Accessibility on the Central Coast

Recently we caught up with the amazing Liesl Tesch, local Labor MP for Gosford and former Paralympian who’s wheelchair bound, to talk about accessibility on the Coast.

Liesl commented: “when making decisions on who we’ll spend our dollars with whether it’s for travel, heading out shopping or dining, we have to consider who’s the most inclusive. Given that it’s not as easy for us to move about this means we tend to stay longer and spend more in destination.”

It’s something for local businesses to seriously consider. So…what are some of the venues and businesses offering fun and accessible day activities for disabled individuals and groups on the Coast?

Whilst we’ve also suggested here some ways these places can become more accessible, there are a lot of wonderful options already available on the Coast outside the normal cinemas and bowling, ranging from art and cooking classes to surfing and sailing. We’ve teamed up with Coast magazine, whose own article on accessible beaches will be out in their December mag, to give you some inspo for your next day outing, whether you look after or are someone with a disability. Special thanks to Leisl Tesch, Ross Hansen from Care 2 the Max, Brianna Cummings and all the NDIS participants who offered their feedback to make this article possible.

Accessibility on the Central Coast

Palm Beach Day trip from Wagstaffe

Currently, this is Ross Hansen’s, enthusiastic disability worker for Care to the Max, favourite thing to do on a day-trip with his clients. He recommends you head to the quiet and accessible Wagstaffe pier to catch the 20min ferry into Palm Beach, where you can either utilize the area’s many pathways or catch one of the buses that come every ten minutes into the Home and Away ‘Summer Bay Diner’ – also known as Palm Beach Boathouse. Here, you can enjoy a nice meal served by real-time actors, or even watch them film a few scenes on set. Once the dredging is done in Ettalong, this can also be a convenient pick-up location.

Patonga

A great spot if you require disabled parking or amenities, both of which are right beside the cricket pitch and the pier, if you’re after a day of soaking up the sunshine or fishing.

Australian Reptile Park

Having lunch with the kangaroos at the Reptile Park is always a fun idea, especially when the park has an excellent set up of pathways all around the exhibits.

Terrigal Boardwalk

The thing we love most about this boardwalk, aside from its stunning views and easy access to the delicious and ramp-accessible Cove Café, is that it was designed by a quadriplegic specifically with disabled people in mind. It makes for a great day out right up close and personal with the ocean – be wary of splashes! – or for hanging around at the nearby oval and Terrigal Point. This whole area is great for people challenged with accessibility, with lots of wide pathways, easily acquirable disabled parking and special amenities underneath Terrigal Trojans.

Disability Support on the Central Coast

Sailability, Gosford Sailing Club 

13 years ago, some amazing volunteers decided they wanted to put 3 of the Sail Ability boats sitting in the club to use. When the first disability company jumped on board, Coastlink,  it was an immediate success – 12 clients at a time were participating weekly from October to April. Since then, there’s been no turning back. Over the years, the Sailing Club has set up various hoists and teams dedicated to getting all people on deck and has grown to 5 boats thanks to a variety of sponsors. Today, you can be a part of the sailing program every Tuesday & Thursday 10 to midday with only a small entrance fee each week. Sail time for each individual and volunteer is about 30min.

Ross also told us the inspiring story of a vision impaired girl who was once afraid of the water, but who, through Sail Ability, ended up competing in State Titles. Whether you want to take it competitively or not, however, Sail Ability offers a fun day out on the water with a calming atmosphere and an incredible team of kind volunteers.

Perform-Ability 

Based in Wyong, but rapidly expanding across Australia with its sights set internationally, Perform-Ability offers all types of dance classes for people with disabilities in six different age groups. It was founded by the amazing Miranda Daisy, who has been teaching disabled students for eleven years and who has over the last four years been working closely with students and teachers to develop Australia’s first Dance for Inclusion course for instructors. Check out their timetable here.

Options 

This team does almost everything, seriously. Art, Craft, Drama, Sewing, Photography, Gardening, woodwork – you name it! And they’re conveniently spread out across the whole Central Coast, catering to a range of disabilities. They’re all about improving independent living and social skills and giving access to a variety of exciting and engaging programs, so be sure to check out what they have on offer here.

