Sky’s the limit as Cradle plans win support

VISITORS to Tasmania will soon get a bird’s eye view of Cradle Mountain, with bipartisan support now making the cable car possible by 2019.

Both major political parties have committed $30 million towards construction of the tourism game-changer which will carry tourists from the new Cradle Mountain visitor centre to Dove Lake.

The tourism industry and councils in the Cradle Mountain catchment area have applauded the news.

“With bipartisan support, this is a goer. This is a significant day of epic proportions not just for Cradle Mountain but Tasmanian tourism as a whole,” Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said as the State Government announced it would match Labor’s promise of $30 million to get a cable car built and operational by 2019 if it was re-elected.

The Government added another $5 million to secure private investment in another side tourism venture as well.

“When we do world-class tourism, the market responds and that’s what we will see with this development,” Mr Martin said.

The Cradle Coast Authority — which represents the nine councils in Tasmania’s North-West — said the change from investing in a lot of small tourism ventures to a major drawcard was refreshing.

“As a result of working collaboratively and committing to a smaller number of significant regional priorities, we are doing less, doing it better and doing it together,” authority chief representative Jan Bonde said.

Premier Will Hodgman said the construction of a cable car — which would take an average of 26 shuttle uses per day off the road to Dove Lake in peak season — would cost about $70 million. No funds would be needed from Canberra to make it a reality, but private capital would be needed.

Mr Hodgman said an ex- pression of interest process to secure those funds would begin within 100 days of his government winning majority government. He said investors were already in contact with the Office of the Co-ordinator General.

“This investment will put Tasmania on the same stage as Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef. We are talking sensitive development to take the Cradle Mountain experience to the next level,” he said.

Tasmanian Labor said the project still deserved federal support. “Bill Shorten put $15 million on the table at the last election,” Braddon MP Shane Broad said. “The federal Liberals need to do better than the $1 million they committed for a study in 2016.”

Authority chairman Sid Sidebottom echoed that sentiment. “We now call on the Federal Government and the Federal Opposition Leader to complement this funding to guarantee not just a revitalised Cradle Mountain experience, but to invest in what is a worldleading nature-based tourism icon.”

Mr Hodgman also turned the first sod on the site of the new $21.8 million Gateway Precinct to welcome tourists to the national park yesterday.