arts & travel
who have a physical disability. To passageways and uneven ground,
negotiate more rugged terrain, a making general cave access for
motorised TrailRider all-terrain chair visitors with significant mobility
is available. Best access to the beach limitations not possible. However,
using the chair is at Sailors Grave the end section of Fairy Cave can be
Day Visitor Area. A range of special accessed by children and light adults
disability equipment is also available. with mobility limitations using an
electric Stairclimber. This equipment
Buchan Caves enables visitors to experience one of
Near the sleepy township of the most spectacular viewing areas of
Buchan, lies a complex labyrinth of
cultural heritage, both indigenous caves full of spectacular limestone and European settlement. There’s formations. The caves were formed explore in the Buchan Caves reserve.
also a variety of walking trails and by underground rivers cutting The majority of these are not suitable
lookouts with spectacular views out through limestone rock that was laid for standard-type wheelchairs due
to the ocean. down about 300-400 million years to the hilly terrain and trail surfaces.
ago. Daily tours are conducted into However, a TrailRider is available for
- an adult size and a child size the Royal Cave and Fairy Caves. visitors to explore some of the easier
- are available for park visitors Both caves have many steps, narrow tracks.
Accessible
tourism
pays off and holiday experiences for people
Two all-terrain beach wheelchairs
T
he owner of accessible
tourism business Great
Ocean Stays, Christine
Smith, has won the Accessible
Business Award for the second
consecutive year at the Geelong
Business Excellence Awards.
Three years ago Christine was
There are also a range of trails to
with disability and their families.
She built three accessible homes
in Ocean Grove, on Victoria’s
Bellarine Peninsula, and has a
fourth due to open in December.
She has also created a new arm
to her business, Accessible Stays
- a booking service promoting
accessible tourism experiences.
However, for Christine - a vocal
The 2009 ABS Survey of advocate for disability - winning the
Disability, Ageing and Carers awards is about much more than the
showed that almost one in five. promotion of her business.
Australians have a disability.
“Winning these awards has
diagnosed with a brain tumor, which According to the National Visitor given me a platform to advocate
changed the direction of her life and Survey 2003, 88 percent of people for people with disability and to get
seriously threatened the viability of with a disability take a holiday each people to pay attention,” she said.
her business. It also gave her a first- year, which accounts for 8.2 million “If someone’s building a new
hand insight into the challenges of overnight trips.
life with a disability.
In response, she invested $3
54
Fairy Cave.
“If you don’t have a disability,
business in the region I would like
to inspire them to think about small,
you know someone who does and often inexpensive ways of creating
million dollars into Great Ocean with an aging population it just a more welcoming space. It just
Stays, which provides purpose- made really good sense to move into makes good business sense to be
designed accessible accommodation that space,” Christine said. accessible to all customers.”
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