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GOLD COAST HINTERLAND, QUEENSLAND

Main Range National Park

Development project:  Scenic Rim Trail (completed 2020)


The $2.5 million Scenic Rim Trail (SRT) was the first private ecotourism development to occur in a Queensland national park in more than 110 years. It was created with the express purpose of creating a private tourism product for Spicers Retreats Hotels and Lodges, linking Spicers’ properties at the start and finish of the trail. The development was a response to a State Government call for Expressions of Interest, and approved by the Federal Government under the EPBC Act 1999. Spicers commenced operations in June 2020, with community backlash against the highly controversial development. The development has subsequently proved to be an example of why such projects should be resisted.

THE DEVELOPMENT IN BRIEF:

- A 53km three-day glamping trail
-  Construction of two new exclusive-use corporate ecotourism sites
- Dozens of new, private-use only buildings constructed
- Exclusive use of 11.07 hectares of QPWS roads

THE DEVELOPER:
Background


To allow the highly controversial development to proceed, the Queensland Government changed the cardinal principle (purpose) of the Nature Conservation Act 1992 governing Queensland national parks from ‘conservation’ to ‘conservation and recreation’. Amendments to the legislation allowed commercial tourism developers to develop resorts in national parks for the first time, paving the way for the Spicers resorts. The park’s management plan was also altered to allow developments to be approved within the WHA, with the consultation and development being labelled as opaque by eNGOs and the WHA scientific and technical committee. 

The Spicers Scenic Rim Trail and resorts are located in the Main Range National Park and the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia WHA (listed as Significant Concern by the IUCN - under current or potential threat). The site is globally protected due to its rare and threatened rainforests, which provide habitat for threatened species and plants. The resorts were built on some of the ‘largest and best stands of rainforest habitat remaining in this region, containing many endemic and threatened plant Species’ (IUCN, 2020), many with a high vulnerability to extinction. A IUCN report identified the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia to be one of 75 sites with a conservation status of significant concern, with Australia the only developed nation to have two properties with a continued deteriorated conservation outlook since 2017. 

Despite this deterioration, Queensland has continued to approve and fast track developments. This includes Spicers’, which potentially impacts threatened species including the endangered Hastings river mouse (previously believed to be extinct), Fleay’s barred frog, Rufous scrub bird, logrunner, three-toed snake-tooth skink, mountain frog, Albert’s lyrebird, spotted-tailed quoll, brush-tailed rock wallaby, Cunninghams skink, brown antechinus and Coxen’s fig parrot. 

Experts have heavily criticised subsequent environmental impact monitoring reports as limited (one period of four consecutive nights, or a 45-minute survey over two nights once a year), inadequate, and a conflict of interest - they were conducted by Spicers and their consultants BAAM, rather than the government or independent agencies. 

The community has strongly criticised the development for its lack of transparency, accountability, and conflict of purpose. The consultation process was highly inadequate.  Only 46 public stakeholders were notified, and the developer conducted the consultation - a serious conflict of interest. In addition, the project was approved despite having inadequate maps, wildlife surveys and reports, and inadequate regulation.

Despite the inadequate consultation, there was massive opposition to the development. A petition with more than 3,300 signatures from community, environmental groups and tourism organisations was lodged in Parliament. The petition protested the development, as well as the precedent it sets for giving a private entity exclusive use of public national parks and World Heritage Areas.

Despite these inadequacies, the development was approved and completed in 2020 using government funding and support. 

Although the SRT only caters to 0.0094% of the tourism market, the government continues to support and fund the private resort including provision of $2.5 million in funding in addition to legislative changes, surveys, reports, marketing and promotions for the developer.  The Queensland Government also assisted developers and their consultants by fast-tracking the development approval processes. It continues to provide tourism marketing and support at federal, state and local levels, and provide rangers to build and maintain the SRT tracks and facilities. In 2019 the Queensland Government offered Spicers a $943,000 renewable hydrogen energy system for their private resorts, although this has recently been withdrawn.
The development

The Scenic Rim Trail is a 53 kilometre, three-day glamping hike through Queensland’s Main Range National Park and the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area (WHA), catering to 12 people with two guides. The SRT was constructed to provide Spicers Retreats with an exclusive multi-day walk tourism product listed under Tourism Australia’s Signature Great Walks of Australia. The SRT links two adjacent Spicers’ properties to those on protected areas, essentially creating an exclusive multi-day walk tourism product for the Turner Family (via Gainsdale Pty Ltd), funded by the government under the Growing Tourism Infrastructure Fund.

