Final vision submitted on behalf of Destination Southern Tasmania
kunanyi/Mount Wellington is Tasmania’s most visited natural attraction. Around 30% of visitors to the state go there, along with more than 200,000 visits a year from Tasmanians. For many people it is their first experience of Tasmania’s natural areas.
When the Tasmanian Government sought views on the long-term future of Wellington Park, episteme prepared a submission for Destination Southern Tasmania. It drew on two years of engagement with DST’s members, particularly the operators whose businesses rely on the Park. It also drew on previous work episteme had completed with the Wellington park Trust and City of Hobart.
The submission sets out priorities under three themes: values management, user experience and administration. It starts from a simple premise: respect the core values of culture, heritage and environment, and value to the community and visitors will follow. The top priorities are a governance model that is transparent and includes palawa, a master plan for the visitor experience, access for everyone at all hours, adequate funding, support for brand-aligned private investment, and safe, sustainable transport. It also includes case studies of how other mountain parks around the world are managed.