Wheelchair user Angela Barry at Blacksmiths Beach
ACCESSIBLE RECREATION ACCESSIBLE WATERFRONT HOLIDAY CABINS IN LAKE MACQUARIE ARE SETTING NEW BENCHMARKS IN NSW WORDS NEIL KEENE, COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT OFFICER, LAKE MACQUARIE CITY, NSW
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ccessible waterfront holiday cabins are setting new benchmarks, but that’s just the start of the story when it comes to opening up recreation and tourism for people of all abilities. “Creating an accessible city requires a big-picture approach,” Lake Macquarie City Council Manager Community Partnerships Andrew Bryant says. “It’s more than just being wheelchair-friendly. It’s about catering for the many and varied needs of everyone, whether it is visitors with mobility restriction, parents with a pram or people in our community with myriad other unique needs.” Research commissioned by the Australian Government has found that accessible tourism is worth an estimated $8 billion a year domestically. International travellers with accessibility needs add another $2.8 billion in annual value. That makes it Australia’s highestvalue tourism market sector, ahead of tourists inbound from China. But provision of accessible tourism and recreation options is not just about capitalising on financial opportunities. Lake Macquarie Mayor Cr Kay Fraser says it helps create a city with more liveable communities, and one that nurtures a positive community attitude towards
people with disability. “Providing state of the art accessible accommodation, facilities, infrastructure and recreational opportunities helps us drive towards these goals.” Community Planner Ageing and Disability Jennifer Linton-Webb says Council is increasing its focus on providing access to facilities, infrastructure and attractions that most people take for granted. The new accessible holiday cabins across Lake Macquarie Holidays Parks’ Swansea Lakeside, Blacksmiths Beachside and Belmont Lakeside sites are a prime example. Equipped with technology that far exceeds Australian standards for people with disability, the cabins feature accessible ramps, fully automatic doors and blinds, motorised adjustable shelves and benchtops, and accessible bathrooms. Swimming pools and other facilities throughout the park have also been upgraded to improve accessibility. Sydney magazine editor and blogger Julie Jones, whose Have Wheelchair Will Travel blog catalogues her family’s travels, says that while a growing number of Australians live with disability, there is “a distinct lack” of truly accessible accommodation. Ms Jones says it isn’t just the features that make the new cabins
22 AUSTRALASIAN PARKS AND LEISURE | Summer 2020
stand out — it’s their prominent location within each holiday park. All too often, she says, accessible accommodation and features are tucked away out of sight. “The attention to detail and consideration of the needs of people with disability shown in the design and features of the Belmont property are the best we’ve seen in a mainstream accommodation provider’s offerings,” Ms Jones says. “The fact the accessible accommodation has a view is even more rare.” That deliberate prominence of accessible facilities has increased right across Lake Macquarie under Council’s four-year Disability Inclusion Action Plan, which will undergo a complete refresh in 2021. The plan focuses on four key areas: attitudes and behaviours, liveable communities, employment, and systems and processes. “An inclusive community is about acceptance,” Cr Fraser says. “It works to break down barriers, raise awareness and provide equal opportunities to everyone.” Most recently, the popular Blacksmiths Beach on Lake Macquarie’s coast has undergone a $380,000 upgrade project to install an accessible ramp and viewing platform at the high point of the foredunes, overlooking the water. The striking constructions were made with fibreglass
