Tasmania/ lutruwita is blessed with hundreds of mountains and mountain ranges (the ‘Abels’). Although generally lower than the high country of south eastern Australia, they tend towards the rocky and sheer, and many have wonderful summits. Some, like Frenchmans Cap, Federation Peak and Mt Geryon, are impressive rocky mountains. But sadly, successive state governments and developers have spent years obsessing over building things on many mountain tops.

From the long campaign to halt a cable car up the main face of kunanyi/ Mt Wellington, to the proposal for a Gondola up along Cradle Valley to Dove Lake and the short lived idea of constructing a cable car up Mt Roland, the mountaintops have long been an allure to those who want to convert beauty into profit. There are even plans for a cable car up Mt Owen, on the west coast.

Now, a tourism ‘entrepreneur’ wants to build what he says would be “the longest, fastest and highest zip-line in the Asia-Pacific” on the mid slopes of kunanyi/ Mt Wellington. 

The take-off point would be about halfway up the mountain near The Springs, where a proposed 25-metre-high tower would be built. The 1,300-metre route would finish at Strickland Falls. The developer said he hoped to lodge a development application by September.

To proceed, the zip-line not only needs the support of Hobart City Council, but the Wellington Park Management Trust as well. It will likely also face strong local resistance from the community.

There is an ABC story on the proposal here.