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TALKING POINT: Protecting our renowned parks and world heritage areas
Waterfall - Russell Falls at Mount Field National Park. Picture: Chris Crerar
Following the release of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) Tourism Master Plan (TMP) the government has committed to a range of new initiatives on the edge of the TWWHA.
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These include a commitment of $1.8M in additional funding for an arrival experience at the gateway to the Mt Field
National park; $2.5M to camping and visitor facilities at Cockle Creek; $3M for redevelopment of the Hastings thermal pool; and a continued commitment to the implementation of the Cradle Mountain master plan. The TMP, released in June, aims to achieve a balance between opportunities for diverse, high quality visitor experiences in the globally recognised area, while protecting and presenting the cultural and natural heritage that underpins the significance of the TWWHA. The development of node master-planning for parks with high visitation such as Mount Field National Park is one of
Walkers at Tarn Shelf at Mount Field National Park within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Picture: Chris Crerar
the initiatives in the TMP, a document which provides guidance and policy direction for management of tourism and related recreation into the future. It is envisaged that the planned investment at the visitor node at Mount Field will provide a new arrival experience, addressing congestion at the park entry during peak demand days and catering for all vehicle types, including coaches and campervans. Planning will inform future use and vehicle movement at the park entry, including improved management of traffic on the Lake Dobson Road, especially during snow events. Due to its proximity to Hobart and it’s reputation as a ‘park for all seasons’, Mount Field is one of the most visited National Parks in the state with 204,000 people taking in the beauty of the park in 2018-19 (pre-COVID-19), with Cradle Mountain attracting slightly more people at 284,000 in 2018-19. Visitor nodes at Mount Field and Cradle Mountain are the main entry point to the TWWHA by interstate and international visitors, while Tasmanians make up the biggest proportion of users in most of the remote and less well-known areas. The TMP also identifies sites for secondary nodes at Cockle Creek, Melaleuca and Strathgordon. The Cockle Creek investment is stage two of a multi-year redevelopment of the reserves at the southernmost gateway to the South West. Alongside a $3M investment in Hastings thermals pools, and a potential Darklab art project at Ida Bay, these capital projects will transform visitation to the south, providing much needed investment and confidence following the 2019 bushfires. It will be great to see the condition of assets and experiences vastly improved through this funding. The TWWHA TMP contains a range of other important initiatives which will be undertaken over the next 10 years. Initially, the PWS will focus on the master plan for Mount Field National Park gateway; development of the TWWHA ‘Country’ Protocol; and the preparation of an Air Access Policy. Aboriginal involvement in decision making and support to develop authentic experiences remains a top priority emerging from the plan The Air Access Policy will see the PWS work with operators to develop a Code of Practice, which will be included in a revised Fly Neighbourly Agreement. It is envisaged that aircraft operators will be required to agree to the behaviours as part of ongoing compliance and accreditation. Overall the TMP contains themes around acceptable thresholds for visitation, which protect the experience that people come to enjoy, and to avoid degradation of the natural and cultural environment of the TWWHA which spans an impressive 1,584,159 hectares across the state.
The TWWHA TMP, shaped by 14 weeks of community consultation, can be downloaded at: https://
