Disabled Travelers Australia Series: Mobility Impaired Access in the Outback
Posted July 6th, 2010 in access guides, Accessible Travel, general news, helpful information and Wheelchair Accessible Attractions
An Australian rainbow
Photo by: Thomas Hotopp (Stock Exchange)
Welcome back to Disabled Travelers, all!
After dropping by Oceania a few posts back and taking a look at Australia, a vast and unique country that’s working hard to leave behind a checkered past in accessibility, I’ve decided it’s finally time for the long-awaited Disabled Access: Australia series.
We’ll be visiting the major cities as well as touring the wilderness – which is exactly what’s on today’s agenda.
Now, bear in mind that “the outback” can refer to several different remote, wild areas in Australia; it’s much harder to point and say “there it is” than it would be, say, to go to Yellowstone National Park. So we’ll be looking at handicapped travel resources around Australia for this journey. When we start looking at cities, we can “zoom in” more.
Located in central Australia, Alice Springs is one of the biggest tourist draws in Australia, for able-bodied and handicapped travelers alike. eBility showcases the area and its attractions in a great, but somewhat dated article. Nearby Alice Springs Desert Park offers a number of accessibility features, including electric wheelchair rental and accessible restroom facilities. Try the All Seasons Oasis Alice Springs for an accessible hotel option. For a peek at the other side of Australia, drop by Apparelyzed’s Itinerary for a Holiday in Adelaide,
Outback Australia Travel Secrets is a great website where you can get expert travel advice on the Australian Outback, no matter what your interest or the region you intend to travel. Among the archived information from reader-provided questions is the article on Wheelchair Accessible Kakadu Tours, discussing accessible tours through Kakadu National Park, located in the Northern Territory. Kakadu is famous for its diverse wildlife as well as the distinct influences from Aboriginal culture. Saltwater crocodiles are another famous find – the Crocodile Dundee films of the 1980s were partly filmed here.
Independent travelers are known for leaving the trails behind, and it’s easier to do that in the Outback than anywhere else you might visit. The Royal Flying Doctor Service, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency and primary medical care in Australia’s remote areas, has Tips on Safe Outback Travel that any visitor should be aware of. While most major tourist attractions are accessible by top-quality roads in areas where all emergency services and modern conveniences are freely available, there’s plenty of terrain on this nearly 3,000,000 square mile island continent where that’s not the case!
For a terrific all-purpose resource on Australian travel, see Touring Australia, a well-established guide to the best that the country has to offer. With a full-color, glossy magazine of a quality you barely see anymore, this respected outlet has been operating for twenty years to keep its finger on the pulse of truly outstanding Australian adventures. From general travel tips to fishing, camping, train journeys, and even local recipes, there’s nothing about Australia that it hasn’t covered. Recommended highly!
This is only the beginning for the Disabled Travelers tour of Australia! See you next time, mates, and adventure on!
Si
