Maria Island from ground view with Darlington on the left hand side and water on the right hand side.
Darlington with water

Stage 3 - Maria Island Critical Infrastructure Upgrades

Find out more

​​​The Maria Island Rediscovered project is making progress, with the public now invited to have their say on Stage 3 of the project.

​The Stage 3 proposal consists of:​

  • Construction of a new centralised Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and effluent disposal system.
  • Decommissioning and site rehabilitation of the existing WWTP.
  • Service connections (including electricity, water and sewerage) to existing serviced buildings at Darlington.
  • Upgrades to the fire water main servicing the PWS houses.
  • Upgrades to the raw water supply pipeline.
  • Dredging of the Bernacchis Creek Reservoir to pre-flood capacity (which supplies raw water).
The site is located in Darlington, within the Maria Island National Park and the Darlington Probation Station – Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Area.  

Stages 1 and 2 of the project delivered a number of upgrades to the pressure sewer system infrastructure for the Darlington precinct and service corridors. Stage 2 also saw the completion of pressure sewer system reticulation works for the public amenities on the island, reopening of the jetty toilets, and completion of a new solar array and battery storage system to provide a sustainable energy supply for the island. Completion of Stage 3 works will see the final connections of critical infrastructure works completed in Stage 1 and 2. 

The draft Reserve Activity Assessment (RAA) document was prepared in accordance with PWS advice and specialist advice.  Natural and cultural values assessments were completed to avoid and limit potential impacts.  

Once complete, the critical infrastructure delivered through the Maria Island Rediscovered project will facilitate sustainable visitation to the Island into the future.
In 2021, the Tasmanian Government allocated funding to the Maria Island Rediscovered Project to complete necessary upgrades to the critical infrastructure on the Island.​

Project stages​​

​​

​Stage 1 - Draft Reserve Activity Assessment (RAA) and supporting information are  accepted as suitable for public consultation.​



Stage 2 - Public consultation process is advertised in three regional papers. Draft RAA and supporting information is available on the ‘Have your say’ page of PWS website.

​​

​Stage 3 – The period for making public submissions has now closed.  Final RAA and Submission Report is prepared by the proponent, addressing comments received during the public consultation process.


​Stage 4 - Assessment of the final RAA is completed. PWS prepares an Environmental Assessment Report (EAR) including the submission report and public submissions.

​​

​Stage 5 - Final RAA, EAR and public submission are published on the PWS website.

Key dates​

Public consultation period beings

  • ​Saturday, 4 ​March 2023

Close of comment period

  • Monday, 3 ​April 2023

Final RAA assessment completed


RAA, EAR and public submissions published

  • ​​

​Have your say

​The draft RAA and supporting documents can be viewed or downloaded from this page. 

To have your say Email a written submission to:

All written submissions on the RAA must be received by close of business (5 pm) Monday, 3 April 2023 (30 days after consultation opens).

​​Accessibility of documents

The Government recognises that not all individuals or groups are equally placed to access and understand information. We are therefore committed to ensuring Government information is accessible and easily understood by people with diverse communication needs.

Where possible, please consider typing your submission in plain English and providing it in a format such as Microsoft Word or equivalent. The Government cannot however take responsibility for the accessibility of documents provided by third parties.

​Important information to note​

Your name (or the name of the organisation) will be published unless you request otherwise.

In the absence of a clear indication that a submission is intended to be treated as confidential (or parts of the submission), the Department will treat the submission as public.

If you would like your submission treated as confidential, whether in whole or in part, please indicate this in writing at the time of making your submission clearly identifying the parts of your submission you want to remain confidential and the reasons why. In this case, your submission will not be published to the extent of that request.

​Copyright in submissions remains with the author(s), not with the Tasmanian Government.​

The Department will not publish, in whole or in part, submissions containing defamatory or offensive material. If your submission includes information that could enable the identification of other individuals, then either all or parts of the submission will not be published.

​The Right to Information Act 2009 and confidentiality ​

​​Information provided to the Government may be provided to an applicant under the provisions of the Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI). If you have indicated that you wish all or part of your submission to be treated as confidential, your statement detailing the reasons may be taken into account in determining whether or not to release the information in the event of an RTI application for assessed disclosure. You may also be contacted to provide any further comment.

​Reference documents​​​

 Maria Island National Park Critical Infrastructure Upgrades - Stage 3 Draft Reserve Activity Assessment (RAA 4032), Tasmania Parks and Wildlife, GHD (PDF 58Mb)