Whitsunday Skyway project reaches next stage in approvals process

A major Airlie Beach tourism project is a step closer to getting off the ground, with public comment on its potential environmental impacts open.

The view from the top of the Whitsunday Skyway proposed development.

A game-changing development for the Whitsunday region is a step closer to getting off the ground, reaching the next stage in the approvals process.

An invitation for public comment was recently opened on the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act public portal for the proposed Whitsunday Skyway Project.

The project was first announced in 2020, with plans for the development to include a cable car that would link the main street of Airlie Beach with a nearby unnamed 430 metre-high peak in the Conway Ranges.

The company behind the project is Airlie Beach-based Australian Adventure Tourism Group.

The cable-car would leave from a block of land on Waterson Way, behind Magnums Backpackers, and travel towards a summit overlooking Airlie Beach, the Coral Sea and nearby Whitsunday Islands, boasting some of the best views in the state.

As well as the cable-car and viewing platform, the project would also include walking and mountain biking tracks.

The development is also proposed to include a “regionally focused” cultural interpretive centre to deliver education and experiential outcomes around the Gia and Ngaro Peoples’ traditional connection with the land.

According to the EPBC Act referral document, lodged with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the project’s “disturbance footprint” would be about 6.78 hectares in size.

The view from the top of the proposed Whitsunday Skyway.

“Vegetation clearing will be required during the construction phase of the project. Vegetation clearing will result in exposed soil whilst works are completed, potentially resulting in increased erosion and run-off to Airlie Creek,” the document says.

“Clearing works will be completed via mechanical methods and will not require the addition of any chemicals to the Project area. There will be no refuelling or maintenance of equipment within the Project area, thus further avoiding the introduction of potential contaminants.

“Any construction waste will be appropriate stored, until being promptly removed from the Project area and disposed of by authorised third parties at a licenced facility.

“It is unlikely that construction activities will generate significant air, noise or vibration nuisance, due to the Projects distance from the protected matter and the attenuation effect of Airlie Beach town centre.”

The Whitsunday Skyway has received support from the State Government in previous years, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk committing $1 million in funding towards the project in 2020.

In the 2022 annual report for Australian Adventure Tourism Group, it was said the Whitsunday Skyway project had received “continued support” from the State Government and it was being assessed under the Exclusive Transactions Process, following the Premier’s support in 2020.

“The Group’s feasibility continues to indicate positive financial prospects for the Whitsunday Skyway Project as a stand-alone project with a capacity to generate significant new tourism activity and new employment in the Whitsunday region,” the report says.

“There is genuine, unprecedented support from the local Whitsunday community, including other tourism operators.

“The Board continues to classify the Whitsunday Skyway Project as speculative and dependent on securing various development and planning approvals from Local State and Federal Government regulators.”

To view the plans and have your say on the project, visit the EPBC Act public portal.