Why does the route cross the Organ Pipes?
This route combines critical shelter from the wind, allows for a low-profile summit building and the least amount of towers required to reach the summit. The cableway does not touch or impact the Organ Pipes, and the steep terrain makes the super long 2.1km span possible.
Further Detail:
The Organ Pipes are an 800 metre wide escarpment facing the city of Hobart and is valued by most locals, including climbers and other mountain users. Preservation of these cliffs and their continued enjoyment forms a key part of MWCC’s design approach.
The eastern side of the mountain provides shelter from prevailing westerly winds, and natural terraces found only below the existing Observation Shelter allow the upper station to be positioned below the skyline. Reaching that location across the northern end of the escarpment brings those key advantages together. This steep rise allows a long span with only one tower near the summit, is set back around 80 metres from the cliff, and can be short enough to also not protrude above the skyline when seen from the city or the Eastern Shore.
With cliffs over 140 metres high, the scale of the Organ Pipes will dwarf the 5cm thick cables and the 2 cabins that are scheduled to pass silently on 15 minute intervals.
For walkers on the mountain, the alignment has been carefully placed so that it is very difficult to see or notice any infrastructure from anywhere along the Organ Pipes Track.
MWCC compared other routes that avoided the cliffs, including northern approaches. Those options require many more and taller towers, greater exposure to crosswinds, ice-fall risk from transmission facilities, and buildings more prominent on the skyline. The selected route balances those needs while keeping the mountain face largely free of structures.
For the visitor experience, this route will allow anyone of any age and ability to see them from a whole new perspective. Importantly, no part of the cableway system touches or interferes with the cliffs in any way.