tasman national park open

[wayno]

maybe tasman parks are trying to emulate nz DOC's great walks, milford track books out months in advance.. in mid summer they all book out, people willing to pay the $55 a night to get on the walks, and i've never seen rock steps made on any of those tracks anything like the quality of the ones on cape hauy, great walks they just rearrange some rocks to make steps they don't to mason work on them and cut them into neat square steps.
milford track has always been the marketing flagship, and had the biggest reputation but other great walks can rival it for scenery and experience, then you can pay $1500 and do the luxury guided walk, they dont sell out as fast but still popular... and now air nz has a business relationsihp with air nz,, air nz promote the great walks internationally, the great walker is one of their promotions and that is getting underway now. air nz has a link on the doc online booking website.... air nz ferry endangered birds around for doc as part of the arrangement, not sure if money changes hands as well.... so there is a market for higher standard walks... but what they did at cape hauy went over the top compared to what they had to do, like actually have money left for building huts then worry about tarting up the track. the great walks still have their sections that arent totally maniacured tracks, they can be rocky in places, they arent just cape hauy footpaths.... so not sure what was intended at cape hauy. whoever was in charge absolutely went for it and lost site of the full picture for the three capes walk by the look of it

[stepbystep]

$33.8 million for 65km of track. Which, if I've added that correctly, is just over a cool half mill per km. Which is still one hell of a lot for a walking track, although i assume it's supposed to include the huts and other associated infrastructure.

Indeed it does and not one cent would have been spent on local materials or contractors if the project didn't go ahead. Fed money might have helped build your freeway I suppose.

My little video was made on the budget of 3hrs of chopper drops but there are some really good people working on the track and I hope I have documented that to some extent. The guys at Mountain Trails have just secured the tender for the next section of track work, a Hobart company employing very skilled locals. Rock and gravel come from local suppliers, the helicopter company are based in Cambridge etc etc

Haters gonna hate but geeze get some perspective, what do you want? A new freeway? Sponsor another footy team for a couple of years?

[Strider]

I did hear a figure of $40M being thrown around, though you're correct I was basing it only on the Cape Hauy section length!

[tastrax]

at least maybe until the three capes track gets opened and marketed to death....

If they can afford to finish it, I doubt there will be any money left over for marketing! Cape Hauy went $15M over budget...

Where on earth did you get that figure from?

The whole project only has funding for around $25M.

[tastrax]

Latest contract for 6.6km of trackwork (as specified) - $1.34M at around $203 per metre. If you can better that then you would have won the tender.

https://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/Contract ... tails/4002

Good to see that all three tenders were from Tasmanian companies

Previous trackwork contracts on Cape Hauy
https://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/Contract ... tails/1869
https://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/Contract ... tails/1184

[Strider]

at least maybe until the three capes track gets opened and marketed to death....

If they can afford to finish it, I doubt there will be any money left over for marketing! Cape Hauy went $15M over budget...

Where on earth did you get that figure from?

The whole project only has funding for around $25M.

I can't remember exactly now. It was splashed around the news about being over budget a while back. Perhaps that's the anticipated total overage due to the unseen costs at Cape Hauy?

[Son of a Beach]

Graded trail, no mud, huts with mattresses and kitchens = easier walking + less weight to carry resulting in a "design" more akin to Europe, NZ and the US.

Just imagine the chaos on the OT for people who've just completely the 3 Capes and want to do the OT next without all the required gear. We get enough of that as it is already.

I'm not suggesting that it is a bad thing for the 3 Capes to do it this way, but it does have the potential to increase the existing problem for OT walkers from overseas. Especially when the OT is 'known' (for better or worse) as the best walk in Tasmania, and they know that the 3 Capes walk has mattresses and all the other paraphernalia in the huts.

[north-north-west]

$33.8 million for 65km of track. Which, if I've added that correctly, is just over a cool half mill per km. Which is still one hell of a lot for a walking track, although i assume it's supposed to include the huts and other associated infrastructure.

Indeed it does and not one cent would have been spent on local materials or contractors if the project didn't go ahead. Fed money might have helped build your freeway I suppose.

My little video was made on the budget of 3hrs of chopper drops but there are some really good people working on the track and I hope I have documented that to some extent. The guys at Mountain Trails have just secured the tender for the next section of track work, a Hobart company employing very skilled locals. Rock and gravel come from local suppliers, the helicopter company are based in Cambridge etc etc

Haters gonna hate but geeze get some perspective, what do you want? A new freeway? Sponsor another footy team for a couple of years?

Ummm, I haven't been knocking this, just commenting on the supposed cost. Once you factor in all the work involved and the location, it seems like a reasonable amount. MT are a good mob, I think they're the ones who did the connection track for the southern Prom circuit.

[stepbystep]

The guys at Mountain Trails have just secured the tender for the next section of track work, a Hobart company employing very skilled locals. Rock and gravel come from local suppliers, the helicopter company are based in Cambridge etc etc

Haters gonna hate but geeze get some perspective, what do you want? A new freeway? Sponsor another footy team for a couple of years?

Ummm, I haven't been knocking this, just commenting on the supposed cost. Once you factor in all the work involved and the location, it seems like a reasonable amount. MT are a good mob, I think they're the ones who did the connection track for the southern Prom circuit.

Great to see a Tasmanian company getting work on the 'mainland' eh? Not sure about the Prom but I know they do walk in Vic and NSW, with Tassie crew directing the jobs.

And I'd never accuse you of being a hater nnw, a skeptic at worst, and we're kindred spirits there.

[Nuts]

I agree re questioning the funding. What will the final blown out figure be?, who's incompetence will loose them their job?

[north-north-west]

... whose incompetence will loose them their job?

As long as it's a politician, who cares?

[wayno]

Graded trail, no mud, huts with mattresses and kitchens = easier walking + less weight to carry resulting in a "design" more akin to Europe, NZ and the US.

Just imagine the chaos on the OT for people who've just completely the 3 Capes and want to do the OT next without all the required gear. We get enough of that as it is already.

I'm not suggesting that it is a bad thing for the 3 Capes to do it this way, but it does have the potential to increase the existing problem for OT walkers from overseas. Especially when the OT is 'known' (for better or worse) as the best walk in Tasmania, and they know that the 3 Capes walk has mattresses and all the other paraphernalia in the huts.

you always get some europeans who expect catering at all the huts on the great walks, their problem , they dont read the information on the tracks and assume they will get the same experience down under, parks just need to advertise what facilities there are and if its not stated then it doesnt exist on that track,
only select huts in nz have gas stoves and only in summer and thats whats stated.... its like booking accomodation anywhere, check the facilities to be sure you are going to get what you want....

[wayno]

the arguments about the three capes track pales to insignificance if you happen to drive through the peninsula and see the horrendous damage caused by the recent fires, one of the most shocking days of my life to see it.
mile after mile of burnt forest. houses indiscriminately taken by the fire when the neighbours house a few metres away is totally unscathed.
numerous houses and the school at denally totally destroyed, houses , the only thing left upright is the chimneys..
some houses totally surrounded by burnt forest yet the house miraculously escapes damage.
and to top it off. no's visiting are down and that is hurting the local economy on top of the disaster.