Is Accessible Tourism In Australia Improving?

In a world rich in opportunity for responsible travel, one group’s needs have long been overlooked: Australians living with a disability. We take a look at how far the industry has come in terms of accessible and inclusive tourism, and how far it still has to go.

When my son Braeden was born with a disability, which would see him become a wheelchair user and need help with all his daily living needs, I wondered how our dream of travelling the world could become a reality. The lack of information and representation of people travelling with a disability left me feeling isolated as a young mum.

Despite my burning desire to show him the world, there were many barriers to living the life we’d dreamed of. But with an impossibly positive outlook, we took on those barriers like Olympians in the hurdles final. Nothing would stand in our way of living the life we envisaged for our family.

Braeden Jones in Surfers Paradise — The writer’s son, Braeden, in Surfers Paradise. (Image: Julie Jones)

How things have changed

Fast forward 27 years: as Braeden has grown, so has the groundswell of awareness and support for a more inclusive tourism industry. The improvement in and availability of accessible equipment and infrastructure has allowed us to continue to explore Australia despite our son’s disability.

Travel nourishes us all – irrespective of ability – in an abundance of ways, whether that’s taking a break from the daily grind, pursuing an interest in history or being immersed in a new culture. But for many years, Australians living with a disability found it difficult to fulfil their dreams of travel.

One in five Australians live with a disability, but catering for the accessible travel market has not been a priority for tourism providers. Considered ‘too hard’ or too niche, it didn’t fit into the marketing budgets geared towards capturing the lucrative tourism dollars of baby boomers, DINKs (double income, no kids) and family markets.

In ignoring this market, not only were individuals with a disability and their families excluded and disadvantaged, but – according to a 2021 report by Tourism Research Australia – the industry was turning its back on a travel group that spent an estimated $13.5 billion. Information was scarce and representation of travellers living with a mobility restriction, hearing or vision impairment or hidden disability was non-existent. It was a barrier to travel that had rarely received attention – until recently.

a person on a wheelchair exploring Daintree Rainforest — A wheelchair-friendly path in the Daintree Rainforest has made this special experience available to all. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Responsible tourism is inclusive

Responsible tourism is characterised by sustainability, cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. While the tourism industry is on a journey to encompass those elements, it lags behind when it comes to accessible and inclusive travel. Is it not our responsibility to ensure no one is excluded from the joy of travel?

Happily, this increasing awareness of environmental issues and Indigenous cultural practices, and the action that has stemmed from it, demonstrates how valuable it can be to focus on one area of tourism. When Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that 2023 would be the Year of Accessible Tourism in Queensland, it heralded a new era of focus on inclusive tourism for people who live with disabilities. My hope is that more destinations and tourism operators follow their example and build upon this fantastic new beginning to make travel experiences more accessible.

guests with disabilities drinking at Little Beach Co Glamping — Little Beach Co Glamping on the east coast of Tasmania offers accessible tents and facilities and supports guests with disabilities. (Image: Dearna Bond)

Evolution of accessible travel

As my own family’s 27-year-long experience demonstrates, accessible tourism in Australia has indeed evolved – albeit slowly. Growing up in Australia, we imagined we’d share our love of the coast and bush with our children. Today, we’re often able to do just this. Beach wheelchairs (chairs equipped with large balloon tyres that traverse the sand) now enable Braeden to get the sand between his toes and take a dip in the ocean.

the scenic waterfall at Dorrigo National Park — NSW’s Dorrigo National Park offers free TrailRider hire for anyone requiring wheelchair assistance..

With a beach wheelchair he was able to join the many enthusiastic beachgoers exploring the caves at Caves Beach, Lake Macquarie. In a standard wheelchair, trekking trails with uneven surfaces, stairs or lack of paving is impossible; but the TrailRider, a three-wheeled chariot-style chair available to hire, has allowed us more adventurous explorations, including taking Braeden to the base of Dorrigo National Park.

a person riding a wheelchair in Port Stephens — Beach wheelchairs are opening up a whole new experience for Australians living with a disability.

