UPDATES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN “THE WHEELIE’S HANDBOOK”
FOR
Queensland

ATHERTON

Irene Chapman is a well-known identity in the Queensland town of Atherton. She has just opened up her own travel information service for people with disabilities, called Wheelie Easy (see details below).

Irene has also completed the marathon task of checking out all wheelchair friendly facilities in the area including accommodation options, shopping, restaurants, water activities, bingo sites, picnic spots and toilets, wheelchair/scooter hire, repairs and modifications, Information Centres, plus lots more, which she has listed in a directory, soon to be published and titled (appropriately enough) "Wheelie Accessible".

Here is the letter Irene sent us telling about her book:

"Wheelie Accessible came about when I noticed that there were places around the Tablelands that were wheelchair accessible, but no one knew about them except perhaps the proprietor of that specific venue. Atherton Shire Council has been proactive in providing more access around the town, and I felt it was time that everyone knew about the progress that has been made. The assumption that rural places are virtually inaccessible to wheelchair users is still reasonably valid, but let's concentrate on those that ARE ACCESSIBLE and reward those people and businesses and organisations that do care about the inclusion of wheelies.
Copies of Wheelie Accessible are not yet commercially available, but in the meantime it can be downloaded from www.athertonsc.qld.gov.au/community.htm
Please feel free to contact me for any further information or to order a copy of Wheelie Accessible. I would welcome any comments users of Wheelie Accessible have."

You can contact Irene regarding her book or disability travel information service at…
Irene Chapman
Holiday Consultant Wheelie Easy
P.O. Box 461
ATHERTON, QLD. 4883

Telephone (07) 4091 4876, Fax (07) 4091 4870 or Mobile 0439 914 876

Email: WheelieEasy@austarnet.com.au Website: http://home.austarnet.com.au/WheelieEasy/

TOILET PEDESTALS:

Irene has also noticed the trend to locate toilet pedestals as far away from the wall as possible and has had concerns about the lack of support a person must have when using the facility. If you read this before Irene's deadline of March 15, 2004 and would like to offer a response, please get in touch with her at any of the contact points above.

CAIRNS
Sunland Carapark, 49-61 Pease Street, Manoora, Qld. 4870.
Phone: (07) 4053 6888 or reservation free call 1800 627 868.
Email: stay@sunlandcaraparkinn.com.au
Website: www.sunlandcaraparkinn.com.au/

An RACQ four-star rated caravan park which includes a cabin designed for wheelies and is claimed to conform with Australian standards (I haven't been there personally, but it does come highly recommended).

It has all the comforts of home, including linen and laundry facilities. There is a queen size bed and a fold out sofa divan, providing comfortable living for up to four people.

Sunland is a well established park being only 4k from Cairns city centre. Guests have full use of BBQs, the camp kitchen and resort style swimming pool (added June 2001).

Cairns Colonial Club Resort
18-26 Cannon Street, Cairns, QLD. 4870
Ph: +61 7 4053 8809 Fax: +61 7 4053 8866
Email: claudia@cairnscolonialclub.com.au
Website: www.cairnscolonialclub.com.au

Claudia McFadden, Director of Sales & Marketing at the Colonial Club has written to this site and advises that the Cairns Colonial Club Resort is ideally suited for travellers with special Access needs as "we are a low set property with wheelchair access rooms, and have had a great number of visitors from all over the world staying, including small groups." Claudia also suggests that you can "have a look on our web site and for any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me."

KARRAGARRA ISLAND
3 bedroom house and a large 4 bedroom house (ideal for groups),
40 - 42 Noyes Parade, Karragarra Island, Qld. 4184.
Phone/Fax: (07) 3409 1090. Email: karracom@redland.net.au
Website: www.holidayisland.com.au/.

The 3 bedroom house is all en suite and each bedroom has its own ‘private verandah’. It is fully furnished and equipped with linen provided. There is also a computer with internet access and telephone. It is recommended that you bring your own provisions or, alternatively, the owners will arrange everything for you at mainland prices. Ask for the easy to use ‘shopping list’ when booking. An up-to-date price list is also available upon request.

Karragarra has its own swimming pool with beach entry and water powered lifter, designed for unassisted operation. There is a BBQ, grassed games area, basketball hoop, etc. Pubs, clubs, golf course, lawn bowls and shops can be accessed on nearby Macleay, Lamb and Russell Islands.

Karragarra is a small accessible island in Moreton Bay Marine Park. It offers white sandy beaches, peace and tranquillity, just 12 minutes by wheelchair friendly high speed water bus from Redland Bay. It also has its own Q.A.T.B. Ambulance, helipad, resident doctor and all mainland facilities, together with free electric BBQ's, children's playground and safe swimming enclosure. There's good fishing too!

