Destination Wollongong plans adventure playground and cable car for Mount Keira

A gondola connecting the Wollongong escarpment to the ocean is the centrepiece of a grand plan to transform Mount Keira into an adventure playground.

The proposal, put forward by Destination Wollongong, aims to revitalise the under-utilised mountain and encourage people to visit the region by capitalising on growing interest in adventure tourism.

Stretching from the summit to Stuart Park, the cable car would give tourists panoramic views and provide transportation to the other proposed attractions on the mountain peak.

Estimates put the cost of an eight-person gondola linking the summit to Stuart Park at $15 million.

Included in the Mount Keira Adventure Playground overview are a zip line, rock climbing, bungy jumping, native bird sanctuary, tree top adventure park, eco lodge, mountain bike trails, cafe and function centre.

It will incorporate existing attractions such as the rhododendron gardens at Mount Pleasant.

Destination Wollongong General Manager Mark Sleigh said developing Mount Keira would have the double benefit of boosting tourism and providing jobs for the region.

Sleigh explained "the gondola project would be an anchor for the whole thing but it doesn't work by itself; the cafe doesn't work by itself; the bungy jump doesn't work by itself - what it needs is a range of like-minded businesses that complement each other so everyone from the grandmothers to the babies have something to do."

Sleigh said the development would rely on private investment.

Destination Wollongong will now conduct a more detailed study of the proposal.

Click here to view the Destination Wollongong website. 

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