Cradle Valley Monorail

[tastrekker]

I've often pondered the Cradle Valley traffic problem and been frustrated by the apparent non-sensical boom gates. How about this for a crazy idea...

A ground level monorail from the Visitor Centre to Dove Lake with a branch up to Waldheim and the cabins. It would completely replace the road from the Park boundary at Pencil Pine Creek allowing an even greater level of revegetation than what has been achieved with the new single lane road sections.

A driver could be on-call through the night for late/early bushwalkers and emergency requirements. Paint the carriages and rail to blend in with the button grass and it would almost be invisible.

Now...
I wonder if anyone has a slightly used monorail system going cheap...

P.S. I've just spotted the posts about the Fjordland proposal in Kiwiland and, yes, I have heard sound grabs from the relevant Simpsons episode.

[tasadam]

Won't work I'm afraid.

Monorails run on power, therefore with our power prices as they are Parks will always get a negative return on it, even if they did get the hardware for a song.

[johnw]

Now...
I wonder if anyone has a slightly used monorail system going cheap...

...Ahem, we might be able to help: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/hobart-wants-sydneys-monorail-for-free--but-it-wont-be-a-gift-20120328-1vxi3.html
Care to make an offer?

[walkinTas]

$19.80

[tastrax]

I will see if I can dig through my archives but I seem to remember the idea of a monorail being discussed many years ago when the proposal to upgrade the roads was first discussed - its bound to be documented somewhere.

[Nuts]

Ha ha, see if you can find the one for the steel tower stairs up the western side to the Cradle summit.. or the cog rail from Marigold valley.. or even the shocking suggestion to bring the Dove carpark back 100m and out of sight??

[doogs]

Monorail? Nah. What we need are waterslides from the top of major peaks. I am sure the health of our population would improve rapidly WEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeee!!!

[tastrax]

Wow - a couple of doosies there that I have not heard about! It can be quite enlightening to look back into the archives occasionally and see what was proposed for some of these areas. Thankfully most of the real hair brain ideas never get any legs but you never know.......

[Nuts]

I actually do think we could benefit something unique up there. It's the sacrificial lamb and people do seem to like their 'attractions'.. (well perhaps they like food most... then attractions.. (while looking at 'wilderness'))

We are so far from having a sustainable tourism industry it's fast becoming a joke..meh.. theres always federal funding and dole handouts i guess.. oh.. and mining, mining will be around for a little while!

[MrWalker]

A big advantage of a monorail is that it doesn't affect the vegatation or animals, the people are trapped inside so they don't cause any problems with their rubbish, but they don't complain because the views are even better than at ground level and it doesn't have to go very fast (I think the one on offer does about 30kph).

We could start with one from the main car park down to Dove lake, but with the idea of eventually extending it the full length of the overland track.
(Ducks for cover).

[doogs]

A monorail would be aimed at the 60years+ market who generally get ferried around the state on a bus and Cradle Mountain is a chance for them to get out stretch their legs and spend some cash. I am sure they would probably go on a train trip somewhere else on the trip they are on. You dont see the Canadians trying to flog seats on the Rocky mountain train to young couples or folk with kids because it's not the market. Basically I think a monorail would be a waste of time and money, but that is what most government agencies are at so hey why not? Hey wait a minute, how about a monorail that the grey nomads can drive their Winnebagos straight on to and then ferry them around while they makes themselves a cheese and pickle sandwich and a mug of tea?
A gimmick defintely would be good idea to bring in the younger crowds as I think we have a fair share of the retired crowd. We aren't going to compete with NZ for adrenalin sports but the few forestry things around Tasmania such as the Holybank ziplines and the Dismal swamp slide are pretty big drawcards as far as fun goes. I can highly recommend Holybank Parks are lacking imagination when trying to expand their wider appeal and business.

