Ms BADGER – Minister, I have some questions around the proposed Tyndall Range resort complex. I appreciate that you’ve been running a series of drop‑in sessions for the community. There are a few basic questions that people might expect for such a proposal that we’re not quite clear on, so I’m just hoping you can enlighten us a little bit more. They’re things like: do the accommodation complexes have hot showers? How is the greywater taken care of? I think most pressingly people want to know if free walkers are still going to be able to go through this region.
Mr DUIGAN – I appreciate your question and interest. I’ve seen preliminary designs for small‑scale hydroelectric schemes to deliver electricity to certain hut facilities and so on. It’s probably reasonable to consider that there would be drying rooms and things of that nature contained within the huts. I’m not sure of the detail on showers and so on, but happy to pass to the Secretary who, I’m sure, has that level of detail to share.
Mr JACOBI – I attended the public consultation session here in Hobart and it was overwhelmingly positive. There were a couple of people who had questions about the design and the various aspects of the proposal, but once they had a chance to learn from the team about the detail and the intent, a lot of them left the consultations feeling a lot more comfortable about the proposal and, in fact, I think it’d be fair to say that, overwhelmingly, across all of the public consultations, the majority were in favour and support for the next iconic walk.
To your particular question, which was about hot showers, we’ve made a deliberate decision as a planning team not to have showers in the facility. It’s really important that we minimise our environmental footprint with this project. All of the black waste will be airlifted out. We’ll be actually capturing that in pods and transporting that off site and because there won’t be any showers, that significantly reduces any issues around greywater disposal. That’s a really important thing to bear in mind in such a unique and extraordinary environment.
To your question about free walkers, there are absolutely no impacts whatsoever to the existing track by which people access the Tyndall Plateau from the western side near Anthony Road. That track will remain open, as it always has, unimpeded for walkers to access at whatever time they want to. We’re actually doing some maintenance trackwork on that section, particularly between the bottom of the ridge and the top of the ridge, which has been identified as being quite heavily worn. We’re doing some maintenance works, I believe this year.
In terms of the access to the new track, the new next iconic walk track, that will be a paid experience. Walkers, whether they are coming as part of the hut‑based proposal or if we are to retain a tent‑based camping option, they will pay a fee to participate, and the rangers who are employed and living on site will be responsible for providing education, support and guidance to any walkers on the track.
Ms BADGER – Thank you. My second question on that – and please don’t read the Facebook comments after the drop-in sessions; they might alter your view on the positivity around the project.
Mr DUIGAN – That’s good advice, generally.
Ms BADGER – Generally good advice, thank you, minister. The viewscape over Lake Huntley from Mount Tyndall is renowned. It is one of the most spectacular views in Australia, as I’m sure you would both appreciate as bushwalkers.
Parks has long aligned itself with the seven principles of Leave No Trace. When viewing the development locations for this walk, why is it situated in such a prominent position which is going to leave an enormous visual impact? We don’t support privatising other parks and having private huts in different areas, but at least they’re discreet. I think the general expectation from the public was that this would be a lot more discreet than it is. Why was the decision made to put the hut in the current position that it is?
Mr DUIGAN – I think it’s critically important to recognise that we’re in the planning and development phase of the Next Iconic Walk. There is an amount of work still to be done around placements and things of that nature. We would expect it to be done with the greatest degree of sensitivity. I’m sure that’s the way the designers will approach it. I am happy for the secretary to make any comments he feels are relevant to that.
Mr JACOBI – Thank you. Lake Huntley and its surroundings is an extraordinary landscape any way you view it, whether it’s from the top or from the bottom; it is unique. It’s really important that we get the design and the planning around the proposed hut at that location right. We’ve commissioned a visual impact assessment as part of our environmental impact assessment work. That visual impact assessment is looking very closely at the impacts of the hut locations and also the campground and the track from all contexts, whether it be from the walkers who are on the track, or from people who may be on the Tyndall plateau.
The reason it’s located in that site is that it is an extraordinary experience. It is a once‑in‑a lifetime opportunity to provide members of the public who maybe don’t get to experience those places, who don’t have the capability to walk to the top of the Tyndall plateau from the western side. It provides them with an opportunity to experience that extraordinary environment, to learn from that and become an advocate about how important our wild landscapes are, particularly that landscape which, as you know, is impacted by mining, hydro and exploration activities. Everywhere you go in that landscape you can see evidence of prior historical industry activities and that’s a really important part about the experience. Lake Huntley is just one of those locations which stands out as a place for people to be able to spend the night and enjoy the environment.
Ms BADGER – Can I just clarify, for the hut concepts that are currently out, there is more planning to be done about the exact location of the hut or there’s not?
Mr JACOBI – We’ve done a lot of work to refine the hut locations. We did the Building and Environmental Impact Assessment report based on the two locations, which is Lake Huntley for the first night, and I think it’s – correct me if I’m wrong, Danielle – Lake Mark for the for the second night. They are the fixed locations.
What we are doing through the public consultation process is getting people’s feedback about the design – the style of the buildings, the colours being used, materials that are proposed, noting that all of the materials are designed specifically to blend into the environment. We’re using micro-hydro power to run our energy in the buildings, not just thermal heating but also the cooktop stoves, the cooking apparatus. In every respect, a lot of work has gone into trying to minimise our footprint. The consultation sections have been getting some really good feedback about what people think about the design.
At this point in time, there’s no intention to fundamentally change the two locations that are proposed. We will be going out for an environmental impact assessment on the basis of that.
Ms BADGER – Unless, of course, the consultation says they should.
