Wangetti Trail delay costing the local economy millions in latent tourism dollars, hurting Cairns businesses

The state government estimates a fully-operational Wangetti Trail would blow $300m into the local economy, but the project is now flirting with a two-and-a-half year delay, with significant ramifications for Far North businesses.

Local businesses are missing out on millions while a landmark Far North tourism project flirts with a two-and-a-half year delay.

The Wangetti Trail, a $47.1m, 94km mountain biking and walking track, was originally due for completion in 2022.

The state government estimated it would deliver $300m per year into the local economy upon completion.

On Saturday News Corp revealed the trail’s significant delay had come as a result of infighting between the Queensland’s Government’s Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport (DTIS) and the Department of Environment and Science (DES) over the trail’s final design, according to insider sources.

The Wangetti Trail has been dealyed due to state government infighting, an insider has claimed. Picture: Department of Tourism

Tourism Minster Stirling Hinchcliffe disputed this claim and said, from his perspective, the departments had worked closely and continue to do so.

Emails sent to project stakeholders show DTIS was sitting on a completed trail design in June 2020, and began pushing for federal environmental approvals one month later.

The southern section of the project received federal environmental approvals in June 2022.

The decision on the final environmental approval sits with DES, which would allow trail construction to begin.

In March, a spokesman for DES said the project’s contractor was finalising an application for final environmental approvals.

In the meantime, the local economy has missed out on promised benefits.

Barron River MP Craig Crawford previously said 20 local jobs would be created during construction of the Wangetti South section. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Apart from the $300m windfall the government said thousands of adventurous tourists would bring to the Far North every year the trail was operational, an estimated 150 jobs were supposed to be created.

Barron River MP Craig Crawford previously said 20 local jobs would also be created during construction of the Wangetti South section.

And the delays have meant local businesses have ultimately missed out, according to Destination Cairns managing director Denis Donaghy.

“If the track was open, there would be a lot of money going through the bike shops in sales, maintenance and repairs … those shops right now would be making a fraction of what they could,” Mr Donaghy said.

Reports have shown that other regions of Australia, such as Derby in Tasmania, have benefited immensely from the addition of adventure trails.

In Derby the construction of a mountain biking trail network correlated with an increase of annual visitor nights from 1783 in 2014 to 47,714 in 2019.

Destination Cairns managing director Denis Donaghy said local businesses would be missing out on the economic opportunities of a fully-operating Wangetti Trail, which has been delayed two-and-a-half years. Picture: Josh Woning.

The amount of accommodation providers, hospitality venues, retail outlets and property sales also increased in that period.

Mr Donaghy said the Derby example was an appropriate case study comparison for the Wangetti Trail.

“Studies showed that the average salary of people coming to use those tracks was $250,000 … these are well-paid travellers and they’re coming into the town to spend money,” he said.

Martin Lambert – a Cairns-based senior associate with Otium, a recreation consultancy company – conducted preliminary economic impact assessments to build a business case for the Wangetti Trail alongside Denis Donaghy in 2017.

At that time, he made a “conservative” estimate of 28,000 Wangetti Trail visits per year once the trail was operational.

Mr Lambert said the demand for recreational tourism is continuing to grow.

“Even when you get the trail up and running, it will take a few years to hit its stride. So, in effect, the sooner that trail gets built, the better,” Mr Lambert said.

“The business case would have only gotten stronger.”

Originally published as Wangetti Trail delay costing the local economy millions in latent tourism dollars, hurting Cairns businesses