Add Category
Telstra and the ACT government have agreed to work together on a plan to refurbish and reopen Canberra's iconic Black Mountain tower in the hope of making it a premier tourist attraction once again.
Telstra Tower was closed to the public in July 2021 after tourism operators labelled the state of the prominent landmark an "embarrassment".
Today, Telstra CEO Vicki Brady announced the telecommunications giant was partnering with the ACT government to manage the site as a tourist attraction.
"As a national telecommunications and infrastructure provider, Telstra does not have the expertise to develop or manage a tourist attraction," she said.
"So, we need a partner with the local knowledge, skills and capability to help make that happen."
She said Telstra, as the owner of the building, would make sure it is fit for purpose and restored to once again be a must-visit Canberra attraction.
"What is clear is it is a pretty incredible building," Ms Brady said.
"There is work, however, needed to bring it back up to the standard that it needs to be at to reopen it."
A refurbished Telstra Tower is expected to include a cafe, retail space and an observation deck.
"Telstra Tower … has been a part of the Canberra skyline for over 40 years," Ms Brady said.
"For many years it was a popular tourist attraction, and we believe this site can offer that again for Canberrans and visitors to our country's capital."
Ms Brady also said Telstra had seen strong engagement with the traditional custodians of the land, the Ngunnawal people.
"We've had wonderful engagement from the Ngunnawal people and their Elders," she said.
"So all of those concepts and ideas we've captured, and now that we've taken this step forward that'll be great input as we work through what's the best way to really showcase the history and culture from the area."
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the commercial arrangements and required investments would be worked out in the coming months "before final decisions [were] made on the partnership".
"The Telstra Tower is a beloved Canberra icon and when travelling back to the territory, it is how many of us know we are home," he said.
"It's an important part of Australia's telecommunications history, and it's an important part of Telstra's history in this city and in this nation.
"We know revitalising the tower will enhance the range of visitor experiences in Canberra and our visitor economy."
Mr Barr indicated the tower's reopening would likely be a few years away.
"These things are probably several years away, in terms of both finalising designs and planning, and then undertaking construction and renewal works," he said.
"So I suspect the earliest that it would be would be 2026."
Mr Barr said it was "too early" to say whether the refurbishment would include a revolving restaurant, after the original one closed in 2013.
"The call-out today is to entrepreneurs within Canberra's tourism industry as to ideas for how the tower could be activated in ways that are commercially viable," he said.
"There's not a bottomless pit of capital to allocate to projects here, what we're looking for are tourism outcomes that will generate income that can see the tower successfully operate."