Options Theatre Company

This place is awesome. Part of the Options Group, Options Theatre Company, located in Tuggerah, runs a first-class theater training facility with a company of creatives, technicians, actors, directors, musicians, dancers and artists who happen to be people with disabilities. It’s a great place to learn, create and perform alongside the guidance of qualified and experienced Arts industry professionals. These guys put on some incredible shows! Check out their webpage for info on all the good experiences they have to offer.

Kincumber Golf Range

This is a great spot for people with disabilities. It’s a great location, lots of fun, and the staff are really welcoming. Head to their webpage for more info.

Laser Mania at the Leagues Club

The clients of Care to the Max love going to Laser Tag at Gosford League’s Club – it’s exciting, different, and most importantly, easily accessible with lots of ramps. For more details, go to their website.

Central Coast Stadium

Always a winner here. Central Coast stadium is great for wheelchairs, and offers some of the best seats in the house, which are mostly undercover. There is not enough reserved disabled parking, however, so it would be worth looking into bus services like the Coastlink bus or coming in through the variety of pathways linking the stadium to parking near Gosford Station or Gosford Sailing Club. Check out what’s happening next at the stadium here.

Fairhaven 

This amazing Central Coast based disability service provider initiated by families with disabilities offers numerous events and outings of fun nature, such as trips to nearby festivals and whale watching cruises, movie-days or fishing afternoons. Fairhaven also has an excellent range of employment and accommodation services for those with disabilities.

Soldier’s Beach

If you’re after a beach day, Soldier’s Beach is up their with the best in terms of accessibility – it’s got lots of parking, disabled toilets and a broad pathway leading all the way down to the SLSC where you can grab something to eat from the kiosk with the help of their friendly staff.

Central Coast Surf Academy

Surf’s up for all with the Central Coast Surf Academy, operating in beaches all across the Central Coast. The Academy is a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme provider, made up of qualified coaches that work closely with Vision Australia, Surfers on the Spectrum and disabled individuals and groups. They have a passion for making all their student’s surfing sessions extremely fun and safe. Head to their website to check out their timeslots and pricing!

RELATED: Meet Tim Dormer – Central Coast Disability Carer

Things to do on the Central Coast for those with Disabilities

Toowoon Bay

Toowoon Bay is another beach that tops the list when it comes to accessibility. There’s lots of ramps, a beautiful café, and clean, operating disabled toilets.

Santa Photos & Erina Fair

Erina Fair in general is a great with accessibility: it’s got lots of disabled parking and amenities, mobility equipment hire and a guest services team contactable via phone if assistance is needed. It makes it easy to attend many of the fun events held in the shopping center itself or the Hive – like Santa Photos! Erina Fair offers Sensitive Santa sessions for those families with disabilities who would prefer a less sensory-overwhelming environment.

Killcare Beach

Killcare beach offers a great lunch experience for those with disabilities – it’s easily accessed with its supply of disabled parking, and has lots of nice tables set up on the grass which you can sit at after ordering from the nearby Café. In the summer they also have the light sprinklers going, providing a peaceful, calm and cool environment.

How we can Improve Accessibility on the Central Coast

Despite the numerous options available to those with disabilities on the Central Coast, there is still a lot we can do as local businesses and venues to improve our accessibility.

Disability workers we’ve spoken to have encouraged all venues – especially sporting grounds – to ensure their disabled amenities are easily – and quickly – opened, as well as clean. Looking into acquiring menus printed in braille for the blind, captions on tvs in waiting rooms and rsl’s for the deaf and ramps for those struggling to walk the stairs are just a few ideas out of many that can be implemented. Businesses like Fairhaven and Lasercraft in West Gosford are great at employing those with disabilities, however all businesses are encouraged to consider how they might be more inclusive with employment.

It’s good to see so many businesses already adopting these measures, however it’s important every individual stops to ask: how can I be more inclusive and accessible?

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