In what the Tasmanian’s government is hailing another coup for its ‘vision to grow visitor numbers’, the Three Capes Track has recently attracted an award at the International Trails Symposium in Dayton, Ohio (USA).
The award was provided by American Trails, a non-profit advocacy body that provides leadership for sustainable trail planning, design and construction.
The ‘International Planning and Design Award’ is designed to recognise an extraordinary walking track project from outside of the United States, which demonstrates innovation in planning and design, while also making a positive contribution to a specific country or region.
Since opening in December of 2015, more than 15,500 people, locals and internationals, have completed the walk.
In a press release announcing the win, Tasmania’s minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage, Matthew Groom said the award demonstrates ‘that appropriate developments such as this can provide significant benefits to regional communities and help grow Tasmania’s reputation as a world leader in ecotourism experiences.’
Yet not everyone has been overjoyed with the development of the Three Capes Track. Not only have local walking clubs raised concerns regarding reduced access to independent camping sites, plans for developing private huts have also been mooted, raising the spectre of privatisation of public lands.
Demonstrating its business appeal, the Three Capes Track won both Tasmania’s and Australia’s Best New Tourism Business for 2016, while its cabins have also won awards for design and construction.