Halls Saddle Mountain Gateway Precinct Proposal

Hobart needs a high quality and easily accessible 'front door' for people wishing to explore Kunanyi/Mt Wellington's forests, walking tracks and mountain bike trails.

The mountain is our most visited natural asset, attracting over 500 000 local, interstate and international visitors each year, and predicted to reach 700 000 by 2028.

Pinnacle Road carries over 2000 vehicles a day peak-load with a weekday average of 960. On weekends and public holidays it carries on average more than 1500 vehicles a day, including light vehicles, mini-buses, Winnebagos and heavy coaches.

There are just 280 car park places with limited expansion opportunities within Wellington Park.

Already at peak times visitor numbers exceed parking and road capacity.

In September 2019 the Hobart City Council endorsed the investigation of an alternative 'Visitor Access' site at Halls Saddle, located outside of Wellington Park, to establish its potential role as the primary road-based gateway entrance facility for servicing visitor access to the mountain.

In June 2020, Council endorsed the Kunanyi/Mt Wellington Halls Saddle Visitor Hub Feasibility Study, to be used as a basis for further development of the proposal for Halls Saddle.

Halls Saddle, a former quarry site.

Where is Halls Saddle?

Halls Saddle is owned by the City of Hobart. A former quarry it sits just outside the Wellington Park boundary, within the Ridgeway Reserve.

Access to the site is from the intersection of Chimney Pot Hill Road and Huon Road. The site features cleared areas comprising three tiered levels of flat ground.

It affords exclusive views of the Kunanyi/Mt Mountain emerging from the trees to the higher points of the site, revealing the beauty and vastness of Kunanyi. These views are stunning in all weathers.

Halls Saddle has been identified as a place where additional parking could occur, with the remaining journey travelled by bus.

What is the Halls Saddle Mountain Gateway Precinct Proposal?

In November 2024, the City of Hobart sought funding through Stream 1 of the Federal Government's Urban Precinct & Partnerships Program (uPPP) to develop a multi-purpose precinct integrating tourism, recreational opportunities, and a dedicated base for Indigenous Rangers and other first nations cultural initiatives.

The precinct will also serve a practical purpose, which is to provide space for a transport hub for mountain visitation, currently constrained.

 

The Halls Saddle Mountain Gateway Precinct will act as a gateway to the mountain for a range of unique experiences and a diverse range of people.

This project will deliver:

• A state-of-the-art Visitors Centre at Hall Saddle and a transport hub for visitors to the mountain located just outside the Kunanyi/Mt Wellington Park entrance.
• Upgrades to road infrastructure, walking tracks and recreational infrastructure.
• Amenities on the mountain to ensure a safe, accessible and enjoyable experience for all visitors.

The City of Hobart is seeking funding under stream 1 of the Federal Government's Urban Precinct and Partnerships Program to plan and design the Halls Saddle Mountain Gateway Precinct.

Ultimately, we are hoping our proposal will align with the eventual findings of the current strategic review of Kunanyi/Mt Wellington.

If our application is successful planning and design would be an 18-month process, ensuring wide community engagement and proper planning and associated design works are fulfilled.

What are the benefits of this proposal?

• Improve the overall visitor experience for all.
• Give visitors the chance to fully explore the mountain and its foothills from a dedicated visitor gateway.
• Improve access and safety concerns.
• Economic flow on effects for neighbouring municipalities.
• Significant health and developmental benefits of nature based recreation.
• Provide greater opportunities in the future for the local community and visitors to be enriched by nature.

Photo Gallery