Brighter future beckons Cradle Mountain

Workers in the state’s North-West got plenty of bad news in recent years as industries around the region came under threat. But Things are looking better for 2018, reports HELEN KEMPTON

THE people of Tasmania’s North-West have become accustomed to dealing with factory and mine closures and the subsequent job losses.

The region has been battered by bad news over the past few decades with the closures of mine machinery production facilities, paper mills, vegetable processing plants and mines, which had been the economic mainstay of small communities.

But some good news came with announcements that major projects — such as wind farms, fish feed plants and upgrades to tourism infrastructure — are on the drawing board.

There is also new hope that a historic copper mine on the West Coast could reopen and that a new owner for a milk factory could see it back up and operating with a new workforce this year.

Mt Lyell

QUEENSTOWN and the surrounding West Coast region was hit hard by news in 2014 that the Mt Lyell copper mine would not reopen after the deaths of three miners.

Hundreds were left without a job and government assistance plans were put into action.

While the historic mine still only has a skeleton workforce, there has been significant investment in its ageing infrastructure and fresh signs it may again be a major employer.

In November it was announced a possible restart of the mine had moved closer with a contractor engaged to bring the main decline back to production standard.

Copper Mines of Tasmania’s parent company, Vedanta, has spent about $100 million on work at the mine with an eye to reopening if copper prices improve.

The rehabilitation of the decline will be funded through a $9.5 million State Government package put up in April.

PYBAR Mining Services has been hired to start work on the main decline, which mine general manager Peter Walker said was essential to bring it up to modern ground support standards.

A modern decline will allow new block cave mining to begin without delay once a restart decision is made.

“We are confident PYBAR will do this work safely and on time,” Mr Walker said.

The contractor will rehabilitate 4.4km of the main decline. The work is expected to take up to four months.

Mr Walker said he hoped restart studies would also be completed soon.

“In the meantime we will continue with the early works under the funding package and dewatering the mine,” he said.

Edith Creek

THE Edith Creek milk factory in the North-West was sold to a Thai company on the eve of its closure in November and Tasmania’s dairying heartland was heartened.

Murray Goulburn announced in May it would close three facilities, including its UHT milk plant at Edith Creek, by the end of the year.

The announcement sent 120 employees and the Circular Head community into shock.

On November 30, 80 workers clocked off for the last time under MG’s ownership but those staying in the region are hoping to be back on site in a few months.

MG sold Edith Creek to Dutch Mill (Australia), a subsidiary of Dutch Mill group of Thailand. The privately owned group processes and markets dairy products throughout Asia.

Workers, the Circular Head Council, the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and farming groups all welcomed the sale.

The Thai company has bought six dairy farms in Circular Head in the past three years and those are leased by the TCCI’s deputy chairman, Smithton local Paul Arnold.

Dutch Mill expects the plant to be back in operation by the middle of 2018 but how many current workers will be re-employed is not certain.

Fish feed factory

ON December 15 it was a new factory at Wesley Vale to feed the state’s hungry salmon industry and provide more than 50 jobs which buoyed the region.

BioMar Australia released plans for a $56 million fishfeed production facility on the site of the former particle board factory.

The State Government will contribute $2.3 million towards the project.

BioMar UK managing director Paddy Campbell said the project would bring worldclass feed-production facilities to Tasmania and stop the need to import feed from overseas.

“Once operational, the facility will produce up to 110,000 tonnes per annum of aqua feed to support the aquaculture industry,” he said.

“It is expected to create 55 full-time jobs and an additional 30 jobs across the region through indirect support, operational, port services and logistic roles.”

Primary Industries Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the project was to be completed in early 2020, providing work for up to 250 contractors and injecting about $65 million into the state economy during construction.

Robbins Island

TASMANIA’S far North-West is set to become Australia’s wind farm capital with work starting on what is destined to be the nation’s biggest renewable energy park.

A 112.7m wind tower, which costs about $1.5 million, has been erected on Robbins Island.

Another two will follow to guide the placement and size of the 150-300 turbines needed to generate up to 1000MW of energy — enough to power 500,000 houses.

The $1.6 billion Jims Plain and Robbins Island wind project is being privately funded by UPC Renewables Australia. it will dwarf the nearby Woolnorth and Studland Bay wind farms and eclipse the nation’s current biggest wind farm, McArthur

in Victoria, by about 600MW.

UPC has sent a Notice of Intent to the Tasmanian Environmental Protection Authority and the projects have been referred to the Federal Department of Environment and Energy.

Construction, depending on approvals, is expected to begin at Jims Plain, across the passage on the Tasmanian mainland, by mid-2020. Construction on Robbins Island is earmarked for the end of 2021.

A construction workforce of about 250 will be needed.

A second power interconnector cable across Bass Strait will also be needed to make the project viable.

. THE proposal to build a cable car to take visitors from the new Cradle Mountain visitor centre to Dove Lake is looking much stronger now it has gained bipartisan support.

Both major political parties have committed $30 million towards construction of the tourism game-changer.

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

“Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin welcomed news the State Government 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.

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

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 expression 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.