A new bus fleet featuring environmentally friendly technology and vehicles with improved accessibility will soon be introduced at Cradle Mountain to help meet increasing visitor numbers following the awarding of the tender to McDermott Coaches.
Four new diesel-electric hybrid vehicles will be added to McDermott Coaches’ fleet of five conventional diesel buses which are currently in use at the mountain.
A shuttle bus service has been used to transport visitors from the visitor centre into the National Park and Dove Lake since 2004.
This service has been successful in addressing overcrowding and traffic management issues on the road to Dove lake, while providing a safe high-quality tourism experience.
Visitation to Cradle Mountain is at an all-time high with 268,000 people visiting last year, a 12 per cent increase on the previous year.
Whilst a cableway remains the government’s preferred solution for the park, an increased shuttle bus service will be required in the short term while cableway options are fully investigated.
This new service will further support the Hodgman Liberal Government’s investment into Cradle Mountain.
We have already committed $21.8 million to implement the Cradle Mountain Master Plan which includes a new visitor centre, village precinct, carpark and visitor shelter at Dove Lake, and a further $35 million for the cableway and a new iconic tourism experience at Cradle Mountain.