TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES
In general, backpackers with mobility difficulties are well looked after in Victoria. Most major sights, restaurants and sporting and entertainment venues, as well as tourist accommodation (including the more modern YHA hostels), cater for wheelchair users.
Transport
Air
All major airlines provide services to help people with disabilities.
Rail
Melbourne’s metropolitan rail service is accessible, and train drivers will leave their cabin to assist those in need. General assistance is available at Flinders Street Station and Southern Cross Station.
Services covering rural Victoria, as well as interstate trains to and from Victoria, are also accessible. Travellers Aid can arrange to meet you at your arriving train or help you catch a departing train.
Buses
In Melbourne, some public buses have low floors and are theoretically wheelchair-accessible. As there are a number of different bus companies, it’s wise to check accessibility directly with each company for the route and time you wish to travel. Vist the Metlink website for information on bus companies.
Almost all NightRider buses, which run through the night on Fridays and Saturdays from central Melbourne to the outlying suburbs, are accessible. As well, some country bus services cater for the mobility-impaired. If you book a few days ahead, it’s sometimes possible for an accessible bus to be scheduled at the time you wish to travel.
Trams
Melbourne is slowly introducing modern, low-floor trams, providing improved access.
Taxis
Wheelchair-accessible taxis are available. To book, contact Silver Top Taxis, Yellow Cabs or Central Booking Service.
Vehicles
For vehicle hire, call Norden, which has wheelchair-accessible vans for short- and long-term rental. Temporary permits are available for overseas visitors with a disability parking permit issued in their own country. Most parking areas have spaces specifically allocated for the disabled.
Other information
The Mobility Map of Central Melbourne, available from the front desk of the Melbourne Town Hall in Swanston Street, provides information on accessible routes and toilets in the city, locations of street ramps, multi-access public telephones, ‘disabled’ parking bays, and buildings with steep gradients.
Contact details:
Silver Top Taxis, Ph 131 008
Yellow Cabs, Ph 131 924
Central Booking Service, Ph 1300 364 050
Norden, Ph 9793 1066
Useful organisations
- National Information Communication Awareness Network (NICAN) maintains a comprehensive database on accommodation, organisations, activities, tour operators and services for people with a disability.
- Disability Online Victoria is a one-stop shop for disability services Travellers Aid Society of Victoria also supports the Travellers Aid Disability Access Service (ph 9654 7690).
- For Victorian transport access information, visit Easygoing.
- Visit viclink for public transport timetable information.
- The Easy Access Australia guide is a good starting point for disabled visitors to Melbourne and Victoria.
- Accessibility.com.au has comprehensive information, news and links, as well as a Melbourne-specific city guide
