Pros & Cons of Tassie’s Controversial ‘Next Iconic Walk’

Tasmania’s Next Iconic Walk is a proposed three-day, two-night bushwalking experience alongside the wild and rugged Tyndall Ranges on Tasmania’s West Coast. After a lengthy consultation process first announced in 2019, details of the hut-based, 28km walk from Lake Plimsoll to Lake Margaret were released in late 2023.

The new walk will follow a similar model to the popular Three Capes Walk in Tasmania’s southeast, with a Class T3 (aka ‘boot standard’) track, comfortable modern huts, and a generally high level of facilities to suit visitors with less walking experience. Construction is planned to commence in 2025, with the track opening by 2029.

Normally, the announcement of a new bushwalking trail is welcomed by the hiking community. After all, new places to visit and investment in better facilities are good things, right?

The response to the Next Iconic Walk proposal, however, has been very polarising to say the least. The WAE post on the latest announcement generated a lot of comments – many of them concerned with the proposal or downright against it.

Update: In March 2025, the Tasmanian Government provided an update to the plans for the Iconic Walk, and it’s been similarly controversial.

The potential environmental and social impacts of any development on public lands should always be thoroughly scrutinised – especially when our tax dollars are paying for it. That said, there appears to be a lot of confusion and even misinformation around what the proposed walk will be and how it would function.

Let’s see if we can cut through the noise and get to the key arguments – both for and against.

The Arguments in Favour

1. Tasmania needs more bushwalking tracks to keep up with demand – particularly ones suited to less-experienced walkers

Ask anyone who’s left it to the last minute to organise their summer Overland Track or Walls of Jerusalem trip – Tassie books out fast!

Securing a place on the highly popular Overland Track or Three Capes Track during the peak walking months of December to March has long required booking the moment dates open around 6 months prior.

Now, as other popular tracks such as the Walls of Jerusalem and Frenchmans Cap tracks have moved to a registration system (currently free, but for how long?) to manage walker numbers, the lack of capacity has become increasingly apparent.

This has had two very noticeable and concerning impacts:

1. Walkers attempting much harder trails, often beyond their level of experience and preparedness. Challenging locations such as Lake Rhona, the Western Arthurs, and the Mt Anne Circuit that are ill-suited for novice walkers have seen a marked increase in visitation over the past decade.
2. Walkers ignoring the registration system entirely, resulting in overcrowding at campsites, increased environmental degradation along the tracks, and ultimately a compromised wilderness experience.

Tasmania’s natural wilderness values underscore much of the state’s appeal to visitors both interstate and overseas. As tourism continues to grow year-over-year, the issue of access and managing those numbers in the state’s wilderness areas will only see increasing pressure.

Read more: 9 Things You Oughta Know Before Walking Tasmania’s Western Arthurs Range

2. Tasmania’s West Coast needs to diversify from the boom-and-bust cycle of the mining industry

With its fortunes long shackled to the variability of mineral commodity prices, tourism has always been seen as key to help balance out the West Coast economy, and give opportunity and stability to its community beyond extractive primary industries.

The recent opening of new mountain biking trails around Queenstown, Zeehan, and Rosebery have helped them tap into Tasmania’s now internationally renowned mountain biking scene, bringing with it thousands of new visitors who not only ride the trails but need to be accommodated, fed, and watered. Mountain biking isn’t for everyone, however, hence the need to develop new attractions with broader appeal – like walking tracks.

The development of the track itself will of course create direct employment too: 139 new jobs during construction and 40 ongoing once in operation, according to modelling put forward by the state government.

3. The proposed route won’t use, nor restrict or lock out free access to the existing Tyndalls Range plateau walking track between Mount Tyndall, Lake Tyndall, and Mount Geikie

When news first broke that the Tyndall Range would be the focus of a new Three Capes-style development, there was much concern that it would utilise the existing Tyndall Plateau track, an incredibly scenic but barely-developed high elevation walking trail.

Understandably the local bushwalking community and environmental groups were worried both about the impacts of a major development on the extremely sensitive alpine environment, and whether the existing free access would be affected.

The proposed track route, however, is to run east of the main Tyndall Range plateau.

Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) state that this route was chosen specifically because it avoided the highly exposed and delicate alpine environment, and will weave primarily through forest and past many lakes at comparatively lower elevations.

PWS also have since confirmed that the existing Tyndall Plateau track will be unaffected by the proposed development and will remain freely accessible.

4. All track and hut infrastructure will be publicly owned by the State Government and operated by Parks and Wildlife Tasmania – not a private company

Similarly, there was immediate concern and backlash that the proposed walk would be privately owned and/or operated.

There’s been an increasing push by commercial business interests to build luxury huts, lodges, and other developments to cater to the ‘high-end’ tourism market within wilderness areas such as the South Coast Track and Lake Malbena. These plans have drawn heavy criticism from the Tasmanian National Parks Association, the Bob Brown Foundation, the Wilderness Society, and the local bushwalking fraternity as selling out the state’s public land to private business interests.

Both the state government and PWS have confirmed the proposed walk will be an entirely state-owned and operated business. Additionally, I’ve contacted PWS directly, who confirmed that commercial hut options – akin to those that operate in parallel on the Three Capes and Overland Tracks currently – are not part of the environmental assessment impact currently underway.

Read more: Private Cabins Have Been Proposed for Gardens of Stone Conservation Area Multi-Day Walk

The Arguments Against

1. It’s going to be a very expensive project to build

Originally pegged at cost of $25M back in 2019 –  similar to what was ultimately spent developing the Three Capes Track – the current price tag has risen considerably to $40 million as of late 2023.

The usual shrugs about post-COVID inflation aside, that is a lot of money. Especially for a single tourism venture, and especially when PWS itself has long been underfunded. Countless existing trails are in desperate need of track works and other infrastructure to protect them from erosion and damage, and in many cases improve access to the trails themselves.

2. It won’t be cheap to walk either

Though by no means official yet, a fee of $579 per person for the three-day, two-night experience has been suggested as part of the feasibility study. By comparison, the Three Capes Track walk is $595 per person for four days and three nights, which includes a scenic two-hour boat cruise to the trailhead, and bus transfer from the trail end back to Port Arthur.

Similarly, a ‘camp platform-only’ option, for walkers using their own tents instead of the huts, was priced at $288 per person for the three-day, two-night experience (as per the feasibility study).

Again as a comparison, the Overland Track costs $285 per person for a 6-8 day (typical) experience, with the option to use your tent or the huts if you want (and arrive early enough to get a bunk).

3. The economic viability of the project has been questioned

Even at those prices, there are doubts as to whether the Walk can break even in terms of ongoing maintenance and management. The ABC reported the walk needing a near-100% occupancy of 9100 walkers for six months of the year to cover operational costs and staffing (though crunching the numbers in the feasibility report shows this figure is more around 79% occupancy or just under 7200 walkers for the same period).

Either way, concerns have been raised as to whether or not such high levels of visitorship are actually attainable.

Reasons include the before-mentioned high cost per walker, the longer travel times to the West Coast from the major cities (and limited public transport options to get there) and sheer market demand. However the one big factor that could seriously affect walker numbers is…

4. The West Coast’s famously bad weather could threaten both year-round utilisation of the track and walker safety

All jokes and colourful metaphors about Tassie’s ‘variable’ weather really come into their own on the West Coast.

The Roaring 40s blast across the Indian Ocean and slam into the West Coast Ranges year-round, bringing freezing winds and plenty of rain. The nearby Mount Read weather station records on average 282 rainy days and over 3500mm of precipitation per year. Snowfalls aren’t limited to the winter and early spring months either.

While the proposed track will avoid the exposed Tyndall Plateau, walkers will still have a better-than-average chance of experiencing terrible weather at some point along their trek. By PWS’s own admission in their feasibility report, the wet, cold, and cloudy weather could be a potential barrier to enjoyment of the walk.

How many people will be willing to shell out almost $600 for a very real chance of three days of rain, wind and fog?

And perhaps the greater concern, how safe will those conditions be for those who are willing? The Tasmanian National Parks Association have described encouraging inexperienced walkers into the area as irresponsible. Unprepared bushwalkers getting caught out in bad weather account for a significant number of rescues each year in Tasmania.

