New lookout for Tasmanian Tourism icon

One of Tasmania's most visited and spectacular tourist locations, the Wineglass Bay Lookout, has a new viewing platform.
Opening the viewing platform this week, Tasmanian Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage, Brian Wightman, said about 140,000 visitors come to view Wineglass Bay, each year, stating "Wineglass Bay is a true Tasmanian icon, and world-renowned for its outstanding beauty.
"This platform is a very worthy investment in one of our most popular attractions, which is being managed with excellent leadership by the Parks and Wildlife Service."
Tasmanian Tourism Minister, Scott Bacon, welcomed construction of the new platform, which provides another boost for East Coast tourism operators, particularly at Coles Bay, adding "this modern new platform makes the most of our natural gem at Wineglass Bay, and enhances its tourism experience even further.
"It plays to our strength as a uniquely beautiful and unspoiled part of the world that people visit and enjoy."
The new viewing platform is five times bigger than the old 20-year-old timber platform, and is expected to last more than 100 years.
The platform and track was built using $410,000 from the Economic and Social Infrastructure Fund, part of the third stage of the State' s Freycinet precinct upgrade, worth about $2.3 million. Work so far includes new car parking facilities, track head facilities, interpretation assets and a looped track from the car park to the lookout junction.
Minister Wightman concluded "the rock-walls along the track and the viewing platform are true works of art, and mix beautifully with the surrounding landscape.
"They'll help protect the natural environment which attracts visitors in the first place, while also providing a safer and more enjoyable experience."