cultural Development – Mt Wellington Access
Today Madeleine Ogilvie, reiterated her call for a Mountain Access Project.
“I am proposing a project in three parts.
1. Map & Ap the Mountain
Firstly, we ought to Map & Ap the mountain. That is, design walking maps of the mountain along the lines of those used in Europe and mainland Australia – for example those used on the ski slopes in the summer season. Better marketing would go a long way to refreshing the visitor experience in a low cost way. We could then engage the local community in a digital history project to capture stories of the mountain, including regarding Aboriginal Culture and Heritage. A “Mountain Ap’ could be used as a walking guide and is low cost to deliver, would be great for school groups and anyone interested in local history. These sorts of projects help to build a sense of community and belonging, whilst also providing opportunity for work experience. We have capacity to do both these things within the constraints of existing State Government expertise.
2. Funicular
“A funicular, or cog railway, is the perfect solution for improving access to our beautiful mountain. I am a great believer in access for everyone. The benefits of a funicular rail include low visual impact a smoother ride for children and elderly passengers. Bikes, toboggans and skis could even be carried to the mountain top.”
“Funicular trains move quietly between the trees, giving a real sense of being in the snow in winter. They are not as affected by high winds in the way cable cars can be.”
“A Funicular railway is not just about the best way to get up the mountain. We should also be thinking about why we want to improve mountain access. I would like to think we could have a more European mountain experience, with destinations worth arriving at. Coffee at the Springs, events at the top, mountain trails for cross country skiing, all sorts of winter fun for families and tourists. We specifically need to cater for the less able members of our community, and a funicular rail does that.”
3. The Huts
“A key part of the Funicular concept should be to re-instate the mountain huts that were lost in the 1969 bushfires. Reinventing the huts for today, with architectural vision and amenity.”
“This is a project we can all get involved with, as a community – from design, to building, to supply of beautiful Tasmanian timber. It is also low cost, so we could working on this as a community today. In fact, a low cost project such as this is the perfect thing to do during an economic lull in the timber industry. We have many builders who could get started today. A socially inclusive project such as this is a natural fit with our desire for local community connection.
“My team includes local architects, planners engineers and project lawyers. We are interested in developing a project that opens up the mountain for everyone and gives new reasons to venture onto the mountain, particularly the back of the Mountain.
“I envisage the establishment of a charitable foundation through which funds can be raised to build and sustain this project.
“We had great success in getting GASP going, because it was truly an idea that came from a local community discussion. My concept for Mountain Access is to generate reasons, low cost interesting and creative reasons, to get more people enjoying our mountain – another grass roots idea that makes sense in these challenging economic times”.
See: http://www.jandmgrist.com/indexh.htm
http://www.wellingtonpark.org.au/heritage-gallery/
Madeleine Ogilvie
