Mount Wellington Tasmania Cable Car

F

frozenhole

Likes Dirt
Hi guys,

Look I'm not sure if this is the right forum to put this in so I apologise in advance and if an admin could move it to the right area that would be appreciated.

As many of you know Tasmania has some amazing riding to offer and if any of you have traveled here as a tourist or as a competitor in the National series you would have noticed Mount Wellington that overlooks Hobart and the Glenorchy MTB Park (You can't miss it!). The riding potential on the mountain is almost too huge to describe.

Anyway to the point of this post... There has been ongoing discussion for the past 10 years of the construction of a cable car/gondola setup on the mountain. Slowly peoples opinions are turning and realising it's not an environmental disaster waiting to happen. There is someone ready to lay down the cash and get this dream up and running!

We have created a facebook page to show that there is support out there, not only from a local level but also National and International. If successful in the push to have a cable car system established on Mount Wellington it would allow the Tasmanian MTB community to provide world class facilities for riders of all disciplines.

I wont waste anymore of your time but all I ask is that you please log onto facebook and click the "Like" Button for the Mount Wellington Cable car if you are in support. There are plenty of discussions on the go and all questions and comments are welcomed.

Thanks for your time and hopefully I'll notice the member numbers jump significantly from this post. We've had over 300 people sign up today!

Follow this link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mt-Wellington-Cable-Car/148205918549509

or go to this url to be redirected www.hobartcablecar.com

Paul
 
harmonix1234

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Will the plans incorporate any type of lift access for DH bikes?
From what I gather it will be an enclosed pedestrian/tourist oriented cable car.
 
F

frozenhole

Likes Dirt
harmonix1234 said:
Will the plans incorporate any type of lift access for DH bikes?
From what I gather it will be an enclosed pedestrian/tourist oriented cable car.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure on the plans but there are plenty of enclosed gondola/cable car setups that include racks for ski gear and bikes. It would be rather pointless if they didn't.

Cheers,

Paul
 
G

G-Tek

Likes Bikes
Great idea

Being from Tassie, I think this is a great idea and hopefully it gain some support. There are so many positives to exploring this potential. I've joined the group, hope more people can do the same!:D
 
F

frozenhole

Likes Dirt
Ticked over the magic 1000 today. Pretty good for less than a weeks effort.

If you haven't already joined please do. If you're unsure join up, post your questions and I'm sure someone will be able to clear things up for you.

Spread the word for a chance at making a Whistler of the Southern Hemisphere!

Cheers,

Paul
 
B

bikeyoulongtime

Likes Dirt
harden up kids! there's nothing on Wellington that can't be done on a bike that you can pedal all the way up :)

As a former hobartian and keen biker/rock climber, I value the wilderness experience of the mountain far more than making access to the summit easier. I think the main issue is that a cable car would be yet another scar on the face of the mountain. The giant penis on top is unlikely to go away, and neither will the road. So a cable car up across the pipes = yet another big ugly thing.

A summit cable car would be a convenience to a small group of mountain bikers [and possibly climbers who use routes that are accessed from the summit], but the vast majority of users are most likely to be punters who go up, take a photo, throw their chocolate wrappers off the edge, complain about the cold and go back down.

The whole point of the mountain is missed, and the values which make the mountain special to hobart are degraded.

So, personally, I hope the idea dies quietly and never returns.

Cable car to the Springs? Different story, which makes a whole lot more sense. Bring it!

my .02, bring the flames ;-)

Adam
 
F

frozenhole

Likes Dirt
Thanks for the response Adam, everyones entitled to their own opinion. If you took the time to read the F.A.Q. and general wishes of everyone in favour on the facebook page you would notice that everyone who is in favour wants a minimal impact system. Personally I'd hate to see a big laneway cut up the face of the mountain but there are options available to make sure this wouldnt happen.

bikeyoulongtime said:
As a former hobartian and keen biker/rock climber, I value the wilderness experience of the mountain far more than making access to the summit easier. I think the main issue is that a cable car would be yet another scar on the face of the mountain. The giant penis on top is unlikely to go away, and neither will the road. So a cable car up across the pipes = yet another big ugly thing.
Click to expand...
The reality of it is that you would barely see the cable car from up close and from a distance. They are smaller than a bus and there are busses constantly going up and down the mountain everyday. Obviously we would like to see a colour that compliments the surrounding landscape.

There is no reason for it to create a scar on the mountain at all. The only reason you see big scars associated with many cable car setups is that area's are cleared for ski slopes and clearing a direct route through a forest for the lifts is the most cost effective way of getting people from A to B. There are plenty of setups where the gondola goes above the forest canopy. I believe Cairns has a great example of this.

bikeyoulongtime said:
A summit cable car would be a convenience to a small group of mountain bikers [and possibly climbers who use routes that are accessed from the summit], but the vast majority of users are most likely to be punters who go up, take a photo, throw their chocolate wrappers off the edge, complain about the cold and go back down.
Click to expand...
The convenience to the bike community is a bonus and it could well help create a Whistler of the Southern hemisphere. Tasmania needs to sell itself as much as possible, to be honest there isnt much going on down here to entice people. Just think how many cruise ships visit Hobart throughout the year and how many of the passengers have no way of even getting to the pinnacle. Is there any other capital city in Australia that can boast it has a cable car to the top of a mountain with a world class view within 5 minutes of the CBD? Not that i am aware of.



bikeyoulongtime said:
The whole point of the mountain is missed, and the values which make the mountain special to hobart are degraded.

