Arthurs Seat Chairlift

[T-bone]

We all remember the Chairlift Collapse in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, Well when i last visited the place it seemed the ride is in deed in trouble again. After the whole ride was completely re-built to "Aussie Standards", the ride again has closed due to some issues. 1. One chair with an elderly lady riding came loose and colided with another chair crushing the womans legs, and secondly. 2. The ride is apparantly has not enough room when going over the road. Now everyone thinks that they (Worksafe Vic) are being to harsh on the poor guy and they should let him re-open the ride not fixed as it was a once off accident. But i say, if it don't do it's job right, it has to be mended so it does the job right without harm. But i'm letting you decide. Vote in the poll. Whether you agree with me, or the Mornington Peninsula Locals. P.s. This is also an area where the people that hear any news on the chairlift, it can be posted here.

[HussRainbow]

its safe, but I dont even bother going to Arthurs seat anymore, the last time I went on the chairlift was when I was about 5, but now I got the carnival which is a 5 minute walk from our beach house

[T-bone]

Anything new on the chairlift? Come-on people.

[T-bone]

Any News on the Chairlift guys?

[Zamperla]

That is a good question. Not too sure on the status, I had assumed it was back up and running again after its last incident (alleged by the owner to be sabotage) I will keep you posted of anything in the Melbourne papers on this matter.

[Zamperla]

Arthurs Seat chairlift operators charged May 10, 2005 - 12:19PM, The Age Victoria's work safety authority WorkSafe has charged the operators of a Victorian chairlift over an incident last year that left a 77-year-old woman with broken legs. Tri Thi Le's chair on the popular Arthurs Seat attraction on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula came loose and slid into the chair in front on March 18, 2004. The Preston woman's legs were crushed and she needed pins inserted in them. It was the second accident for the troubled chairlift in just over a year, after part of it collapsed in January 2003. Eighteen people were injured and 65 people were trapped in their seats in that incident. WorkSafe had lifted a prohibition notice in October to allow the ride to reopen when its operators showed it had the capacity to operate safely. The move followed upgrades including collision barriers between chairs, chair height above the road increased and improvement in wind and weather monitoring. But yesterday, WorkSafe charged Arthurs Seat Scenic Chairlift Pty Ltd over the incident for an alleged breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. AdvertisementAdvertisement The charge alleges a breach of section 22 of the act, which says that employers must not expose persons other than employees to risks arising from the employer's conduct or undertaking. The company could be fined up to $250,000 under the act. Worksafe said they would not make any further comment about the case as it was before the courts. - AAP

[Bogong]

Parks Vic has opened tenders for the chairlift and sent prospectuses to a few dozen possible operators. Applications close in December 2009. On another issue, I've compiled a list of every chairlift and gondola ever built in Australia. While I have the ski resorts covered, not all the information is complete for chairlifts and gondolas at parks and showgrounds. Any extra information (no matter how trivial) would be appreciated. Thanks. http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Australi..._the_snowfields

[Reanimated35]

On another issue, I've compiled a list of every chairlift and gondola ever built in Australia. While I have the ski resorts covered, not all the information is complete for chairlifts and gondolas at parks and showgrounds. Any extra information (no matter how trivial) would be appreciated.

The chairlift at the Brisbane show was operational until 2009, not 2008. This was its last year.

[Bogong]

Thanks Reanimated, that's exactly the sort of extra information that I'm looking for. I will ammend the page to show your correction.

[pinksmile]

I am not sure on this but i seem to recall that the gondola/cable car that used to operate at the Sydney Royal Easter Show at Moore Park, was opened sometime in the mid 1970's and closed in 1997, when the show moved to Homebush. The individual cable car cabins were coloured red,blue,yellow and a greeny sort of colour. Another thing that i recall when it first opened was that the 4 pilons that carried the cable cars across the showground were painted red and blue with the cigarette logo brand by the name of Ardath printed in large letters going up the sides of them. As for the old chairlift they had operating there it was painted a silvery colour. I do not know when that opened - probably in the 1960's,and closed in 1997. Hope that helps.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

And of course, the moore park gondolas got relocated to Wonderland Sydney as Skyrider.

[Bogong]

Thanks folks, I couldn't remember the year the old Sydney showgrounds closed. I've also added another chairlift for W.A. It ran at some dressage horse display attraction but had a tendency to break down. It was moved to Adventure World where it appears to be fairly reliable these days, presumably because amusement parks have mechanics experienced with this sort of thing. Back to the Arthur's Seat chairlift. I always thought it would be a good (and fairly slack) summer job for a team from a ski resort. They deal with busier and more complex chairlifts in winter, so running a fixed grip seaside chairlift should be a doddle for them.

