A private business proposal to build six huts along the South Coast Track in Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWHHA) has been given almost $3 million for advancement by the Federal Government.
The project involves "building six environmentally-sensitive walker's huts" along an 85-kilometre stretch of the remote bushwalking track in the state's far south, for a "seven-day commercial guided walk for small groups of 10 guests and two guides".
The $2,950,000 'Business Innovation' listing on the Commonwealth's www.business.gov.au website is the largest grant of dozens of regional Tasmania grant recipients on the website and comes after the State Government announced the proposal as "a new iconic walking experience".
The total cost of the project is listed at $5,900,000.
"It provides a new opportunity for people to walk in this remarkable wilderness in safety and without having to carry a heavy pack," the government website says.
"The new guided walk will raise the profile of the Huon Valley and Far South areas as a tourism destination and bring lasting benefits with increased visitation, new accommodation and cafes, new tourism and transport operations, the same way the Overland Track, Three Capes Track and Derby mountain biking have done for their regional communities."
The proponent for South Coast Track Huts Walk Pty Ltd is well-known Tasmanian ecotourism figure Ian Johnstone, the operator of the award-winning Maria Island Walk.
In a statement released in December, Environment Minister Elise Archer said the "Hodgman Liberal Government is continuing to unlock new opportunities for sensitive and appropriate tourism development in our stunning natural areas".
At the time, the statement said the project had progressed to "lease and licence" negotiations and the huts would involve "a minimal footprint to ensure other park users will not be aware of their presence".
"If approved, the walk will complement Mr Johnstone's proposal for an overnight guided walk to the South East Cape that is also currently progressing through lease and licence negotiations," the statement said.
"Both proposals are consistent with the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan and will need to obtain all relevant Commonwealth and statutory approvals before progressing."
Ms Archer was also the minister for Parks but that portfolio is now held by the Premier Will Hodgman.
Mr Hodgman has said it was his vision to turn Tasmania into "the eco-tourism capital of the world".
Last month, he released the government's Frenchmans Cap Recreation Zone Plan as part of a draft plan to encourage more people to the area, also located in the TWHHA.
The plan, released alongside the unveiling of a new public hut for bushwalkers, could see visitors paying for the experience.
That announcement came a day after the ABC revealed an area at Lake Malbena in the Central Highlands, had been reclassified from Wilderness Zone to Self-Reliant Recreation Zone.
Mr Johnstone has been contacted for comment.
Other recipients on the federal government website include the Break O'Day Council, granted $1,537,500 for a St Helens Mountain Bike Network, the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council with $2,337,500 to boost the region's water capacity through the Prosser Plains Water Scheme at Buckland, and Aquaculture Services Australasia Pty Ltd with $600,000 for an upgrade of its Triabunna facility on the state's east coast.
The full list can be found at the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages, Regional Tasmania grant recipients website.
