Luxury eco-lodges top wish list for development in Tasmania’s wilderness areas
SMALL luxury eco-lodges top the wish list for development in Tasmania’s wilderness areas.
Tasmania
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SMALL luxury eco-lodges top the wish list for development in Tasmania’s wilderness areas.
Melaleuca at Port Davey, Recherche Bay, Adamsfield, Maydena or Mt Field, the Tarkine and the Gordon River have been identified as potential sites for development.
Tourism groups and the state and federal governments have outlined their vision for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in a new document, the Ecotourism Investment Portfolio.
It aims to reverse a decline in WHA visitor numbers by cashing in on natural assets via developments that tap growing adventure markets for mountain biking, hiking, water-based activities like kayaking, and new attractions including ziplines and high ropes.
It also raises the potential of capitalising on global interest in sites such as the world’s oldest trees, a 10,500-year-old stand of Huon pines at Mt Read, near Rosebery.
The State Government will call for expressions of interest for world-class experiences in the WHA from next month.
Portfolio project chairman Mark Wildson said West Coast tourism had dropped 1 per cent over the past five years, while state tourism figures jumped 14 per cent.
Mr Wildson, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania deputy chair, said the quality of existing facilities and activities in the WHA was not meeting visitor expectations.
“This is very much just a visionary document and an opportunity to open dialogue,” he said.
“It’s about the next 35 years [and] the ongoing need for refreshment of existing products and the maintenance of existing services.”
He said any developments would have to meet strict criteria around sustainability and should be “high quality, low impact, bespoke products”.
“We shouldn’t be thinking big scale development,” Mr Wildson said.
The document gives examples, including the 28-room Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge in the heart of the 2.7 million ha South West New Zealand World Heritage Site, with its own hydro-electric generator.
Another is the Uakari Lodge in the Brazilian Amazon, with 10 floating wooden apartments, and the Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre.
The document called for the employment of “an expert in thematic interpretation and signatory storytelling” to identify the best stories about the region’s indigenous cultural heritage, the world’s oldest living forests, the origins of the conservation movement and environmental debates about Lake Pedder, the Franklin River and the Tarkine.
“The conservation story as it is, is one of the main stories to be told about the World Heritage Area [and the history] of mining and forestry all makes up the fabric of what is the Tasmanian wildness experience,” Mr Wildson said.
He acknowledged some people would be critical of development in the WHA.
“More visitors to Tasmania equals more dollars, which could mean more dollars for conservation,” Mr Wildson said.
Central to boosting visitor numbers in remote areas are plans to improve plane and helicopter access, including a potential extension of the airstrip at Strahan and the installation of GPS technology at the Melaleuca airstrip.
The report shows upgrading the Strahan airstrip could boost visitor numbers by 10,000, with two daily services in the peak season, resulting in an estimated injection of more than $6.2 million in visitor spending to the local economy.
It also calls for helicopter day trips from Hobart, similar to those operating in New Zealand, which offer gourmet picnic stops and cost between $220 and $5945 per person.
Funding would be sought for a new $21 million Cradle Mountain Park Centre with cafe and visitor information facilities, in the hope of attracting an extra 40,000 people and $14.4 million of expenditure.
A master plan for Cradle Mountain would guide the development of new activities and amenities, possibly a new World Heritage Centre, a revamped visitor centre at Dove Lake, cycling activities and an overnight walk.
New attractions at Gordon River could include more seaplanes, luxury boats offering overnight accommodation and extended access to certain areas of the river including waterfalls.
The new experiences could deliver an extra 30,000 visitors annually, with a $9.98 million benefit for the region.
WILD IDEAS
Areas identified as potential sites:
South West: Melaleuca, Port Davey, Recherche Bay, Gordon River Adamsfield, Maydena or Mount Field.
North West: Tarkine.
West: 10,500-year-old stand of Huon pines at Mt Read, near Rosebery.
Suggested adventure tourism activities:
Mountain biking, hiking and water-based activities such as kayaking, ziplines and high-ropes.
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