5. The proposed track could bring more attention – and walkers – to the fragile Tyndall Plateau area

It’s human nature: put a price tag on something desirable, and some people will naturally seek a free alternative.

For those unable or unwilling to pay the price for the new hut-based walk, the free alternative of the existing Tyndall Plateau track nearby will no doubt be an enticing option, either as a day walk to Mount Tyndall or overnight camping further south around the tarns of Lake Tyndall and towards Mount Geikie.

Views from Mt Geikie across the rugged West Coast

This is a real concern as the existing track has minimal hardening and already shows considerable damage through erosion in many areas. This despite being a somewhat less visited area – until now – at least compared to other walks in the state.

As mentioned, the plateau itself is covered in delicate cushion plants and alpine heath which are easily damaged by careless foot traffic. Additionally, inappropriate toileting particularly from overnight campers risks contaminating the picturesque lakes and tarns (it really is a ‘pack everything out’ kinda place).

Read more: Long Live the Poo Tube! – Why It Might Be Time We Start Packing Out All of Our Turds

6. It wasn’t the only option put forward

PWS states it received some 35 submissions for the Next Iconic Walk project.

Amongst those rejected by the government is the Trans-Tarkine Track, proposed by the Bob Brown Foundation as broader effort to officially protect the long-contested takanya/Tarkine region in North-West Tasmania.

The 100km, 10-day (optionally 2×5 day) trek would wind through temperate rainforests and low mountain ranges of the Tarkine wilderness before following along the isolated coast southwards to the head of the Pieman River. A ferry service would then return walkers up the Pieman River to Corinna.

The study commissioned by the Bob Brown Foundation has stated that a track built to Grade 3 standard (similar to the Overland Track) with 10 campsites complete with tent platforms and toilets could be built for $20M-25M.

7. It’s yet another high-end ‘luxury’ walking experience for those who can afford it

There have been criticisms from the local bushwalking community that regular Tasmanians are increasingly being priced out of their own wilderness. First, with the introduction of the booking system for the Overland Track in 2004, and then with the redevelopment of the old Cape Pillar trail into the Three Capes Track in 2015.

The proposed Next Iconic Walk continues a trend that has been argued flies against the ethos of bushwalking itself: a humble and affordable pastime, accessible to anyone with a bit of fitness and a sense of adventure.

This fact, combined with ongoing pressures by large private organisations to develop luxury huts at Lake Malbena and along the South Coast Track, are feeding real concerns that our national parks and wilderness areas are slowly but surely being turned into commercialised playgrounds for wealthy travellers who want to experience ‘wilderness’ from the comfort of a luxury hut and without getting their boots muddy.

The Hard Realities…

Creating a sustainable multi-day bushwalking experience in the 21st century isn’t cheap

Once upon a time – quite a long time ago, admittedly – a perfectly serviceable mountain hut could be built by a small group of skilled hands from locally-sourced timber and sheets of iron walked in over several weekends.

Those days are well and truly over. Nearby native trees are no longer an environmentally acceptable building resource. Modern-day construction codes, bushfire protection regulations, and insurance liability concerns mean the old rough sawn timber structures wouldn’t cut the mustard anyway.

Taking the typical visitor’s expectations out of the equation for the moment, new wilderness huts must be highly insulated, provide safe refuge in bushfires and meet numerous safety standards like any other public use building. All supplies and waste during construction and ongoing – including human – have to be flown in and out by helicopter.

And that’s just for the huts. Creating a durable walking route that resists long-term erosion – particularly over the delicate peat and alpine soils prevalent in Tasmania – requires extensive sections of stonework, duck boarding, drainage, and bridges. Materials and the labour needed to build them, again, all have to be flown in by helicopter at considerable expense.

Then there’s everything else required. From trailhead facilities and signage to ranger staffing, booking systems, ongoing maintenance, and overall management – it all costs money. Lots of it.

Tassie is uniquely wild

Increasing capacity on Tassie’s existing bushwalking tracks would not only be difficult and expensive, but would also irrevocably change their wild character

Many of Tasmania’s multi-day bushwalking trails began life either as Aboriginal migration routes, or tracks cut by early European colonists.

