ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL – Elderly Travel, Disabled and Wheelchair Holidays

Australian Capital Territory

On November 28, 2009 · 0 Comments

Parliament House Canberra

The Australian Capital Territory or ACT as it is known is the smallest of the two self-governing territories within Australia. It is the location of the Australian Federal Government / Parliament of Australia and is the national capital of Australia. Interestingly enough, many people think of Sydney or Melbourne as being the capital of Australia when in fact, while being the largest cities in Australia they are second to Canberra in terms of being the national capital. Visitors to Canberra should not miss a tour of Parliament house which is an amazing structure and the Australian War Memorial among other sights.

The ACT is very picture sq as it has a wide variation in the landscape. The varies from grazing land where sheep and cattle are farmed to areas of cropping land, through to the mountainous and forested areas in the south. In addition to this the ACT has considerable areas set aside as national parks where flora and fauna are protected.

Without referring to statistics, it would be reasonable to assume that the ACT would have the coldest climate of the Australian states and territories with the exception of Tasmania which wins that dubious honour hands down. Should you choose to visit the ACT you will find Canberra city a beautiful place to visit with it’s unusual circular planning centred around Lake Burley Griffin and for those who venture beyond the city there awaits many magnificent sights. Let’s look at getting too and around the ACT.

Airlines

The ACT is serviced by two of the major national carriers Qantas and Virgin Blue as well as the regional Brindabella Airlines. Tiger Airways the budget arm of Singapore Airlines runs flights from Canberra to Melbourne and Adelaide as part of it new network of domestic flights. If you are travelling within the ACT or to other regional towns and cities within NSW or VIC you will most likely be using Brindabella Airlines. As far as accessible travel is concerned, Qantas and Virgin are really you only option as Brindabella Airlines generally operates smaller aircraft and are not required to provide accessible travel for all disabled passengers. Tiger Airways provides an extremely low cost service and this brings with it the usual restrictions one would expect; if you require special assistance and the use of mobility aids during your trip you would be well advised to bypass Tiger and Brindabella Airlines.

Airport

The Canberra Airport is known for the level of security in comparison to other airports. While all major airports in Australia apply the Commonwealth Governments security procedures and as such are as secure as can be expected, Canberra, perhaps because it is the centre of Government in Australia seems particularly sensitive on this issue. Canberra is currently building a major new terminal and refer to it as the ‘AirVolution’; this when completed will be a major improvement for all travellers but in particular the disabled traveller with special needs.

Public Transport

Canberra is well services by public transport with the emphasis being on the bus service. Action provides excellent service and excels in the provision of accessible travel options. Much of the reason behind the excellent level of service in the ACT is the fact that the city is solely based around the provision of government services. The bus services are inexpensive and run frequently during the week and even on the weekend the services are adequate. One other point that will make the bus traveller happy is that with the low level of traffic on the roads in Canberra buses are almost always on time; a pleasant change from some of the other larger cities.

Car / Van Hire

The hiring of vehicles in Canberra, be they standard or accessible vehicles is again better than most cities so you shouldn’t have any trouble if you want to be independently mobile during your stay in Canberra. Even so it is an idea to book ahead of time to be sure of getting the vehicle you want for your trip.

Taxis

Catching a Taxi in Canberra is an interesting experience; I recall the first time I had the experience was on a business trip to Canberra. I walked out of the terminal and get into a taxi and the first thing that struck me was the car was immaculately clean, the driver was wearing a clean and ironed uniform and his conversation suggested he could have taken the afternoon off from teaching duties at the university. I thought it was a once off occurrence, but to my amazement it is the norm in this city of surprises. Ok, there is a down side; and that is you will often have to wait longer for a taxi than you would in most other cities. This is especially the case at night so be warned. Don’t be concerned though because another licence has has recently been issued to a Queanbeyan taxi company to operate in Canberra and this will likely assist with the afore mentioned problem.

Accommodation

There is a good choice of accomodation isn Canberra so you will have choice and as with the other services in Canberra no problem with the accessible services.

Coach Tours

There are numerous companies providing day tours to Canberra from Sydney and well as the companies providing tours from within Canberra. Allow about $150 and twelve hours for the day trip from Sydney and you won’t go far wrong. In addition, to this there are tours to wineries and many other beautiful scenic locations within the ACT. At the risk of sounding like I am promoting Canberra the level of accessible travel in this area is second to none. If you click on the link above and speak with any of the companies that come up in the search you will be able to quickly find a tour that provides the level of service you require. Don’t forget though, don’t take it for granted that the service will be as you expect ….ask the accessible question!!

Trains

The same services are available in the ACT as was described in the NSW section of this site so this link will take you to the page on the Country Link site that gives a very detailed description of the accessible service they provide. For those that enjoy historical trains there are several trips you can do from Canberra; please note that I have not taken these trips so cannot advise on the degree of accessible services available.