Cableway No Way

A cableway through World Heritage Springbrook National Park is a threat to wildlife and habitat and endangers the integrity of this global biodiversity hotspot.

What can you do?

  1. Sign the petition asking Premier Crisafulli to rule out a cableway through the World Heritage listed Springbrook National Park.
  2. Contact representatives with your concerns: Your local Councillor or the Minister for Environment, Tourism Science and Innovation, Hon Andrew Powell or the Premier of Queensland, Hon David Crisafulli.
  3. Share your love of Springbrook with a personal story. Email: advocacy@gecko.org.au
  4. Share our social media Facebook and Insta: GeckoGoldCoast

Here’s a PDF version of Springbrook Cableway Frequently Asked Questions to email to friends and representatives.

Springbrook Cableway: Frequently Asked Questions

The City of Gold Coast Council is pushing ahead with a cableway proposal in World Heritage listed Springbrook National Park without First Nations agreement and despite likely devastating consequences for threatened species and ecosystems.

Gecko Environment Council, Queensland Conservation Council and National Parks Association of Queensland are joined by local groups, residents, and business owners in their grave concern about this inappropriate proposal in a protected area with exceptional wildlife and habitat.

What damage could a Springbrook cableway do?

A Springbrook cableway poses risks and damage that are too high for environmental, cultural, and social reasons as determined in a rigorous environmental assessment for a cableway proposal in 2000.

  • A cableway to Springbrook would significantly impact threatened species and increase risk of fire and landslip in this small and fragile World Heritage listed National Park.
  • The use of helicopters over several years to install large towers over the 10 km route will result in severe damage to ecosystems which include rare and threatened animals and plants.
  • Other infrastructure such as service roads inside the National Park will most likely also be needed. Further unacceptable impacts include double visitor numbers to one million a year, and increased sewerage and water truck movements on the mountain road.

The World Heritage listing of this globally significant protected area is endangered by a cableway and all related impacts. Springbrook’s World Heritage status was downgraded by UNESCO in 2020 to “of concern” due to impacts of visitation and climate change.

What are Traditional Owner’s views of a cableway?

Initial consultation of Traditional Owners found that the Native Title applicant group Danggan Balun do not support or consent to a Springbrook cableway. Several other TOs express their concerns and do not agree with the proposal. A single respondent from a Native Title applicant group has recently provided his support to proceed with further consultation.

Is there a benefit to local business?

There is currently no plan for cableway users to be able to access any local business or other sites on Springbrook. The cableway business model would likely focus on retaining the dollar spend in its café/ restaurants at the pinnacle of the ride.

Springbrook businesses would have to organise a transport system from the landing of the cableway as Springbrook attractions are spread out over the plateau. Cableway riders also need to take return trips as there is no alternative public transport down the Mountain.

What’s the proposed route?

This proposal would be the longest cableway in Australia, covering 10km of wildlife habitat. There is not one route, but several on the drawing board. Recently in the Springbrook Cableway Update Report to the COGC Council Economy, Tourism and Events Committee officers reported: “To capitalise on the unique opportunities of the landscape, the route would need to traverse predominantly through Springbrook National Park.”

A pre-feasibility study undertaken by Urbis assumes that a possible future cableway proposal would have a base station accessed from Gold Coast-Springbrook Road around Neranwood; a mid-way station; a destination station on Springbrook Plateau with good access to Purling Brook Falls; and a total length of approximately 10 km.

What makes Springbrook cableway different to the cableway in Kuranda?

Kuranda cableway in far north QLD was initially built before the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was implemented. The forest over which the Kuranda cableway passes is rainforest and not flammable eucalyptus forest. The soils in Kuranda are stable, unlike Springbrook which are prone to landslip.

A Springbrook cableway would traverse nine different regional ecosystems which are home to staggering

biodiversity and must continue to be protected. These include ecosystems that are susceptible to bushfire.

The Kuranda cableway passes along the edge of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area unlike the Springbrook proposal which would traverse the centre of the World Heritage area and could result in the loss of its World Heritage status.

Kuranda also has a destination town accessible at the top of the cableway as well as markets to visit and a scenic train ride which can complete the circuit instead of a two-way ride on a cableway.

Kuranda has both a water and sewerage supply unlike Springbrook which has neither. Springbrook National Park and mountain infrastructure would struggle to cope with an increase to 1 million visitors per year.

 

How can we improve visitor experiences in the hinterland?

Gecko Environment Council strongly recommends COGC Council investigate a World Heritage Centre to celebrate the unique natural and cultural values of Springbrook and Lamington National Parks. This will support growth in local tourism companies, taking visitors to the centre and various natural sites.

A Council report states that cableways are nothing new to attract more visitors. But there is an opportunity for a world-class visitor centre in the southeast as a gateway to our globally recognised Gondwana forests.

 

Make your view heard…

  1. Sign the petition asking Premier Crisafulli to rule out a destructive Springbrook Cableway.
  2. Contact representatives with your concerns: Your local Councillor or the Minister for Environment, Tourism Science and Innovation, Hon Andrew Powell or the Premier of Queensland, Hon David Crisafulli.
  3. Share your love of Springbrook with a personal story. Email: advocacy@gecko.org.au
  4. Share our social media Facebook and Insta: GeckoGoldCoast

Here’s a PDF version of Springbrook Cableway Frequently Asked Questions to email to friends and representatives.

Biodiversity values of World Heritage Springbrook National Park

Springbrook is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. These ancient Gondwana Rainforests have an extremely high conservation value and provide habitat for more than 200 rare or threatened plant and animal species. Recently as a result of the devastating bushfires of last summer the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has reassessed the status of Gondwana Rainforests to “significant concern.” This being the case we cannot afford any further degradation from any source.

The World Heritage listing of the Gondwana Rainforests is based on the following criteria:

These irreplaceable qualities and values are often forgotten by those who only see national parks as a place for visitors to walk and picnic, or to exploit with commercial development such as a cableway.

 

Read our joint media releases here:

25 October 2024: Conservationists ‘dismayed’ at LNP push for cableway in World Heritage Area

21 November 2024: Council urged to drop Springbrook Cableway ‘mission’; listen to locals