They’ve evolved into their present forms due mostly to the volunteer efforts of local walking clubs – providing basic clearing and improvements over the course of many decades until national parks were declared and government departments intervened.

Often routed through delicate vegetation and soft, erosion-prone areas based on convenience, none were ever expected to see nor handle the thousands of pairs of boots they now see each year.

Most of these trails – particularly those in the southwest: The Arthurs Ranges, Lake Rhona, Mount Anne, and the South Coast Track – now face significant erosion and track degradation issues due to current walking numbers. While the potential scope of future remediation works seems mostly a matter of money, there’s also the important consideration of how far such track works should go.

Better track conditions, unsurprisingly, encourage greater visitation and use. More boots equals more wear and tear, thus more erosion and degradation, requiring increasing levels of track hardening and other measures to limit damage… and the cycle continues.

Read more: Why Are Australian Walking Tracks Being Over-Engineered?

Those tracks that have seen major upgrades in recent decades namely the Overland Track and Frenchman’s Cap – have seen their character change too. Whether for the better or worse depends on who you ask. Few miss the muddy mess of the infamous Sodden Loddons on the latter, now rerouted thanks to the generosity of Dick Smith a decade ago.

Yet many bemoan the sanitising of a once genuinely challenging and difficult bushwalk, a rite of passage of sorts that now resembles a ‘highway’ in sections.

While some level of track repair and protection will inevitably be necessary to manage existing damage at current walker numbers, an enormous level of track hardening, infrastructure, and rerouting would be required to handle any significant increase.

Doing so would not only cost a fortune to implement, but also take away from the raw, wild, and still mostly untamed aspect of Tasmania’s walking trails, one of their primary draws to experienced bushwalkers across the planet. To lose this inherent wildness would be a real tragedy.

As a regional reserve in a mineral-rich area, development of a world-renowned wilderness experience nearby could, in time, help protect the area permanently

Environmentalists have long petitioned for the Tyndall Regional Reserve to be granted full national park status and added to the Tasmanian World Heritage Wilderness Area. Its location amongst some of the state’s largest mineral reserves, however, means achieving this status isn’t without considerable political and legal challenge.

It’s a round-about way to achieve protection, but creating a world-class and – eventually – world-renowned bushwalking trail alongside the mountain range would mean not just local but international outrage and pressure, should the area come under threat from mining or other development in the future.

‘User pays’ is probably here to stay – because it keeps working

Many bushwalkers – both old and young – lament the ever increasing need to put our hands in our pockets to walk in our own wilderness.

Given that nature-based experiences underwrite a substantial part of Tasmania’s tourism appeal, there’s a strong argument that the government should be spending more public funds to maintain, improve, and expand the state’s freely accessible walking trail network.

Doing this would encourage tourists to get out and visit the state’s regional areas, spending money on food, accommodation, and other experiences as they go.

The problem is that there appears to be zero political or broader community will to do this.

How much of a priority is exploring when it comes to your cost of living budget?

We recently had a state election in Tasmania. Save for a solitary single-line campaign promise by The Greens on reversing the Reserve Activity Assessment process currently entertaining luxury hut developments in World Heritage Areas, our parks and reserves barely rated a whisper.

Cost of living concerns, the housing crisis, and the evergreen electioneering topics of health, education, and economy are what win elections. (Admittedly it’s difficult to care about walking track charges when you’re struggling to keep a roof over your head…)

Until that situation changes and the government starts properly funding PWS infrastructure again, however, our Parks’ funding their own maintenance and upgrades through passes and fees is the only real viable option.

For all the initial grumblings saying it wouldn’t work, both the pay-to-walk Overland Track and Three Capes Tracks have been, by all objective measures, genuine successes. Despite the significant cost for a walking pass, both walks consistently book out months in advance over the peak season.

Crucially, track maintenance and infrastructure improvements are being directly funded by those fees – the new (and rather fancy) huts along the Overland Track being a prime example.

That’s great for those who can afford the price of admission. Clearly, plenty of people can. Yet many can’t. Should they be denied a fair and reasonable wilderness experience?

The question is, where is the balance point between equality in access, environmental protection, and economic reality?

What do you think about the plans for the Next Iconic Walk? Let us know in the comments section below.