A Minute With The Mayor

Last week CEO Warren Bunker, Councillor Clay Bauman and I attended the two-day 2024 Coastal Leaders Forum in Townsville.
 
This annual forum was a vital gathering of elected members, chief executives, and senior officers from across Queensland to showcase coastal council initiatives.
 
The well-attended forum explored current and emerging issues, identified coastal council-specific advocacy priorities and gave us the opportunity to engage with key State and Federal Government representatives and industry partners, on a range of matters impacting coastal communities.
 
Economic growth and diversification were major topics, particularly how we can leverage our natural assets to create new opportunities to boost tourism, support local businesses, and attract investment to our region.
 
The Shadow Minister for Environment and Science Sam O’Connor spoke openly of the LNP’s plans to improve access to National Parks, revitalise island tourism and fast track the approvals process for new projects such as the Whitsunday Skyway project.
 
This is encouraging news as the Skyway initiative, being driven by visionary tourism operator Elizabeth Hackett, is a project that will transform our region, offering both locals and visitors a unique way to experience the stunning natural beauty of the Whitsundays.
 
In Elizabeth’s words “Whitsunday Skyway will expand on, and complement current Whitsunday Tourism operations, offering greatly needed land-based infrastructure and activities for current and future tourism groups, regional residents, school groups, coach tours and other market segments.”
 
The Project is based around a 1km cable car ride to a summit 430m above sea level, in the Conway National Park, overlooking Airlie Beach and planning has progressed significantly and is now in the Detailed Assessment stage of an Exclusive Transaction Process with the Queensland State Government.
 
The all-weather cable car will move along at a height of 430m and offer a unique 360° vantage point to the Whitsunday Islands, Whitsundays mainland and the Coral Sea, with bistro, café and viewing facilities at the top.
 
There are also plans for a cultural interpretive centre, tropical rainforest activities and experiences, a network of mountain biking trails, a luge track facility, and a junior ropes course.
 
It is estimated that there are a further 12 months of the planning and development approval stage and then an estimated construction timeframe of 24 months so the next term of Government and support offered to the project will be key to it actually becoming a reality.
 
The economic impact is estimated to be around $40 million of new tourism spending, per year, with current analysis showing that more than 250,000 people are expected to visit the Skyway every year.
 
The total project development cost on completion is expected to be about $86m. 

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Mayor Ry with Shadow Minister for Environment and Science Sam O’Connor and other Queensland Mayors at the Coastal Leaders Fortum in Townsville. Photo supplied

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