Public comments on ‘Next Iconic Walk’ proposal in Tyndall Range
The draft Environment Impact Statement (EIS) for the Parks and Wildlife Service’s (PWS) proposed Next Iconic Walk (NIW) was made available for public review and comment from 11 October 2025 to 21 November 2025. The PWS received a total of 115 submissions, with many voicing similar issues or concerns, with some of the more common or recurring themes including:
- Impact on the wild / natural aspect of the area
- Cost of the walk / affordability / accessibility
- Economic feasibility of the proposal
- Concerns over weather / terrain / location
- Impacts to natural values / weeds / disease
The PWS will prepare a ‘Submissions Report’ that will accompany the final revised EIS, which we are informed will address the issues raised in public submissions. An Environmental Assessment Report will also be prepared, and together with the final EIS and public submissions will be published on the PWS website at the conclusion of the assessment process. The TNPA submission can be found here.
More recently the Tasmania Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works is undertaking a review of the NIW Proposal, calling for public submissions and holding a public hearing in Queenstown. The TNPA submission can be found here.
The NIW Proposal is also to be considered by the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EBPC Act) with submissions closing on 11-February. The TNPA’s submission can be found here.
A final opportunity for public comment will also be available when the Development Application is lodged with the West Coast Council – anticipated in autumn 2026.
The TNPA remains of the view that the location of the proposed walk is inappropriate, as it will have a significant impact on the existing wild character of the Tyndall Range and other environmental and natural values of the region. Indeed, given the high conservation values of the area the TNPA, together with other environmental NGOs and also the PWS’s predecessor in 1990, argue that the region should be added to the adjacent Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Finally, other walk options exist that could provide benefits to West Coast tourism just as much, if not considerably more, and have less destructive impacts on wilderness and other natural values in the region.