{"id":764479,"date":"2026-06-27T21:26:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T21:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/764479\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T21:26:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T21:26:00","slug":"halls-saddle-transport-hub-could-cost-up-to-35m-hobart-city-council-told","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/764479\/","title":{"rendered":"Halls Saddle transport hub could cost up to $35m, Hobart City Council told"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new car park and shuttle hub at the foot of Kunanyi\/Mt Wellington could cost up to $35 million, depending on how big the Hobart City Council decides to build it.<\/p>\n

The council will on Monday consider a master plan for a visitor hub at Halls Saddle, a disused quarry it owns in the mountain\u2019s foothills near Fern Tree.<\/p>\n

Under the plan, visitors would park at Halls Saddle and catch a shuttle bus up the mountain, rather than drive all the way to the summit.<\/p>\n

The mountain is Tasmania\u2019s most visited natural attraction, drawing about 583,000 people a year.<\/p>\n

\"\"A master plan for a visitor hub at Halls Saddle has been developed. Image \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

The plan found about 90% of mountain visitors go to the Pinnacle and about 85% drive, which the council says is causing congestion and safety issues on the narrow Pinnacle Road.<\/p>\n

Consultants Terroir tested four options for the site, with costs ranging from $15.33 million to $34.83 million.<\/p>\n

\"\"Narrow roads on Mount Wellington have been repeatedly blocked by parked cars. Image \/ City of Hobart<\/p>\n

They recommend option three, a three-level car park with 212 spaces, built into the quarry face at an estimated cost of $23.45 million.<\/p>\n

The cheapest option would put 230 spaces at ground level for $15.33 million, while option two would add a second level and between 330 and 350 spaces for $23.5 million.<\/p>\n

The largest option would provide 408 spaces across five levels for $34.83 million.<\/p>\n

But the council is not yet in a position to lock in a final design.<\/p>\n

\"\"The disused quarry at Halls Saddle could be transformed into a car park and shuttle hub. Image \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

The master plan says the preferred option depends on future decisions about mountain access, which \u201cremain unresolved and have the potential to materially influence the ultimate parking and transport requirements for the site\u201d.<\/p>\n

If cars continue driving to the summit, the site would need about 200 spaces in its first year, rising to about 230 within a decade.<\/p>\n

If private cars are banned from the summit, demand would jump to about 400 spaces, closer to the larger five-level option costing $34.83 million.<\/p>\n

That would also mean a much heavier reliance on shuttle buses, with most services running from Halls Saddle and the rest from Hobart, according to the modelling.<\/p>\n

\"\"An artist impression of option three, the design recommended by consultants. Image \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

For now, the council will only \u201creceive and note\u201d the report while it prepares a separate paper on future mountain access.<\/p>\n

A council spokesperson said the master plan was an important step in a long-term vision for the site.<\/p>\n

They said the options \u201chighlight what may be possible\u201d for the disused quarry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a final design, but the beginning of a broader conversation with the community about the site\u2019s future,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Shuttle buses would transport visitors from Halls Saddle up to the Pinnacle. Image \/ Pulse<\/p>\n

\u201cAny next stage would involve great care and include community and Palawa engagement to help shape a careful, collaborative path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project sits in the shadow of the long-running cable car debate, which was rejected by the council in 2021.<\/p>\n

It also comes amid a broader state government review of the mountain, led by the Department of State Growth.<\/p>\n

The review drew more than 9,000 submissions and has produced a community vision, with a final report in the form of an action plan due in mid-2026.<\/p>\n

The state government has repeatedly said the mountain needs a \u201csustainable transport solution\u201d, with a spokesperson previously telling Pulse it \u201cbelieves a cable car\u201d would be exactly that.<\/p>\n

A $3.2 million federal grant announced in November last year is funding the \u2018development-ready\u2019 planning work, with the council expected to seek further state and federal funding for construction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new car park and shuttle hub at the foot of Kunanyi\/Mt Wellington could cost up to $35…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":764480,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[64,63,75,128],"class_list":["post-764479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/764479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=764479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/764479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/764480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=764479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=764479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=764479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}