[sthughes]

Oooh I like the waterslide idea! Cradle summit down to Dove Lake - yeah ha! All you need is a long length of large diameter poly pipe and a big pump

Monorail not so sure. It would be cool if you could do it as either a 30km/h trip or a 300km/h trip.

[tastrekker]

Hey Mr Walker, You were starting to make a lot of sense until you ducked for cover.

As for Doogs, I see what you mean. However, I was not seeing the monorail as an attraction in its own right. It would eventually be accepted as the only way to get from A to B. As for it being a waste of money, I would love to see how much the existing shuttle service costs and what the revenue is from park entry fees. Now the bus fare has been merged with the park entry fee the revenue must have jumped substantially.

My (possibly naive) hope is the savings from ditching a heap of driver, fuel and other shuttle bus costs would generate a sustainable return on the investment to relocate, install and operate the monorail. I wonder if the earlier proposals (tastrax?) were costed. How would they look if exhorbitant purchase costs were replaced with a more modest relocation cost?

[tastrax]

Park Entry Fees bring in about $4.0 million annually - but the breakdown on where it goes doesn't have numbers against it

http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=8622

I am not sure there would be any sudden jump in park fee payments because the shuttle fee has been dropped. More likely that the full cost is now coming from Park Entry fees rather than partly from "user pays". I could be wrong as I am in the South of the state and don't keep up with all the details in the north

Still trying to find that monorail paperwork but I suspect it may have been pre digital age!

[MrWalker]

Hey Mr Walker, You were starting to make a lot of sense until you ducked for cover.

I should have followed up my suggestion that a monorail would cause little or no damage to the environment by eliminating walking and camping damage.
We might need the first section at Cradle Mt to get it started, but the logical extension is then to expand into regions where there are currenlty no tracks at all.

How about heading down Fury Gorge to Mt Inglis, Inglis Creek, Bluff river, then down the Murchison River, ending up at Lake St Clair. I'm just trying to pick a route here that avoids the poor little engines having to climb too much, so I've no idea what the scenery is like, but I'm sure people would go there just to see places almost no-one has been before.

If Doogs is right that it will mainly appeal to over 60s then we also save the $4million pa for rescues.

[ILUVSWTAS]

people would go there just to see places almost no-one has been before.

You'd be surprised. There's not many of those places left.....

[walkinTas]

A monorail would be aimed at the 60years+ market who generally get ferried around the state on a bus and Cradle Mountain .....

No picking on the over 60s. "Old age is not so bad when you consider the alternatives." Maurice Chevalier

[Nuts]

It would be a ripping ride from Fury gorge to the Lake, perhaps 6/700m down?.. all quiet nutty ideas really... though if there were indeed figures for a monorail to replace the buses that replace the 20odd 000 Dove Lake visitors i'd like to see them too. The idea might have merit but i'd guess it would likely need a huge jump in numbers to cover even the annual loss?

We aren't even getting our share of the oldies doogs, i wonder if its truly understood the struggle and general impact any industry has at 30/40% down? nevermind an empty shell like tourism..

[doogs]

We aren't even getting our share of the oldies doogs, i wonder if its truly understood the struggle and general impact any industry has at 30/40% down? nevermind an empty shell like tourism..

Fudge!!!! Those are crazy figures, is that statewide tourist numbers or just the OLT. Either way it's massive especially with a strong AU$ the foreigners are going to be reluctant to come and they probably plan their trip a couple of years in advance too. I had noticed in the hospitality industry number are down but that's massive.

[Nuts]

Yep, just rough figures. Some do ok but iv'e heard them from a few different people (in coach touring as well), last year was similar. Its a funny game, domestic tourism can do just as well in a recession apparently.. or can just fall flat when expected to do well. It does rely heavily on state government promotion. Definitely not a safe place to send those who would have gone to forestry or farming. People need to eat (and sit in armchairs )

I was once involved in a project that included counting numbers through the gate. That figure too is likely not that accurate but they're never going to be anything like the swiss alps..