[Bogong]

THE Arthurs Seat chairlift has closed for good after more than 40 years as one of Victoria's most popular tourist attractions. The lift has been shut since May 2006 after three accidents in four years. Richard Hudson, owner and operator for the past 30 years, is conceding after a long battle with safety authorities and the courts to get the lift operating again. The chairs were removed last Friday, and Mr Hudson is planning the removal of the poles, cable and other machinery parts. Most of the 40-tonne structure will be thrown away or sold for scrap, even though it has been refitted and strengthened in recent years. The kiosk at the base of the lift will also be demolished. Mr Hudson insists the lift would be safer than ever after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on the revamp. But he was not prepared to keep battling authorities. Mr Hudson has run the lift since 1979. At its peak, more than 100,000 people a year rode to the top of the Mornington Peninsula summit. He described the closure as a shame for the Victorian tourism industry. He estimated he has lost about $3 million while the lift remained idle for more than two years. Mr Hudson fired a parting shot at WorkSafe, saying the changes the organisation wanted him to make would make the lift unsafe. "I could have it up and running in a day and it'd be as safe as it has been for 40 years," he said. "It's state of the art. It's equal to anything anywhere." WorkSafe spokesman Michael Birt said safety was paramount. "WorkSafe's role is to ensure the operator has the capacity to ensure ongoing maintenance is done and that potential risks are managed consistently," Mr Birt said. But Mr Hudson said WorkSafe had no expertise in the area and teams of officers had failed to come up with a workable solution. Mr Hudson said he received no assistance from Tourism Victoria or the Victorian Government to get the lift operating again. "It's a tremendous shame how the government as a whole has treated this place," he said. When the chairlift opened in 1960, one headline said it was "Victoria's touch of the Riviera". Another evoked the Eiffel Tower. The 950m ride up the Dromana hillside rewarded visitors with one of the best views of the bay. Mr Hudson estimates that some Victorians visited the lift at least five times during their lives -- as a child, a teenager, an adult bringing overseas visitors, and as a parent and grandparent. Jason Griffiths, owner of Arthurs Hotel restaurant and reception centre on the summit, said uncertainty over the future of the lift had damaged his trade and the local tourism industry. "People come here and want to know when the lift is going to reopen, and we don't know and it's embarrassing. "It's sad. The time and the passion that Richard has put in has been tremendous. "It's deplorable that people get treated like this." Peninsula tourism consultant Steve Robin said many Victorians had childhood memories of the chairlift. "It's a crying shame that the chairlift would be closing permanently," he said.

Well that looks like it for Arthur's Seat. The Arthur's Seat chairlift was almost entirely rebuilt in 2003 - 2004, so it's fairly new, especially as it hasn't been used for a few years. There is a strong market for second hand chairlifts. A year ago Mt Buller's ABOM/Howqua chair was demolished and moved to Mt Selwyn (in NSW). They had it operating for this years ski season. Other relocated chairlifts include The Nut (Stanley, Tas) which formerly ran at Mt Baw Baw and various amusement park and showground chairs. So if the proprietor of the Arthurs Seat chair says he can't sell it, then he's not trying very hard! This web page has a list of every chairlift and gondola to operate in Australia. http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Australi..._the_snowfields

[rappa]

So does anyone actually have info on what the regulators were saying he needed to do in order to meet their requirements? Its all well and good to say it was rebuilt in 2003 but given the attraction had so many accidents in recent years its clear this argument isn't as one sided as the owner would like to make out.

[Bogong]

Well, maybe it's just a stunt for the state election, but today it was announced that the Arthur's Seat chairlift would be rebuilt as a quad chair with a few gondolas. I'm one of the biggest fans of passenger aerial ropeways in the country, but I'll believe it when I see it. I think it's only marginally more likely as the gondola that the Myrtleford Chamber of Commerce want to build going up Mt Buffalo. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/...from=public_rss http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-na...1030-177ut.html P.S. Since I last posted on this topic, I've found a few more chairlifts including one that was recently built in Queenstown Tasmania. Does anyone know a thing about it, I can't find a website for it. My list of passenger ropeways in Australia. Feel free to correct it or add to it. http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Australi..._.28non_snow.29

Edited October 30, 2010 by Bogong