New Arthurs Seat chairlift to be called Arthurs Seat Eagle

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And unlike the version of years gone by, today’s visitors won’t have to worry about the weather with 24 fully enclosed gondolas keeping them dry and warm.

The newly named Arthurs Seat Eagle is set to open on December 3, and an online auction to ride the first gondola has already reached $1000. The money will go to charity.

Eagle boss Hans Brugman, who regularly rode the original chairlift as a child, said the community was excited about the reimagined attraction and what it would do for the area.

He said the new name symbolised the “soaring flight” people would experience on the gondola, and paid homage to the wedge-tailed eagles that could be spotted from the ride.

“The project is going swimmingly and we are on track for the December 3 opening,” he said.

“The local support is overwhelming and has been so encouraging throughout the project. Everybody I talk with is so excited.”

However the Save our Seat group is still upset the development went ahead, although recognises that nothing can now be done.

“Arthurs Seat was known for its natural beauty, its Art Deco buildings — including the Arthurs Seat Hotel — and open space, which has now been ruined,” said member Kylie Greer.

“For Parks Victoria to hand over that sacred land to private developers is beyond belief.

“We can’t sit back and let the Victorian Government do this to more and more sacred land.”

She said the group was never opposed to having a chairlift at the site, but thought the new development was “simply too big”.

Although the State Government ripped the project from Mornington Peninsula Shire’s hands earlier this year, mayor Graham Pittock said he wished the operators all the best with the attraction.

“It will obviously be an enormous boost for tourism in the region and for the town of Dromana, but the impact on the delicate nature of the state park will take time to evaluate,” he said.

The Eagle, built by Austrian company Doppelmayr, starts at the same location as the old lift, at the bottom of Arthurs Seat Rd, and essentially follows the same ascent.

Money raised by the auction will be donated to the nearby Peninsula Specialist College and Dromana Primary School.

About Arthurs Seat Eagle

1960: The Arthurs Seat Chairlift opened in December. It was built by Dr Vladimir Hayek, a Czech engineer.

2006: The chairlift was closed and decommissioned after a series of mishaps including the collapse of a pylon in 2003, an injury to an elderly woman whose carriage slid into another carriage in 2004, and the trapping of eight people after a mechanical failure in 2006.

October 2009: The State Government called for tenders to build a new chairlift

October 2010: Skylift awarded tender

June 2014: Council approved the project subject to 70 conditions

November 2014: Save Our Seat Inc challenged council decision at VCAT

December 2014: VCAT approved project

April 2016: Planning Minister ‘calls in’ the project, removing responsibility from Mornington Peninsula Shire Council

September 5, 2016: The new Arthurs Seat Eagle is launched, with an expected opening date of December 3

By the numbers

■ The ride has 24 gondolas

■ Each gondola can hold eight guests.

■ The summit is 314m high

■ The flight takes about 15 minutes each way

■ There is 120 tonnes of steel in the towers

■ The gondolas were manufactured in Switzerland

■ The tallest tower is 19m from the ground to rope level