Australian Protected Areas Commercial Tourism Watch
Week ending 19 July 2026
Four developments met the threshold for inclusion in this first Protected Areas Tourism Watch update. The most significant new development is the Northern Territory Government’s decision to invite private tourism investment across four protected and heritage areas. The Whitsunday Skyway has also been included as a high-priority baseline project, although its main government funding and fast-tracking decisions were announced in June.
New proposals
Northern Territory opens four protected areas to private tourism investment
Priority: Very high
The Northern Territory Government has announced opportunities for private tourism investment at Litchfield National Park, Elsey National Park, Alice Springs Desert Park and Tennant Creek Telegraph Station Historical Reserve.
The commercial concepts identified by the government include semi-permanent safari camps and guided experiences in Litchfield National Park; the redevelopment of Jalmurark Campground in Elsey National Park for camping, caravans and glamping; premium safari accommodation and nocturnal wildlife experiences at Alice Springs Desert Park; and boutique heritage accommodation at Tennant Creek Telegraph Station.
The opportunities were announced on 15 and 16 July 2026. No private proponents have yet been publicly selected, and formal tender documents, lease conditions, assessment requirements and closing dates have not been identified.
This development is significant because it goes beyond the licensing of existing guided activities. It represents an explicit attempt to attract private accommodation investment into several protected and heritage areas at the same time, potentially establishing a broader Northern Territory model for commercial tourism development within parks. The initiative has also been linked to $10 million in park infrastructure funding and $5 million for maintenance.
Confirmed: The four locations and the broad forms of commercial development have been publicly announced by the Northern Territory Government.
Not yet confirmed: The exact development sites, proposed footprints, lease terms, environmental assessment pathways, public consultation requirements and submission deadlines.
Approvals and government funding
Whitsunday Skyway receives government funding and a fast-tracked approval pathway
Priority: Very high
The proposed Whitsunday Skyway near Airlie Beach would extend commercial tourism infrastructure into Conway National Park. The project is being advanced by Australian Adventure Tourism Group and is being considered through the Queensland Government and the Office of the Coordinator-General.
Stage One of the proposal includes a 1.8-kilometre cableway to the summit area, a luge-style ride, dining and event facilities, cultural experiences and walking infrastructure. A possible mountain-bike component remains subject to further investigation and feasibility work.
The project was declared a Prescribed Project on 3 June 2026. This allows the Coordinator-General to coordinate and streamline the approval process, although the declaration does not itself amount to final environmental or development approval. The Queensland Government has also committed $5 million over two years through the 2026–27 State Budget to support construction.
This is an important project for Keep It Wild Australia to follow because it combines public funding with a streamlined approval pathway for substantial commercial infrastructure extending into a national park. It may become an influential precedent for how governments support private tourism projects on protected public land.
Confirmed: Prescribed Project status, Queensland Government funding and the main Stage One components.
Not yet confirmed: The final cableway alignment, land tenure and lease arrangements, environmental conditions, final construction approval and commencement date.
Public consultations and investigations
Springbrook cableway moves towards a corridor decision and broader consultation
Priority: High
The City of Gold Coast is continuing to investigate a privately operated cableway linking the Gold Coast lowlands with the Springbrook plateau. The surrounding landscape includes Springbrook National Park and part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.
No private operator, route, landing point or final design has been selected. The city has stated that a third party would ultimately be expected to design, construct and operate the cableway and associated visitor experience.
Potential corridors were expected to be presented to the council during July. Targeted engagement with Springbrook residents, businesses and Aboriginal stakeholders is underway, with broader public consultation expected in August 2026 if the council decides to continue the investigation.
The proposal remains conceptual, but it could lead to major privately operated infrastructure within or immediately beside a national park and World Heritage landscape. The next council decision will be important because it may determine whether the project progresses from a broad concept to a defined development proposal.
Confirmed: The investigation is continuing, targeted engagement is underway and a broader consultation process has been indicated.
Not yet confirmed: The preferred corridor, project design, commercial model, overall cost and exact relationship between the infrastructure and protected-area boundaries.
Projects moving into construction
$85 million Skyrail upgrade begins in Barron Gorge National Park
Priority: Medium
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway has begun the first stage of an $85 million upgrade to its existing commercial cableway through Barron Gorge National Park and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in Queensland.
The works include the replacement of cableway machinery and gondolas, accessibility improvements and upgrades to existing stations. Stage One commenced on 20 July 2026, with the Smithfield line scheduled to remain closed until 18 August. Three stages are planned, with completion expected by November 2027.
Skyrail has stated that the works will reuse existing towers, foundations, buildings and operational pads rather than create a new cableway alignment. The Queensland Government describes the existing attraction as a 7.5-kilometre tourist cableway passing above the national park’s rainforest canopy.
This project is different from proposals involving new development on previously undeveloped parkland. It is primarily the renewal and expansion of long-established infrastructure. It remains relevant, however, because it represents substantial private reinvestment in commercial infrastructure operating inside a national park and World Heritage area.
Withdrawn, rejected or substantially modified proposals
No new withdrawal, rejection or major modification meeting the reporting threshold was identified during this scan.
What Keep It Wild Australia will be watching
The Northern Territory investment program requires close attention. Future tender and lease documents should reveal the amount of land involved, the extent of any commercial exclusivity and the scale of infrastructure being contemplated within each protected area.
The Springbrook cableway investigation may provide the next significant opportunity for public participation, particularly if broader consultation proceeds in August. The Whitsunday Skyway will remain on the priority watchlist as more information emerges about environmental referrals, national park tenure, leases and the exact location of proposed infrastructure.
No additional qualifying developments were identified in publicly available material from New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory or Commonwealth-managed protected areas during this reporting period.