Transport to Karragarra is by driving your vehicle to Redland Bay where you can take the Vehicular Barge or the fast 120 passenger accessible water bus. Alternatively, National Buslines connect with Redland Bay water busses which connect at Cleveland Train Station with Cleveland water busses.
Seemore Tours wheelchair accessible bus will pick you up anywhere in S.E. Queensland, where you can enjoy a sightseeing tour on the way (see their web page or call for timetables, etc.). A local minibus is available with lifter, etc., to meet you on your arrival at the Island. For more information visit the web page.

INPUT AND COMMENTS FROM VISITORS TO THIS PAGE…

Rod, a T4 complete paraplegic, who stayed at Playa Concha Resort, Hervey Bay in Queensland (already listed in The Wheelie's Handbook of Australia), offers these comments to assist other travellers...

I found the room in general very good. The motel is at Torquay at Hervey Bay and the accessible unit number is 61. The TV has a remote control but the switch cannot be accessed from the bed. The main lights cannot be accessed from the bed but there is a lamp on the bedside table. Light switches are a rocker type and at an accessible height.

The room has one queen size bed and a sofa which will convert to a single bed. The unit has self-catering facilities. There is space under the sink in the kitchenette. The microwave is wall mounted and would not be accessible. There are two hot plates which are accessible as well as an electric frypan.

The bathroom is large with plenty of room beside the toilet and a fold down shower chair. The shower is hand held type on a sliding pole and should the head be locked at the top assistance may be required to lower it. All taps in both the bathroom and kitchen are lever type.

There is no designated parking space, (wide or otherwise). Parking bays extend the full length in front of the unit block. A problem could arise should the motel be fully booked and all car spaces taken as all the bays are of normal size.

The motel is situated on the Esplanade at Torquay. The beach area is directly across the road and there is a concrete pathway which runs the whole length of the Esplanade.

Thanks also to Ben, another of our site visitors, who provided us with the following great insights to his travels. The information in this letter from Ben is well worth noting for your visits to the respective areas (maybe pop it inside your copy of The Wheelie’s Handbook)?

I was recently in Stanthorpe, Qld., with a group of friends. We stayed at the Stannum Motor Lodge that is detailed in your guide - good access and as you detail in the guide. For dinner we went to Il Cavallino Restaurant, an Italian restaurant in the middle of town.

Visit their Website at www.ilcavallino.com.au/, or phone: (07) 4681 1556 or write to 130 High St., Stanthorpe, QLD, 4380. The restaurant has ramp access and absolutely marvellous food. We had an $18/head banquet (min of 15 people according to the website, but they made the banquet available to 10 of us). More food than 10 starving uni students could eat and he gave us the leftovers in a doggy bag!

I would recommend this restaurant to visitors to Stanthorpe, with the added bonus of wheelchair access. However, there are no accessible toilets on the premises to my knowledge.

Also, from a recent article in a Brisbane Paper:

Lillydale Host Farm, Mount Barney via. Rathdowney, Queensland
Website: www.lillydale.com.au/ or phone (07) 5544 3131.
The article quotes "Three big self-contained bedrooms built in under the main house... My room, which was also fully adapted for wheelchair users, was painted deep green with a big sofa upholstered in darkest crimson, a very comfortable queen size bed and another single bed, a microwave, refrigerator as well as a toaster and frypan." I haven't been there myself, so I can't comment, but the scenery in that area is pretty spectacular.

Anyway... I hope some of this info might be useful to you and the readers. I'm trying to work out the next holiday destination. Either Western Australia or Kakadu when time and money permit! I will update you with any info in due course.

Ben Lawson has advised us that Queensland Rail (the state rail authority for Queensland) has put out a guide entitled “Easy Access” which lists the details for all railway stations in the City Train network in Southeast Queensland (i.e.. Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Ipswich and all places in between. The guide details whether the stations:

• are fully or partially accessible stations (or in some cases not at all!)
• have accessible toilets
• have a particular number of carpark bays
• have a particular number of secure carpark bays
• have security cameras
• have pay-phones

This guide is available free of charge from staffed railway stations. Otherwise, Queensland Rail would be happy to post a copy to people who need this information.

Ben also tells us of his recent visit to the Cougal Cascades, a series of waterfalls in the Mount Cougal Section of Springbrook National Park. The Cougal Cascades are located in the Currumbin Valley in the Gold Coast hinterland. The parking area had a level set-down area and a 800m long sealed pathway and viewing platforms to view the falls. The path was very easy to use in a wheelchair as the pathway had no steps or rough sections. Compared to many National Park paths, wheelies would find it a breeze! Ben tells us that the picnic tables were accessible, but he wasn't sure whether the toilets were wheelchair friendly. Thanks for the information, Ben.

Since the most recent edition of The Wheelie’s Handbook of Australia was published, we have also received information about accessible facilities in the towns/cities of…
BRISBANE
CAIRNS
CALOUNDRA
CANNONVALE
GOLD COAST
MACKAY
MARYBOROUGH
URANGAN
(Please email Colin to request updates of any of the above.)

To Northern Territory updates

(Updated December 2002)