Disabled Travelers Australia Series: Darwin
Posted August 5th, 2010 in access guides, Accessible Travel, general news, helpful information, hotel reviews, restaurant reviews, Train Accessible Travel and Wheelchair Accessible Attractions
A stormy sunset in Australia’s Northern Territory
Photo by: Juho Tastula (Stock Exchange)
Welcome back to Disabled Travelers! As we wind down our stupendous and compendious series of access guides for Australia, we come to Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory. Though it’s the least populous capital on the island, it’s the heart and soul of the Northern Territory and well-known as a jumping off point for Asian destinations. Darwin Harbor and surroundings have grown from pioneer days and include historic shipwrecks and terrific fishing. But how’s the wheelchair access? Let’s see …
One of the biggest attractions in Darwin is the harbor area, so let’s start with accessible hotels around Darwin Harbor. You can also get plenty of listings for wheelchair-friendly accommodations from PleaseTakeMeTo, Australian Bed and Breakfast, and of course, Stayz. One very well-located and reputable option is the Darwin Central Hotel, which has a selection of accessible rooms. There’s also Escape Travel for even more hits. If you’re headed between Darwin and Adelaide, or planning to pop by famous Alice Springs, you’ll want to hear about The Ghan, one of Rail Australia’s most historic trains. Of course, Darwin International Airport is another handy option.
For getting by and getting around, check out Travelling Darwin, an article by the late public speaker Matt Laffan. Matt was not a wheelchair user, but had a serious height impairment from medical issues, and his observations are very incisive. As in Adelaide, you’ll probably be interested in accessibility at the Darwin Festival, which happens to be coming up later this month. It’s a huge event for the Northern Territory and has a whole range of offerings to be enjoyed by the deaf, those with visual difficulties, and of course, anyone who needs mobility impaired access. The fun doesn’t stop for seventeen days!
Around Darwin is one of the most useful sites on the ‘net focused on Darwin, and includes a huge amount of general tourist information, as well as a lot that’s useful for handicapped travelers. Some valuable highlights: a few accessible swimming spots, accommodations in the Darwin outback, and some local hotels and motels. The rest of the site has plenty of restaurants, tour operators, cruises, and a whole bunch of other neat stuff that’s sure to make your trip up north memorable.
You can also check out Lonely Planet’s Introducing Darwin. For a comprehensive guide to the area, do not miss Your Guide to Everything Darwin, which delivers on the name with a database filled with just about all you could want: hotels to flights to attractions and everything in between. It also aggregates the latest Darwin news!
That’s it for dusty but delightful Darwin, and we’re finally driving toward the end of the Australia Series here on Disabled Travelers. See you next time, and adventure on!
Si
