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Disabled Travel GuideQuayside Business Centre
Ouserburn Building
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE6 1LL
Contact
info@disabledtravelguide.com
Tel: 0191 275 50 00
Disabled Travel Guide
Locations
Sydney, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Added by Jodie De Ruvo
August 03, 2011
394
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Reviewed by Jodie De Ruvo August 03, 2011
Getting Around Sydney
Even though I live in Sydney, I don’t tend to get right into the city enough, partly because it can be a bit difficult....
It is quite hilly and a lot of the buildings around town are old, so they don’t have wheelchair access, but most of all of the newer buildings are equipped for wheelchair users.
All of the edge of footpaths do have ‘dots’ on the ground for blind people, and the crossings make a beeping noise when it is time to cross. All of the elevators that I have come across have brail as well.
Some of the footpaths have quite steep inclines when getting on or off the curb, which can be a bit dangerous if you’re travelling alone.
Most of the train stations have wheelchair access; however, Museum Station does not, which I found out recently. Some of the footpaths around Sydney city have uneven pavement, so a keen eye will be needed when travelling along, so you don’t tip out of your chair, or trip over if you’re a bit unsteady on your feet.
For nightlife, there are some great places to hang out, but unfortunately, there are still a lot that have stairs, and no lifts available, so planning ahead is essential. If you’re willing to trust them, most bouncers will offer to help you and your chair up or down stairs, so you can access a pub or club.
The museums and tourist spots are all pretty accessible, there is a mono-rail and ferry’s which are also wheelchair accessible. There are accessible toilets available at most tourist attractions as well.
If you are looking at going shopping, you can’t go past the awesome shops at Pitt St Mall, which is all wheelchair accessible, although, you may have to go the long way around in some areas, to reach the elevators or ramps. The only downside to shopping is, some of the change rooms are not big enough to accommodate a wheelchair, so it’d be useful to take a look before you go piling your lap up with clothes. I have found a lot of places will let me use their staff area sometimes to try on clothes.
All banking ATM’s usually offer low height machines, but some are still at a high level, which would be inaccessible to most wheelchair users, but if you’re willing to look around, you shouldn’t have to travel far to find an accessible one.
Pay phones are usually situated up high, but again, there are some available for wheelchair users, that are situated down at a lower height. There should be some in major shopping centres.