Submission
The TNPA is pleasantly surprised to find that the draft Maria Island National Park Management Plan leans towards retaining the current character of Maria Island and strongly supports this (including particularly the proposal to limit visitor numbers). However the prescriptions in the draft plan fall well short of what is required to retain the island’s character indefinitely.
There had been good reasons to fear that the rationale for the review of the management plan, which has been underway for some five years, was to open the island to tourism development:
- There were credible rumours that a commercial operator was seeking to develop up-market accommodation within the World Heritage Site.
- The Maria Island Re-Discovered Visitor Experience Plan, prepared in March 2019, proposed substantially increased access, on-island transport, food and beverage and accommodation.
- Recent upgrades to water supply and waste water treatment infrastructure have provided the capacity to cope with additional visitor numbers.
Our representation on the draft plan can be read or downloaded below.
