Newsletter item – Tasmanian National Parks Association, 10 February 2025

KUNANYI (MT WELLINGTON) ZIPLINE COMMENTS REQUIRED BY WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2025

A development application has been lodged with Hobart City Council for a zipline from The Springs to a location near Strickland Falls (upper Strickland Avenue). The TNPA encourages all our supporters to make a representation by Wednesday 19 February.

A description of the proposal can be found here and the actual development application and instructions for making a representation here.

The TNPA opposes the proposed zipline because it is another example of a private commercial development on protected public land which impacts on both the natural and cultural (Aboriginal and historical) values of Wellington Park and the appreciation of those values by current visitors.

The zipline does not comply with the requirement to “provide high quality tourism and recreational opportunities and facilities consistent with the appreciation and enjoyment of the environmental … and cultural values of the Park” (Wellington Park Management Plan section 2.5.2 Management Objectives).

Specific concerns include:

  • Road safety: the zipline crosses the Pinnacle Road twice. Do we really want drivers on the Pinnacle Road distracted by zipline riders whizzing overhead? The zipline also crosses several mountain bike tracks so a similar safety concern applies to mountain bike riders.
  • The zipline also crosses several walking tracks. The sudden appearance and noise of a fast-moving zipliner will detract from the experience of all walkers seeking peace and quiet.
  • It is self-evident that this is a Tourist Operation, and Tourist Operations are prohibited in the Recreation Zone, which covers most of the zipline route. Compliance with the management plan requires acceptance of the ludicrous proposition that the zipline is a “potential transport mode”. Its main function is to give a maximum of two riders at any one time a 90-second adrenaline rush for which they will pay well over $100.

Media release – Vica Bayley MP, Greens Member for Clark, 4 February 2025

Kunanyi zipline an insult to an icon

The Tasmanian Greens will be encouraging the community to make representations opposing a private, commercial zipline proposed on the slopes of kunanyi, after the project was advertised for comment today.

Many have already expressed their dismay at another commercial project seeking to privatise parts of the mountain and its impact on the visitor amenity with built structures, noise, environmental and other impacts. The Aboriginal Community is on the record rejecting this proposal and, following the controversy of the cable car, we know many locals will be similarly opposed.

Kunanyi is a living Aboriginal cultural landscape and precious local reserve for recreation and solace, not a theme park.

This kind of private commercial development has no place in any of Tasmania’s parks and reserves, including kunanyi.

At face value, the proposal is non-compliant with the management and planning rules applying to kunanyi and should be rejected.

The publication of the zipline application again brings into sharp focus Minister Eric Abetz’s so-called strategic review for kunanyi, a process that lacks independence and is clearly designed to pave the way for private commercial development on a beloved natural icon.

The Liberals have form in secretly weakening management rules to allow private commercial development in precious protected areas, just think Lake Malbena and the South Coast Track huts.

Minister Abetz’s review is all about paving the way for odious and rejected developments like the zipline and cable car.