A new two-kilometre trail on kunanyi/Mount Wellington is opening up Hobart bushland to families, prams and beginner mountain bikers after a $800,000 upgrade replaced steep, dangerous terrain.
The Pipeline Track extension took 10 months to complete and provides the first accessible route through the mountain’s lower slopes, which previously required navigating rough fire trails and steep sandstone steps.
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said it was one of the city’s biggest recent investments in bushland trails.
“This is a really strategic link because the pipeline track is such an important part not only of our bushland but it’s also part of our city’s history,” she said.
The track follows Hobart’s 1860s water supply route, creating an 18-kilometre pathway from Fern Tree to Waterworks Reserve.
The new section features a gentle grade and wider path, making it suitable for wheelchairs, bikes and prams.
“It’s a wonderful new experience for everyone in the community that wants to really experience those different levels of kunanyi/Mount Wellington and it’s really super accessible,” Reynolds said.
The state government contributed $180,000 through its Open Spaces Grants Program, with Hobart City Council funding the remainder.
Local Government Minister Kerry Vincent said the project would encourage community activity.
“Initiatives like the Open Spaces Grants Program help contribute to the health and wellbeing of communities, by providing critical infrastructure,” he said.
Phil Exton, owner of Tasmanian Mountain Bike Adventures, welcomed the upgrade as a “brilliant initiative” that addresses a critical gap.
“In the past, McDermott’s Fire Trail has been the main access road for trail runners or riders and that was just a brutally steep, semi-dangerous for easy riders fire trail,” he said.
“And this is just a very gentle, windy, smooth trail that links up the rest of the pipeline trail.”
Exton said about 70-80% of his customers now rode on Mount Wellington, often in multi-generational groups aged nine to 80.
The council also invested $200,000 earlier this year on drainage and resurfacing improvements to another Pipeline Track section near Neika.
