Mount Wellington Cable Car backers look for political support through Tasmanian election

With Tasmanian counting down to its state election on Saturday 23rd March, the Mount Wellington Cable Car (MWCC) company is looking for political backing to revive its plan for a new tourist attraction to rise above Hobart.

With the City of Hobart having in 2021 rejected private-sector operator MWCC’s plans to develop a cable car running to the top of the city’s Mount Wellington, an appeal against that ruling was knocked back in November 2022 by Tasmania's Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TasCAT) which found the proposal “failed to meet multiple standards”.

However, with the Tasmanian election just 10 days away, MWCC has been using its social media pages to encourage voters to back candidates who want to see the cable car built.

In February last year, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced his backing for the project, but its advancement has been halted by TasCAT’s November ruling.

MWCC argue that their solution represents the “only feasible, sustainable way to protect the mountain into perpetuity” and again questioned why the council was against it, noting “the terms of our proposed lease will ensure a sustainable future for the mountain.”

The election has also seen The Greens launch a plan to support the growth of diverse nature-based tourism opportunities across the state which they say would attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Greens candidate for Clark Vica Bayley advised “the Greens plan for nature-based tourism is all about using our best assets to attract more people here and disperse the visitation around the state."

If elected, the Greens say they will invest $13 million over four years into new nature tourism attractions including the Giant Trees, a dark sanctuary in the South West and aviary tourism for bird watching.

In January this year, Hobart City Council unveiled an $80,000 revamp of the Springs lookout on Mt Wellington/ kunanyi, featuring a brand-new balustrade and improvements to the walking path.

The mountain is the second most-visited tourist attraction in the state and the most popular natural site, with 377,085 visitors making the trek to kunanyi in the 2022/23 season.

Image: MWCC's 2018 proposal for a cable car on Mt Wellington.