A disused quarry at the foot of the mountain could be key to decongesting traffic on Kunanyi/Mount Wellington.
Halls Saddle, in Ridgeway Reserve near the junction between Huon and Pinnacle roads, is the City of Hobart’s proposed site for a visitor information and transport hub to bus visitors up and down the mountain.
With numbers to Tasmania’s most visited natural attraction expected to go from 500,000 to 700,000 by 2029, the City of Hobart is seeking a funding commitment during this federal election to turn this vision into reality.
The concept (pictured above) for this hidden gem has the support of Destination Southern Tasmania’s chief executive Alex Heroys.
“I don't think Halls Saddle would be on anyone’s radar, not even the local community’s, but it's a great asset. It's a designated site that is ready for development, it has access to power and water already,” Mr Heroys said.
“So the bones of it, I suppose the foundations of it are here, we just need to attract some federal funding, to develop the master plan of this area.”
Cr Ben Lohberger, Destination Southern Tasmania chief executive Alex Heroys, Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds and Federal Member for Clark Andrew Wilkie at the Halls Saddle Open Day.
Mr Heroys said the Halls Saddle visitor and transport hub would open up much more of the mountain to a wider range of visitors.
“The concept designs are great, including sort of a soft adventure hub,” he said.
“We know that that's a strong driver of tourist visitation, whether it be mountain biking or walking.
“You can imagine in the winter standing here with snow on the mountain, what could you have up here maybe some icy plunge pools or saunas, who knows? It could be anything.
“Those commercial opportunities will be developed as we go along, but the opportunity for it to be a hub for a transport solution around the mountain is critical to the success.”
Halls Saddle with Kunanyi/Mt Wellington in the background.
On 11 April, the City of Hobart held an open day at Halls Saddle with information and concepts on what the abandoned site could be going forward, with more than 60 people coming along to talk to City staff about the future of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington.
“We've got an increase of visitation coming our way," Mr Heroys said.
"We know by 2029 there's going to be a huge increase of visitation to the mountain so we need to find a way to sustainably disperse those visitors around the mountain.
“And with the Spirits (of Tasmania ferries) coming on with increased capacity we've got larger vehicles heading this way as well and that's an important aspect for safety on the roads.
“But what I commend the council for doing today is to bring in the community along on that journey.
“So often in Tasmania it's done sometimes the other way around, so getting the community involved and what we know as a tourism industry is what works for the locals works for the visitor.”