Whitsunday home owners in the dark over cable-car project

Homeowners in the Whitsunday region of Queensland are expressing unease as a $140 million cable-car project, the Whitsunday Skyway, is rapidly progressing. The project plans to feature a 1.8-kilometer cableway linking tourists from Airlie Beach to a mid-station and the summit area within Conway National Park. A subsequent phase includes the development of mountain bike trails.

Developers project that the cable car will boost regional tourism by attracting an additional 250,000 visitors each year. The Queensland government recently designated the project as "prescribed," allowing for approvals to be overseen by the coordinator-general's office. This designation has raised concerns among some, like Whitsunday Climate Council president Tony Fontes, who fear that environmental assessments may be rushed and environmental investigations shortened.

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This project has been cloaked in secrecy from the beginning.

Fontes criticized the project's perceived secrecy, stating, "This project has been cloaked in secrecy from the beginning." He emphasized the importance of national parks for environmental protection, asserting that "National parks are there for a reason; it's to protect the environment in its pristine condition." The Whitsunday Skyway is currently undergoing environmental assessment.

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National parks are there for a reason; it's to protect the environment in its pristine condition.

The Australian Adventure Tourism Group (AATG) and the Queensland government are utilizing an "exclusive transaction process" instead of a competitive tender. While the group is required to inform the public about the plan's progress, some residents desire more extensive consultation. AATG executive chair Elizabeth Hackett stated that the project is subject to rigorous scrutiny and that environmental and native title approvals are in an "advanced stage," having undergone a nine-year development period. Private investment has been secured, supplemented by $5 million from the state government.

Local resident Bill Kemp voiced concerns about the potential impact on traffic, noting that the proposed base station's location could exacerbate congestion in an already busy Airlie Beach. Approximately 15 hectares of land would be affected by the cableway's construction, according to documents submitted for federal approval, a prospect Kemp described as potentially "devastating."

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There are some really fairly firm restrictions about [communications] while you're under one of those processes.