Founders of the Friends of Battery Point and local residents, David Hook and structural engineer Jim Gandy revealed a plan for a walkway in the intertidal zone (pictured above). The design differs from the Hobart Council one rejected by the Resource Planning Management and Appeal Tribunal in June 2015, which had the walkway positioned out into the river away from the intertidal zone.

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Hobart City Council is investigating options to progress the project.

• July 2023 - Cr Dutta submitted a motion at the council meeting held 17 July 2023 seeking advice from the CEO on the best way for Council to revisit and recommit to the Battery Point river walkway. Council agreed to progress a design and include the concept of a walkway around Battery Point in the development of the Sandy Bay / Mount Nelson Neighbourhood Plan.

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Proposals for access to the Battery Point foreshore, including a number of walkway options, have been in existence for decades. A walkway was documented in the 1995 Derwent River Management Plan and since that time, a number of proposals have been put forward including various standard walkways, a cycle path and a number of possible routes, all of which have been examined.

Ken White has produced background information on the saga of a walkway around Battery Point. Ken was part of the sub-commitee of the Hobart Bicycle Advisory Committee that met on 18 September 2001 to look at progressing the project. A Whalers Walk proposal was developed but did not progress.

The Mercury newspaper reported on 26 September 2006 that Ald Jeff Briscoe had asked the council to consider writing to the State Government for approval for the feasibility study and requested a report be prepared on what progress has been made in the year since the council agreed to lok at the "steps required to progress the concept of walkway" in October 2007. Both motions were accepted unanimously.

In April 2009 Hobart City Council undertook public consultation on the concept of walkway and put forward three options for providing access around the Battery Point Foreshore. The options included an elevated boardwalk, a path on top of a retaining wall or a scramble track. Feedback found that over 80% of people who were surveyed or made a submission supported the concept, with a majority identifying a need to make it a quality facility accessible to a variety of people, including people on bikes, parents pushing prams or wheelchair users.

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• 2009 - Consultants Pitt and Sherry appointed to design a section from Marieville Esplandade to the slipway about 400m to the north, which is owned by the council. 

• 2011 - At the Parks and Customer Services Committee meeting of 17 February 2011 a report was presented which identified the main features of the design. These include:

  •  A 230m long separated cycle and pedestrian elevated accessway that returns to shared paths at each end. People bike riding are separated from people walking by a low kerb.

  • Stairs at each of the two private jetties would allow residents access over the accessway. The proposed accessway will be 810mm higher than the jetty at 68 Napoleon Street and 1040mm higher than the jetty at 52 Napoleon Street.

  • Two lifting spans will enable residents to take boats into existing slipways.

  • A lookout that steps down to provide closer views to the water with accessable ramps on either side. Interpretive signage is proposed.

  • A smaller lookout area with seating and interpretive signage for the slipyards where the path narrows from 5m wide to 2m wide as it ascends the slipyards slope.

  • Mains powered lighting at 14m centres is proposed to provide a safe commuting environment. The lighting will be designed to provide 24/7 access and to minimise disturbance to adjacent residents through spill reduction.

  • Path networks would be improved from the carpark at the slipyards including broad steps down to the path that can be used as seating to view boating activities such as the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

  • The path from Errol Flynn Reserve is proposed to travel over the top of the existing concrete lined rivulet thereby retaining as much park area as possible.

• 2014 - After a technical hiccup which required withdrawal of the original DA application in January, a resubmitted DA was approved by council on 13 October 2014. This decision paves the way for construction of the long-awaited shared pathway.

• 2015 - The Resource Planning Management and Appeal Tribunal refused Hobart City Council's application for a walkway around Battery Point. Following legal advice that there are no reasonable prospects of successfully appealing the Resource Management Planning and Appeal Tribunal's decision, the Council has resolved that it will not pursue an appeal to the Supreme Court. The Council remains of the firm belief that faciltating movement in and around Battery Point and its foreshore is appropriate and would provide great community benefit and make a meaningful contribution to the amenity of Hobart. For these reasons, and at this stage, the Council is open to exploring possible avenues available to progress a project that faciltitates movement in and around Battery Point and its foreshore. The Council will undertake a workshop to give more detailed consideration to possible avenues, prior to any decision being made. 

• 2019 - The Hobart City Deal was signed on 24 February 2019 and represents a 10 year partnership between the Australian and Tasmanian Governments, and the Clarence, Glenorchy, Hobart and Kingborough councils. Included in the Deal is a commitment of $500,000 to progress the Battery Point Walkway.

The eastern shore of the Derwent has an extensive waterfront trail network that runs past the bottom of residential gardens such as at Geilston Bay and Bellerive Bluff, a similar scenario to what is proposed for Battery Point in terms of private jetties, boat houses and privacy concerns.

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Bayside Council in Melbourne took 3 years to plan and consult on a 680m length of shared path along the foreshore in front of 'Millionaire's Row' in Brighton. Not only did the project involve the construction of a pathway, but also coastal rejuvination including rock groynes, stormwater drain extensions and beach restoration. The pathway was constructed in 2005. It has proved to be more popular than expected and Council regretted not building it wider.

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Sidney, Canada, has a walkway around it's waterfront adjacent to private houses (pictured). The Battery Point Walkway proposal will have less privacy impacts as it will be located at the bottom of the slope.

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The City of Parramatta constructed a boardwalk around the foreshore of the Paramatta River in 2020/21 to create a level access to their CBD by bypassing a steep hill. The boardwalk is made up of 157 pre-cast concrete panels  that weigh up to 10 tonnes each. They have been designed to withstand extreme situations, including a potential ferry strike and high velocity floodwaters. Similar infrastructure could be provided around Battery Point. Details and photos of the Escarpment boardwalk can be viewed on the contractors website.

Counts carried out by the City of Paramatta after the boardwalk was installed found that 85,000 people used it in April 2021.