The City of Launceston has completed a $130,000 upgrade of the Duck Reach Track between the Duck Reach Power Station and Trevallyn Reserve.
Over recent weeks the Council has replaced seven sets of ageing timber steps along the 336m-long track, utilising a helicopter to transport the wooden structures in and out of the Cataract Gorge.
The Council has also refurbished the track's bluestone stair landings. City of Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said the Duck Reach Track was a popular trail in its own right, but also linked into a wider loop connecting to the First Basin on both sides of the South Esk River.
"Given the challenging and steep terrain of the Cataract Gorge, the prefabricated timber steps are a pretty critical piece of infrastructure for the Duck Reach Track in terms of accessibility," Mayor Garwood said. "Without the steps we'd be relying on ropes and hardhats.
"The timber steps we've installed in recent weeks have replaced seven sets of steps that were more than 30 years old and which had reached the end of their useful life.
"The new steps will last us another three decades or so and will help maintain that access from Trevallyn Reserve into the historic Duck Reach Power Station."
City of Launceston Recreation and Parks Project Officer Davy Van Rooyen said the track upgrade had been a rewarding project to work on.
"The regular users of the Duck Reach Trail have been really excited about the project and really enthusiastic about seeing some new steps installed," Mr Van Rooyen said.
"This track feeds into a wider network of walking tracks throughout the Trevallyn and Cataract Gorge Reserves, and they are a really special part of our municipality.
"You can feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature, but you might only be a kilometre from the city.
"It's great to see the upgrade complete ahead of summer, and I hope the track will get a lot of use once the weather starts to warm up."