Shared experiences like this become a great communication leveller for someone like Braeden, who is non-verbal. When people see him enjoying an activity with the same enthusiasm as themselves, any apprehension about connecting with him is stripped away. It’s powerful to watch as social interaction is something he craves, and travel delivers on that front.

Accessible travel also allows us to travel and participate as a family. If Braeden did not have access to these facilities, our whole family would be excluded. Inclusive travel means that we can participate together, rather than all standing on the sidelines due to Braeden’s disability.

volunteers assisting guests with a TrailRider in Dandenong Ranges National Park — Dandenong Ranges National Park is also wheelchair-friendly. (Image: Parks Victoria)

Accessible tourism is inclusive

Inclusive travel, as our family’s experience has shown, acknowledges the needs of all travellers, no matter their language, dietary requirements, religion or level of ability. By taking steps to accommodate these differences, our society proves itself to be responsible. Understanding that there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to those needs and keeping an open mind is crucial.

Australian operators have also made some progress with inclusivity – a term which, in a perfect world, would be used in unison with accessibility. Many people would assume that because my son is a wheelchair user, he would not be able to ride a quad bike, cable hang-glide or kayak. Thanks to tour operators with an inclusive, can-do attitude, he has done all these activities.

While our family does use and seek out physical access and infrastructure because Braeden uses a wheelchair, we also prioritise researching businesses that embrace inclusivity.

Braeden Jones in a kayak — The writer’s son, Braeden, enjoying adventure travel with his family. (Image: Julie Jones)

Australia needs to promote an inclusive attitude

When my daughter was keen to book a quad bike tour to explore the sand dunes of Port Stephens, NSW, we knew that Braeden would love the experience but could not drive a bike himself. The team at Sand Dune Adventures were open to making some adjustments to allow our son to ride on a bike with my husband.

We arrived armed with non-slip matting and a buckle to secure Braeden to the bike; along with an open-minded tour operator, that was all that was needed for us to enjoy the thrill of the ride as a family. An inclusive attitude created a terrific travel memory for everyone.

Being an inclusive business is also good customer service says Buck McFarlane, tour guide and owner of Cocky Guides, a business that offers tours for low-vision and blind travellers.

“Training of service staff is a simple way to improve the guest’s experience," he says. “Simply saying who they are and asking how they can help will go a long way. Never assume what the guest requires."

Braeden and Mark Jones on a quad bike thanks to Sand Dune Adventures. (Image: Julie Jones)

Not all disabilities are visible

It’s clear from my son’s wheelchair use that he lives with a disability. But many people live with disabilities that are hidden or not immediately obvious to those they encounter. Autism, dementia and long-term health conditions can also impact the ease with which a person can travel, even though they may not be visible to others.

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program ensures that the needs of these individuals are not overlooked, whereby these travellers have the option of wearing a sunflower lanyard, badge or bracelet to indicate that they may require additional assistance, time or understanding.

Airport staff around the country have received training on the needs of travellers with hidden disabilities, and at most airports the sunflower symbol is displayed to indicate that assistance is available.

Many museums and attractions are also participating in the program. Some, such as the Australian Museum in Sydney , offer quiet sessions or sensory-friendly times. These allow those who find the activity or sensory stimulation of general hours too much the opportunity to visit at a time when the environment may better suit their needs.

Australia’s report card

The outlook for travellers with a disability is positive. Attending the Accessible Inclusive Tourism Conference Asia Pacific (AITCAP) on the Gold Coast recently, I noticed there was an overwhelming enthusiasm among speakers and destinations that have already joined the accessible travel movement.

“There’s been a lot of talk about ‘building back better’ after Covid, so it’s really great to see it actually happening in Australia," said speaker and inclusive travel advocate Martin Heng.

Stockton Sand Dunes in Port Stephens — Stockton Sand Dunes in Port Stephen’s Worimi Conservation Lands, where Sand Dune Adventures operates an inclusive business. (Image: Destination NSW)

“Compared with many countries, Australia is relatively accessible, and Tourism Australia – and Queensland in particular – is finally waking up to the massive potential of the accessible and inclusive travel market. Where we really need to do a lot better is in the provision of information that will allow travellers with access needs to plan their trips – and that includes destination organisations at every level, as well as councils and individual tourism service providers. In this respect, we still have a lot to learn from countries such as the UK, Spain [and] Germany."

