Southern Tasmanians living furthest from Mount Wellington are backing a cable car proposal at rates three times higher than central Hobart locals, according to a new review into the future of the iconic mountain.
The ‘Our Mountain’s Future’ review found support for a cable car ranged from just 19.6% in Hobart to 62% in Brighton. The review found this was largely tied to how easily people can currently access the mountain.
“Residents of Hobart find access to the park the easiest of all LGAs and many do so by bike or foot,” the review states. “They are the strongest supporters of protecting the park’s natural values, views of the mountain and cultural and heritage values.”
“They are also the least supportive of encouraging more visitors or sustainable tourism.”
That is in stark contrast to views in outer suburbs, where “people from Brighton find it harder than others to get to Wellington Park” and “tend to want better access and more things to do”, the consultation summary says.
“Of all areas, they are the most interested in doing snow-related activities in the future and are supportive of sustainable tourism and attracting more visitors.”
The divide in access becomes especially clear during snow events, which the review labels both a major drawcard and a significant barrier.
65% of survey respondents said they had been unable to visit the mountain due to bad weather, with more than half citing road or trail closures as the reason.
The review also found frequent users, mostly from the Hobart City Council area, favoured “minimal change”, while occasional visitors from the outer suburbs were more open to infrastructure upgrades.
The findings raise questions about whether those with the easiest access should have the loudest voice in shaping the mountain’s future. The state government, however, says it will take a statewide approach in making its final recommendations.
While Hobart residents make up just 21.4% of greater Hobart’s population, they accounted for 37% of responses. Brighton and the Derwent Valley, home to the highest levels of support for the cable car, contributed only 3.7% of responses. People from the north made up 2% of responses.
“This difference is important given residents of Hobart were significantly overrepresented in the survey sample,” the review notes.
Even though the survey didn’t directly ask about a cable car, 31% of the 9,000 respondents brought it up in support, while 27% voiced opposition in free-text responses.
“While the survey did not explicitly seek comments on a cable car or other additional development, many people offered their views,” the review states.
Alternative transport ideas were also floated, with about 8% backing shuttle bus services. Others suggested off-mountain transport hubs as possible compromises.
“Whatever access solution ends up being preferred, the community agrees on several key points,” the review states.
“Any transport solution must be safe and sensitive to the environment and help people access the park at the times they most want to go.”
Business, Industry and Resources Minister Eric Abetz said the government is “ruling nothing in, ruling nothing out” when it comes to future transport options.
“All options are open. In the consultation report there are people that have commented for and against a cable car. That won’t surprise anybody,” he said.
“But the need for safe, all-weather access to the mountain is something that we would aspire to. What shape that takes, I have no idea at this stage.”
The 2.6km cable car proposal, touted as the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere, was knocked back by Hobart City Council in 2021 and again by the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) in 2022.
Out of the record 16,500 public submissions made to the council at the time, around 72% opposed the development.
The proposal included two 40-passenger cable cars, capable of transporting up to 650 people per hour in each direction, along with new summit infrastructure such as boardwalks.
The Mount Wellington Cableway Company says the privately funded project would cut vehicle emissions and shift the cost of maintaining the mountain from taxpayers to tourists.
