Remember when: Hinterland residents vowed to fight $50m Naturelink cable car project

FURIOUS Hinterland residents declared the gloves were off in their fight against a $50 million cable car project.

Gold Coast History: Gold Coast Bulletin 2000, June 19., Front page.

Gold Coast Bulletin, Monday June 19, 2000

FURIOUS Hinterland residents declared the gloves were off in their fight against a $50 million cable car project.

It came in the wake of draft environmental impact study supporting the plan.

“If they thought we’d been vocal before, they don’t know what they’re in for,” said resident Pam Hall.

“We’ve been quiet until now.”

The Bulletin had revealed the existence of the report and its results two days earlier which include maps and locations of the proposed stations.

State Environment Minister Rod Welford encouraged the residents in their fight.

More than 65 people confronted Mr Welford at Springbrook to voice concerns about the draft EIS released just days earlier.

The study said there were no legal or environmental obstacles to the cableway going ahead.

Residents said Mr Welford gave assurances the proposed 11km Naturelink cableway had not received government approval and urged them to continue with their campaign.

Mr Welford had been at Springbrook attending a meeting of the Settlement committee.

The project, put forward by ex-mayor Ray Stevens, was first proposed in 1998 and was one of the most controversial issues in the Hinterland at the turn of the century.

In mid-2014 a tourism plan developed by the Gold Coast City Council, the State Government and industry leaders named a cable car project as a key infrastructure project for the Hinterland.

Mr Stevens was involved in a renewed push later that year for a cable car project called Skyrail.

It did not progress after a change in government in early 2015.