Epic engineering

Amazing access

I AM continually confounded by the (mostly) irrational and emotive arguments against the cable car. Cable cars worldwide provide amazing access to incredible areas without destroying the environment and being an eyesore. Think Queenstown (NZ), Kuranda (Cairns), Cape Town (South Africa), The Nut (Stanley), Sentosa Island (Singapore). I would like to think those so vociferous in their opposition have never travelled on a similar facility. God forbid, maybe they secretly enjoyed it! HOW different everything is for a developer, who can step back at the end of a day and point to an amazing project. MWCC’s cable car is that and more. It will have the benefit of a ride with a view of one of the best cities in the world. This epic piece of engineering will be an icon for Hobart.

Sideshow alley

THE Mount Wellington Cableway Company’s announcement of its plans failed to include a few little sideshow-alley extras. Where’s the merry-go-round, fairy floss van, slippery slides and, in the warmer months, the Mr Whippy ice cream van? It’s simply outrageous. Tassie farmers donate truckloads of hay for drought-hit mates Fantastic effort by our Tasmanian farmers, to complete the goodwill the TT-Line should put their hand up with discounted freight costs.

Eco doesn’t make it so

THE latest public-relations spin from the Mount Wellington Cableway Company only adds to my horror. The proponents seem to think if they pepper their plans with words like eco, low impact and community, it will make it so. There is nothing eco about a sprawling 4000 sqm mall in a fragile alpine environment. There is nothing low-impact about an enormous gondola carrying 80 people over our favourite tracks and climbing routes, and their approach so far has been of community exclusion. I can count on one hand the number of times it has been possible to snowboard on the summit in the past five years. The 5000 people at the rally demonstrate Hobartians are passionate about the mountain and will not rest in their endeavours to protect it.

Wages falling behind

THE Government says that an increase over 2 per cent in public-sector pay will cost public-sector jobs. Aren’t there more effective way to manage the budget than by letting government employees’ wages fall behind the cost of living?

Rubbish

COUNCIL tip – best place for the suspect cable car project.