So, personally, I hope the idea dies quietly and never returns.

Cable car to the Springs? Different story, which makes a whole lot more sense. Bring it!

my .02, bring the flames ;-)

Adam
Click to expand...
No need for a flaming, like I said everyone has their own opinion on things.

The bottom line is that the current road is very degraded, would you rather see a wider road cut into the face to allow for more traffic and create a massive scar across the whole mountain or a clean and silent electric cable car that can shuttle hundreds of people an hour to the summit. I know what I would vote in favour of.

Cheers,

Paul
 
k3n!f

k3n!f

leaking out the other end
I live in Hobart and I disagree with the proposal. In my experience, places with successful cable cars are those with difficult access (Table Mountain in South Africa for example). Mt Wellington however, has a perfectly adequate road that goes the entire way to the summit, free of charge.

If this was a road vs. cable car debate things would be different, but I don't feel like both are required.
 
F

frozenhole

Likes Dirt
k3n!f said:
I live in Hobart and I disagree with the proposal. In my experience, places with successful cable cars are those with difficult access (Table Mountain in South Africa for example). Mt Wellington however, has a perfectly adequate road that goes the entire way to the summit, free of charge.

If this was a road vs. cable car debate things would be different, but I don't feel like both are required.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure how often you travel up the mountain K3n!f but have you noticed the terrible condition it is in?

As mentioned in a previous post there is not perfectly adequate access for tourists or people without a car. If it was an adequate road it would be open whenever it snowed right? Imagine how many cruise ship visitors would jump at the chance to get a birds eye view of the Hobart harbour and finish with a nice meal and beer tasting session at Cascade Brewery. I think you would find nearly all of them would love it.

I'd like to think the road would remain open and the cable car would help reduce the amount of large traffic such as coaches etc taking up most of the road (its not much fun coming around a corner to be greeted by a coach blocking the entire road as it tries to make its way down).

Try looking at it from a tourism perspective rather than solely a riders point of view.
 
B

bikeyoulongtime

Likes Dirt
Hey Paul

I've read the FAQ..

The Hobart community is always going to be split over the building of a cable car. I prefer to cast my lot with the folks who use the mountain on a regular basis, and become bonded with its environment in a more intimate fashion than those who drive up once a year when it snows, or come to Hobart on cruise ships to tick boxes.

Nobody wants to see the road made bigger. Up till spring 2009 I drove, or rode, up the mountain pretty much every couple of weeks, we used to get water from the spring at the chalet. For me, the road seems fine. Its just a matter of being patient, and respecting the place as much as possible. From my mountain experiences, this is a slowly dying art...

Its the intangible idea of 'respecting place' that everyone has trouble with. How do you interpret it? some say 'cable car', others say 'leave it be'.

Anyway, this is probably the wrong forum for such circular philosophical arguments. Back to topic: cycling and the mountain...

I personally would like to see the $36 mil being spent on trail development and maintenance. Freakin' nuts - ideas like legal singletrack from south hobart to glenorchy, around the back of the summit, with the north south track as a return loop spring to mind. Australia's longest AM adventure singletrack, with 1000+m up and down.. now THERE's a real mountain experience!

Keep the summit free for eagles, and climbers who like uninterrupted panoramic views from belay ledges ;-)

Cheers
Adam
 
F

frozenhole

Likes Dirt
If you haven't checked out the facebook group of late it may be worth your while if you'd like to voice how much you think you would be willing to pay for access to the cable car.

It would be great to get some numbers from riders who would use this facility.

Also the group hit the 2000 like mark last week which I think is a pretty good effort in such a short period of time.

Thanks for your support.

Cheers,

Paul
 
F

frozenhole

Likes Dirt
Here's your very own chance to quickly & simply add your clout to the Cable Car debate. The Southern Tasmanian Councils are asking us public what we'd like to see & do in Tasmania within 20 years. The more comments on a particular issue the more they take notice.... So let's tell them!

http://stca.tas.gov.au/2030-survey/
 
Dozer

Dozer

Heavy machinery.
Staff member
I hate to put a dampener on things but no one takes Facebook seriously. If someone came to me with a business proposal and had all sorts of relevant data then handed over a print out of the Facebook fans then I would probably laugh at them. I know there isn't a lot of other ways to gain tons of support but the support of 900 teenagers isn't going to mean jack to the dude with the cheque book.
For the record, Mt Wellington is beautiful and the drive up and down is great. Would a cable car be a good thing? Yep, it would be for a downhiller and tourists would dig it.
You never know if you never try.;)
 
F

frozenhole

Likes Dirt
Dozer said:
I hate to put a dampener on things but no one takes Facebook seriously. If someone came to me with a business proposal and had all sorts of relevant data then handed over a print out of the Facebook fans then I would probably laugh at them. I know there isn't a lot of other ways to gain tons of support but the support of 900 teenagers isn't going to mean jack to the dude with the cheque book.
For the record, Mt Wellington is beautiful and the drive up and down is great. Would a cable car be a good thing? Yep, it would be for a downhiller and tourists would dig it.
You never know if you never try.;)
Click to expand...
The Mount Wellington Cable Car page is more of an information point for people who are interested in the topic. There are many members who are opposed to the idea but at least it gives everyone a chance to voice their opinions in a relatively easy manor.

The proponent has no ties what so ever with this page.
 
look mum. no hands

look mum. no hands

Likes Bikes
Not if there is a viable road to go up......maybe a light rail system along it is a better option. would be interesting to see the cost comparisons of different options here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top