Memory Mountain Tourism Precinct - West MacDonnell Ranges, NT - Business Case

Written By Jack Plimmer

Salt Tree Advisory was engaged by the Walk a While Foundation to develop the Business Case and Project Delivery Plan for a landmark Aboriginal led tourism development at Memory Mountain, near Haasts Bluff in Central Australia.

Project Background - In 2022, the Ikuntji Aboriginal community of Haasts Bluff, 230 Km west of Alice Springs, in an effort to express their entrepreneurial creativity and culture, completed the construction of the 20-metre-high Forgiveness Cross on Memory Mountain. This was the first stage in executing their bold vision for their community, to share their Aboriginal traditions, faith and culture with the broader Australian and international community. The second stage of their vision is to provide tourism services at Memory Mountain, to encourage and enable more people to interact with and be immersed in their Aboriginal culture, and to provide flow-on economic, social and cultural benefits to the Haasts Bluff and surrounding communities, including proper jobs with proper wages.

Project Vision - Memory Mountain Limited is a majority, local Aboriginal, owned and operated not-for-profit (PBI). It has a lease over 40 hectares of land around Memory Mountain to enable ongoing operation and maintenance of the Forgiveness Cross and access pathways. However, it is their vision to develop the site further to build upon their success to date (including a number of sold out, multi day tours in 2024 and 2025) and provide a tourism precinct that allows visitors to:

  • Experience the Cross and Memory Mountain;

  • Undertake genuine and immersive engagement with Aboriginal culture; and

  • Enjoy the magnificent West MacDonnell Ranges and Western Desert region

Project Scope - Based on the advice from Salt Tree Advisory, the client is pursuing a staged approach to development of the site. Current planning is for delivery of the following scope, (subject to further consultation and approvals from statutory authorities):

  • Stage 1 – Day visitation and camping facilities. Finalisation of facilities for day visitors and self-contained caravans and camping. Scope includes visitor signage and shelters, day visitors’ ablutions, maintenance workshops, caretakers’ residence and provision of power, water and waste water services to enable these facilities and establish services for Stage 2.

  • Stage 2 – Self Supported accommodation facilities. Stage 2 is focused on providing an initial offering of around seven to ten medium to high end cabins on site.  These will be accompanied by communal guest lounge / camp kitchen facilities and a pool. Facilities to support overnight camping would be expanded to enable non-self-contained campers and caravanners.

  • Stage 3 – Eco Lodge. This stage is focused on enhancing capability to enable a full medium to high end eco lodge offering. This includes additional stand-alone roofed accommodation options for guests and additional communal guest facilities such as café / restaurant, gift shop, art gallery and cultural information centre.

Business Case and Project Delivery Plan - Salt Tree Advisory delivered an 80 page Business Case and Project Delivery Plan validating the feasibility of the proposed development and providing the roadmap to bring the Ikuntji community’s vision to life. The Business Case and Project Delivery Plan included the following:

  • Executive Summary

  • Part 1 - The Big Idea (Intro to the community, background, work to date and the ‘why’)

  • Part 2 - Tourism Offering Market Analysis (Situation and context for tourism offerings in Central Australia, demand and alignment with Destination Management Plan)

  • Part 3 - Scope of Works (‘The what’ that will be delivered - identification of each works item required by Stage)

  • Part 4 - Project Delivery Plan (‘How’ the project will be delivered - including statutory approval requirements)

  • Part 5 - Operational Model (Review of how the project will operate by Stage)

  • Part 6 - Financial Summary and Operational Metrics (Cost estimate by Stage for delivery; Modelled visitor volumes; P&L estimates)

  • Part 7 - Summary and Visitor Reviews

  • Pitch Deck

Client Testimonial - “Jack’s work was outstanding. Working collaboratively with our Board of Directors, he sourced costings and estimates for various aspects of the Plan, and contributed his own expertise in eco-tourism offerings. The final document Jack provided will inform various tender submissions and grant applications to help fund the project.  We found Jack to be extremely knowledgeable in his various fields – especially in the area of remote tourism development - and a consummate professional throughout the process, as he met all deadlines. We look forward to continuing to work with Jack to see the development come to fruition.” Pam Duncan, Director, Walk a While Foundation Limited

Jack Plimmer
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Carinya Station – Accommodation Action Plan