An ambitious plan for a six kilometre, multi-million dollar chairlift from Lake Canobolas to the top of Mount Canobolas has been proposed.
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Orange City Council deputy mayor Sam Romano said he had been approached by an investor about the idea.
Cr Romano said a chairlift would support plans to open an extensive mountain bike park on the mountain and should be complemented by building a restaurant at the summit.
This is something I think would be great for the city.
- Cr Sam Romano
He said the chairlift should be open all year round to offer people access when the mountain road was closed because of snow and become a major tourist attraction for Orange.
Cr Romano said it would enable bike riders to get to the mountain bike park and return after completing a descent.
“I was approached about it. This is something I think would be great for the city,” he said.
He compared the chairlift to one operating at Thredbo which provides access for skiers in winter and is equipped to carry riders and mountain bikes in summer.
POLL: Have your say ...
Cr Romano said he had not costed the plan or considered its impact on the environment.
“We’ll cross that when we come to it. There are plenty of trees there,” he said.
Cr Romano said the investor who approached him was not offering to cover the cost of constructing or operating a chairlift.
“It might be totally funded by the government,” he said.
“I’ve got no costings at the moment. There is a lot to talk about.
“What we’re intending is to make it work with the mountain bike track.”
He said council would need to work with Cabonne Shire Council as part of the area falls in its boundaries.
The chairlift has won support from Orange people in a Central Western Daily poll which showed 71 per cent were in favour of it. However it has been opposed by conservationists.
A similar chairlift, costing $20 million, was opened at Arthurs Seat on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in 2016.
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