Mt Coot-tha's Controversial Zipline Has Officially Been Canned
After considerable community backlash, Brisbane's new Lord Mayor has scrapped the project.
For locals and tourists alike, Mt Coot-tha is one of Brisbane's must-see spots, particularly if you like peering down at the world from a great height. Over the past three years, it has also been the subject of heated debate over the proposed addition of a zipline — and now, mere days after the city received a new Lord Mayor, the controversial project has been scrapped.
New Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who took over the post on Monday, April 8, has announced the cancellation of the Mt Coot-ta zipline, stating via Twitter that the decision comes after consultations with local councillors and the Brisbane City Council CEO.
"Mt Coot-tha is a place for everyone where people can connect with our clean and green city and I want to make sure it's protected and remains a great asset for the city — that's my priority going forward," said Cr Schrinner in a statement, as reported by News Corp.
The decision reverses the council's own move earlier this year, when it officially gave the zipline the go-ahead. First approved in 2017, confirmed in 2018 and then rubber-stamped after a public consultation period late last year, the project was due to start construction later in 2019 for a late-2020 opening.
Both before and during the public consultation period, the zipline attracted substantial criticism about its potential environmental and noise impacts, especially throughout Mt Coot-tha's vegetation-heavy area — which would've likely required some amount of clearing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjjtLfALN48
The high-flying plans were certainly ambitious, and consisted of three parts: actual ziplines spanning nearly three kilometres comprised two of the components, including a treetop canopy tour starting at the west of the summit and finishing to the west of JC Slaughter Falls; and a two-stage, six-line 'megazip' between the summit and the Mt Coot-tha botanic gardens.
The final section of the project would've involved a guided Indigenous experience across a new 335-metre suspension bridge built above JC Slaughter Falls, connecting to the treetop canopy tour and the new arrival centre on Sir Samuel Griffith Drive.
Brisbane City Council was set to put $1 million towards the zipline.
Images: Brisbane City Council.
