Brand Tasmania Newsletter, March, 2010, Issue 103

A curved building with a turf-covered roof will be built at The Springs, halfway up Mount Wellington, following Hobart City Council approval in February. The Sultan Holdings proposal also includes new public toilets, a snow plough shed, an 80-space carpark and a walkway. Existing toilets and a stone day-use shelter will be demolished to make way for the new building which will house an interpretation area, shop and a restaurant over two levels.

Only one alderman voted against the $3 million proposal for a rare development within the Wellington Range National Park. The council’s Development and Environmental Services Chair, Darlene Haigh, said: “We have been waiting for this for so many years. I’m looking forward to seeing it. The design is so sensitive. We have about 300,000 visitors a year up the mountain. It’s a big destination. There were some traffic concerns, but it was felt by the majority that the good far outweighed any negative.”

Earlier, developer Ali Sultan told The Mercury he didn’t expect a “cable car reaction” to the proposal. “The cable car and this development, you can't compare them,” he said. “This one is hidden. You’ll hardly notice it.” Only 15 people bothered to comment when the development application was made public.

Mr Sultan expressed surprise that it had taken more than 40 years to replace the Springs Hotel which burned down in the 1967 bushfires. “It’s a million-dollar view,” he said. “Where else would you get a view like that? But for visitors, there has been nowhere to sit down and have a cup of tea.”

The 64-seat restaurant has been positioned to take in the view of the Organ Pipes. Walls will be finished to resemble “craggy boulders” and the undulating sod roof will be planted with native grasses. “As these grass tussocks are part of the staple diet of local wildlife, steps will be constructed to allow local animals to easily get up on to the roof to freely graze,” the development application said. “Every aspect of the design reflects a philosophy to achieve the lowest impact possible.”

The carpark will not be visible from the road to the pinnacle. There will be no external floodlighting of the building and the sod roof will obscure the visitor centre from those enjoying the view from the top of the mountain.

The building will incorporate large timber beams salvaged from a building in Argyle Street. Construction is scheduled to start before June and will take between six and 12 months to complete.