The development of the Spicers Scenic Rim Trail includes tracks, roads and resorts: 
  • Two new exclusive-use corporate ecotourism sites, both in the Main Range National Park, one in the World-Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia wilderness. The footprint of these is 3.63 hectares, with an additional 1.84 hectares of vegetation cleared and 1.76 hectares of new walking track (Underdahl, 2023).
  • Two sites comprising 16 hard-roofed luxury ensuite cabins catering to 14 people (increased from 12 cabins catering for ten); two large buildings for dining, kitchens, toilets and lounge lodges; boardwalks; private access to historical buildings; recreation areas; private lookouts; two buildings for showers and toilets; two services and amenities buildings; rain and sewerage storage tanks; and clearance for vehicle turn-around and access and dispersal field areas (not in use).
  • Exclusive use of 11.07 hectares of QPWS roads, including 3.565 hectares of ‘’reopened’ track in regrowth rainforest. Roads are used to service the resorts, including daily guest-luggage delivery, laundry, catering, waste disposal, sewerage (off-site processing), water-supply trucks and service providers - solar power, generators, and ancillary services.
The result

Spicers now offer three ‘luxury walking products’: options for two days ($1,750 pp), four days ($3,999 pp) or six days ($6,492 pp). The rent Spicers pays for the areas of public land it uses is a mere $10,000 + GST per year, as well as a park contribution of $30,000! There are currently 12 Great Walks of Australia under the Signature Experiences of Australia. This is ‘a program that packages and promotes Australia’s outstanding tourism experiences’, and is aimed at attracting high-value tourism, with Tourism Australia promoting the products at live events, through international travel-agent training and distributions, television campaigns, international trade shows, and by the government directly delivering the promotions and marketing. Businesses operating multi-day walks and other regional tourism products around Great Walks locations have cited ‘unfair trade advantage’ and ‘monopolisation’, with tourism operators losing business products, staff or the opportunities to generate revenue (Underdahl, 2023).


Subsequent issues with the development

Although Spicers has claimed there haven’t been any negative impacts from the SRT development, 2021 reports showed an increase in soil disturbance, feral pig and pest intrusion for up to 30 metres on both sides of the track. Increases in orange spore fungus, lantana, and mice have led to increased pest mitigation, paid for by the public. 

Environmental organisations continue to cite an ‘opaque’ process, with a lack of community consultation, inadequate surveys, mapping, transparency, failure to use practicable alternatives, with lease documents, outlays and revenue generation remaining ‘Commercial in Confidence’ (not for the general public).  

The government has continued to fund SRT track development and guarantee Spicers’ position as the only commercial tourism developer able to access the SRT. This has given Spicers a competitive advantage and a monopoly on the walk. In addition, Spicers is now providing park signs adorned with its logo, as well as linking in with government advertising campaigns (federal, state and local) that give them a significant advantage over small commercial operators. 

A recent forum by local tourism operators showed that 98.9% were opposed to the Spicers monopoly that gives all benefits to one operator. It also leads to reduced revenue for tourism operators and businesses, which historically benefitted from guests staying adjacent to the property and using regional restaurants, cafes, and services. 

Everyone loses, except Spicers. The environment loses due to severe environmental pressures; the community loses because tourism money and opportunities don’t circulate;  and the public loses access to their national parks and World Heritage Areas. The parks service also lose: they now service a private facility, cleaning toilets and mowing grass instead of doing their job – conservation. 



Further information

https://www.dts.qld.gov.au/tourism/funds/growing-infrastructure/six-day-walk-scenic-rim-trail
https://scenicrimtrail.com/
https://greatwalksofaustralia.com.au/
https://parks.desi.qld.gov.au/parks/scenic-rim-trail/about