Thinking plan for gondola on Wodonga hillside outlined by councillor, while tourism boss and former mayor react

The former mayor coined a plan for a ride to ascend Wodonga's Huon Hill and it has been included in a council document flagging priority projects for the city.

"It was just one of those crazy ideas for a tourist attraction and something unique for a regional centre," Cr Watson said.

The use of gondolas and chairlifts at Thredbo for mountain bikes was an inspiration for something similar on Huon Hill.

The council advocacy plan flags $300,000 being required for a feasibility study into the project.

"We won't do it unless we get some government money to do the scoping, we're not asking for ratepayers' money for it," Cr Watson said.

"It's just putting the idea out there and it might get legs."

Cr Watson compared it to the long campaign to have the railway removed from central Wodonga and the installation of a new deck on the former Sandy Creek train bridge which is now part of the High Country Rail Trail.

Social media feedback has questioned the focus on a gondola instead of a new Border hospital.

"It's a balance of both," Cr Watson said in response.

"We need a new hospital, we will need a third river crossing one day.

"There's all sorts of things we need and it's a matter of priorities."

Murray River Tourism chief executive Mark Francis offered support to further investigate the idea, recalling an eco-coaster ride which was floated as a tourism attraction in a consultant's report for Albury and Wodonga councils in 2018.

"Albury-Wodonga has got a strong arts/cultural tourism foundation but we need to find some more diverse experiences that can link into the landscape," Mr Francis said.

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"From my perspective, I would actively encourage these ideas to see whether they're feasible or not and there may be a version that comes out.

"It's certainly worth exploring all types of visitor experiences that can take advantage of the natural landscape and if it's something like a gondola it would give people a whole new view of the area."

Former Wodonga mayor Ian Deegan would have liked the council to float the gondola concept within the community before including it in a list of priority projects.

"It's a great idea and perhaps it may happen one day, but let's go back to basics," he said.

"Who owns the land, how's it going to be done and what's the overall cost?"

Cr Watson said he did not have a preferred route for the gondola, but he believed it would largely traverse public land.

"If it gets legs it's good," he said.

"If it doesn't, I'm not upset, I'm not offended if it doesn't get up."

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