Mt Owen has been earmarked as a top spot for a cable car

While debate over the merits of a cable car on Mt Wellington has long dominated the news, another cable car proposal is now on the table for another Tasmanian mountain. INSIDE THE PLAN>>>

WHILE debate over the merits of a cable car on Mt Wellington has long dominated the news, another cable car proposal is now on the table for a more remote mountain in Tasmania’s west.

Mt Owen, near Queenstown, already boasts a gnarly mountain bike experience and soon it could have a visitor centre near the top reached by cable car.

The proposal, put forward by Queenstown businessman Brett Schulze, would see a 2.6km cable car travel from a terminal near the Lyell Highway at a place known as Karlson’s Gap.

Mr Schulze said the proposal - which is projected to inject $15m into the region’s economy each year- had already attracted interest from prominent investors.

The cable car would provide better access to Mt Owen’s summit for more extreme pursuits like mountain bike riding and hang gliding. It would also open it up for walking and view taking.

View from Mt Owen, West Coast of Tasmania, near Queenstown. MUST CREDIT: LEA WALPOLE

Mr Schulze said he had held a vision for the development for more than a decade.

But he will need to get local mining companies on board.

“For the cable car element to proceed we need a concession to be granted over less than 10ha of land on the corner of the 25 square kilometre mining lease currently held by Vedanta,” he said.

“It has been complicated further by New Century Resources entering an option agreement to purchase the Mt Lyell mine.

“It is unlikely that the land will ever be mined because of its proximity to the Lyell Highway, Queenstown itself and the Horsetail Falls boardwalk.

“We have had many conversations with the mining lease’s different owners over the years, and have engaged with federal and state politicians at the same time.”

About 760-metres of the proposed cable car route passes over the mining lease. The balance is on Crown land outside the lease.

View from Mt Owen, West Coast of Tasmania, near Queenstown, looking down at Lake Burbury in distance. MUST CREDIT: LEA WALPOLE

Mr Schulze said since Mt Lyell closed in 2014, there had been much conversations in the community - and at all levels of government - about the need for the west coast economy to diversify away from traditional mining activities.

“Our proposed development will assist this further,” he said.

“Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic we commissioned a latent demand study as part of pre-feasibility This revealed that 325,000 people travel through Queenstown, and pre-pandemic a considerable number of those identified by Tasmanian Visitor Survey stopped at Karlson’s Gap.”

Mr Schulzez said the study also showed the proposal would bring new overnight visitors to the region and create more than 30 direct and 80 indirect jobs.