Strides are being made in the US, too. On a recent trip to the United States, I found that the Americans with Disabilities Act has laid a good foundation for an overall understanding of access needs. In Washington DC, many museums provide sensory bags, large print or Braille guides. The United States Botanic Garden even offers special glasses that allow visitors who are colour blind the opportunity to fully experience the gardens. At the White House Visitor Centre, tactile exhibits are available for blind visitors to feel.

TrailRiders for free in Victoria — Many national parks in Victoria hire out TrailRiders for free.

Where to now?

Apprehension leads to inaction, says Chantel Maclachlan, head of operations at Dreamworld and Whitewater World. At the recent AITCAP conference, she reiterated the importance of not shying away from accessible tourism.

“Offending prevents us from approaching people with disabilities to understand their needs so we can provide an accessible and inclusive experience," she said. “We’re worried about offending so much that we freeze and do nothing." Instead, it’s “progress over perfection every day" that will keep us moving forward with accessibility, Maclachlan believes.

Imperfection notwithstanding, each accessible and inclusive change has an ongoing benefit, not only assisting travellers but also those living in their community. Ramps, for instance, will be used not only by wheelchair users but by parents with prams, the elderly who find stairs difficult and anyone with a temporary injury.

While many of us may not need these facilities now, as we age, we may find we do. And how wonderful to think that when we do, that responsible planning, access and inclusion will ensure there will be no barrier to us continuing to pursue the travel we love.

Travel for all

All-terrain wheelchairs for national parks

All-terrain wheelchairs, such as the TrailRider, are available for free hire at national parks across the country including Royal National Park in NSW , Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and Grampians/Gariwerd National Park in Victoria . Check the national park’s website; bookings are essential.

Queensland’s Year of Accessible Tourism

In 2023, the Queensland government will invest $12 million to assist the state’s tourism industry to better cater for visitors of all abilities, including, but not limited to, staff training, upgrading facilities, inclusive activity development and increased website information.

an aerial view of the beach in Palms Cove — Palm Cove, Queensland, whose government has invested $12 million in accessible tourism for 2023. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Quiet and sensory sessions

Museums all around the country, such as the Australian Museum, have created allotted times for visitors who require a quieter environment and less sensory stimulation. Others include National Museum of Australia in Canberra , Melbourne’s Science Gallery , Sydney’s National Maritime Museum , WA Museum Boola Bardip in Perth and the Queensland Museum in Brisbane .

a mother and child at WA Museum Boola Bardip — WA Museum Boola Bardip runs a Quiet Hour for visitors with sensory needs. (Image: Luke Riley)

Inclusive regions

While there’s a long way to go, some regions are already investing in inclusive tourism by improving access in public places, supporting and encouraging tourism operators to improve their inclusivity and providing useful information about the best places to eat, play and stay for visitors with a disability.

For example, NSW’s Central Coast and Shoalhaven regions feature go-to guides on their websites for inclusive tourism operators, wheelchair-friendly pathways, where to access free beach wheelchair hire and the best places to stay and eat.

an aerial view of Honeymoon Bay in NSW’s Shoalhaven region — Honeymoon Bay in NSW’s Shoalhaven region has stepped up its investment in inclusive travel. (Image: Destination NSW)

In Western Australia, Mandurah Visitor Centre became the first visitor centre in the state to join The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program to improve customer service to visitors with non-visible disabilities. Mandurah Houseboats offers a wheelchair-friendly houseboat for hire and The Bike Kiosk , another local operator, now hires out electric wheelchairs alongside its e-bikes and e-scooters.

an aerial view of Mandurah Houseboats in WA — Mandurah Houseboats in WA has a wheelchair-friendly vessel for hire. (Image: West Beach Studio)

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat , now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate , whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor , who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will , who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods . “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield , embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House .

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument , which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds .

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens , hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Accessible travel is getting easier but we can still do better