Overall

Compared to many places in the world Australia, as a developed forward thinking country, is one of the easier places to travel with a disability. There are a good number of fairly well maintained drop curbs although sometimes drainage channels make these awkward to use. I also noticed that nearly everywhere I went they had tactile paving (raised studs that can be felt underfoot) before crossings for blind/partially sighted people. 

However where it does well in many areas of accessibility it also falls far behind countries like the UK, for example, with access to buildings.  Many shops still insist on putting at least one large step at their door.  This seems particularly apparent throughout many towns in Australia and proves a source of constant frustration. Even many larger, more modern shops do still have at least one big step to get over to enter the building. Some seem to have ramps or flat access but Australia does still seem to be very slow for a developed country in sorting this out. For example, in Cairns more than half the shops are not accessible without help even including the excellent Peter Lik (producer of most of the Australia postcard photos) Gallery and shockingly the Cairns Tourist Information Centre! Sydney also has a long way to go - again the problem being with steps into shops even in the modern areas and tourist shops. Must do better Australia! 

Hostels

I cannot confirm this but I believe there is a law that all hotels and hostels must have at least one wheelchair accessible room and have done their best to provide access to facilities. However, this in reality is not always the case. Many of the newer, although often also larger and more expensive hostels do have good facilities including lifts to all floors (including the bar which is sometimes annoyingly overlooked), accessible toilets and showers. Excellent examples of these are Wake Up! (tel: +61 2 9288 7888), www.wakeup.com.au in Sydney and Gilligans (+61 7 4041 6566) in Cairns. Also recommended and much cheaper is Bell View in Cairns which has ground floor en-suite dorms.  There is a small (2 inch) step into the room but it is pleasant and manageable - and very well priced. Brisbane's Palace Backpackers (+ 61 7 3211 2433) has a lift and disabled toilet/shower but steps to the front door. Access can made through the bar area but can be awkward. Both Aquarius and Holiday Village in Byron Bay are helpful and manageable, although not ideal.  Most YHAs also provide good facilities and if in doubt are often the best to go for.  However, personally I often find them a little too quiet and lacking in character for my tastes. Most hostels I experienced did try their best to find us a downstairs room and make the best of their facilities, however some places are just never going to be wheelchair accessible. For example a good number of the hostels in Kings Cross, Sydney are simply a door followed by a huge flight of steps up to reception. Like in many countries newer buildings, services and facilities are better equiped for all disabilities but existing designs often make access and modification difficult. Most of these hostels can be booked through our Hostel World booking system (subject to availability), however it may be best to phone in advance and let them know as some rooms will be better than others.

Transport

The same problem occurs with the transport system. Sydney Central station is pretty good for access and the trains averagely accessible but there is a possibility of ending up at a smaller station between 2 tracks and only a footbridge to get over the lines and out of the station. The trains do have fairly level access although there can be a step or gap of up to 8 inches to get in and out the carriages so you may need a bit of a lift to get on. I observed a good number of accessible buses and also taxis even away from the big cities. Automatic cars can also be hired with hand controls fitted. Avis 02 9353 9033 can fit hand controls if requested in advance and Hertz may be able to provide cars with hand controls in some of the bigger cities. However, choice on car model will be limited. For larger vans with clamp down wheelchair facilities try Budget Tel: +612-9635 0655 website:www.budget.com.au

Bars/clubs

As spoken of before, access to public buildings could be better. Things seem to be improving and many bars and clubs have good facilities but often even modern places, for example in Darling Harbour (which is beautiful at night), have an accessible flat ground floor with a bar but upstairs (where the dance floor usually is) has no lift. Many of the popular backpacker bars/clubs e.g. The Woolshed in Cairns, Scruffy Murphys, 3 wise monkeys and The Kings X Hotel in Sydney have poor access and no lifts to the floor where all the action is. As with anywhere bouncers vary in helpfulness. Sometimes they are willing to lift people up stairs if neccessary although they are often less likely to on weekends/busy nights or if they are just in a bad mood.  Most places can be managed with a bit of assistance though and if nothing else it increases awareness which will help future travellers.  Get out and about to the bars as much as possible as a lot of Australia's "culture" is found in its many drinking establishments. Both Wake Up and Gilligans (see above) have excellent and busy bars as part of the hostel (although the dance floor in Gilligans is not accessible) and disabled toilets. Other recommendations for good bars with good facilities are Melenka's bar in Alice Springs, Mad Cow and Gilligans in Cairns, The Beach Hotel in Byron Bay, Side Bar (part of Wake Up Hostel) and Star Bar in Sydney. 

For other information see www.accessibility.com.au or click here for accessible bars in Sydney. If you have any further useful information or personal experiences about access in Australia which could help other travellers please use the forum or contact me at