We aspire to create a beach environment where all members of our community can feel welcome and have the opportunity to enjoy the sun, sand, and sea. The Authority will begin a review of accessibility of the assets we manage along the Great Ocean Road coastline in 2024.
Project overview
We received $28,000 of funding to upgrade the access matting near the “Shark Park” playground at Anglesea 4 Kings Carpark, $10,000 of funding to upgrade the all-abilities carpark at Point Roadknight as well as $10,000 to purchase a new piece of public beach mobility equipment to be located in Anglesea.
You can read about each accessibility project in Anglesea below.
We received funding to extend the accessibility matting near the Shark Park playground at Anglesea 4 Kings Carpark. While access to the water is currently unavailable at Anglesea Riverbank, this project aims to provide a space to enjoy the sun, sand, and natural backdrop of the river for all.
- An additional 50 metres of matting was installed at the beginning of January 2024.
- The additional matting complements the 20 metre length already in place.
The riverbank matting is co-located with a Changing Place facility for people with high support needs (a key is needed to access this facility, available by emailing info@greatoceanroadauthrority.vic.gov.au). There's also all-abilities carparking and public toilets with accessible toilet facilities on site as well as boardwalks and accessible playground features at Shark Park.
We received funding to improve and upgrade the all-abilities car parking at Point Roadknight.
- The existing all-abilities carpark at Pt Roadknight needs upgrading to make it more practical for use.
- In 2024 we installed low-impact, diamond grid road surface to stabilise the gravel in the existing all-abilities car park.
- To complement this upgrade, we installed beach matting to connect the all-abilities carpark to the Anglesea Motor Yacht Club and boat ramp.
We're proud to be part of the Accessible Beach program, dedicated to making our coastline more inclusive. Our mission is to ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can enjoy the beauty of our beaches.
For more information on the program visit Accessible Beaches Initiative Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (greatoceanroadauthority.vic.gov.au)
New Public Beach Mobility Equipment at Anglesea
We received $10,000 of funding to purchase a new piece of beach mobility equipment that will be located in Anglesea.
With the funding, we have purchased a Mobi-Chair and a Portable Hoist. There were several options available that were considered to complement the existing equipment available on the coast we manage. Click on the drop-down boxes below to read about each type of equiptment.
- Floats
- Designed for use on soft sand and for deeper water entry
- Three different seat adjustments
- Includes seat belt
- Not suitable for independent use
- Large piece of equipment (requires assisatance to transport)
- Designed for adult users
- Designed for use on soft sand and for shallow water entry
- Anti-tip and brake bar
- Seat belt
- Adjustable leg rest
- Easy to transport
- Not suitable for independent use
- Not suitable for entry into deeper water
- Designed for a smaller user (child or small adult)
- Suitable for use on soft sand and shallow water entry
- Anti tip and brake bar
- Seatbelt
- Easy to transport
- Adjustable leg rest
- Not suitable for independent use
- Not suitable for deeper water entry
- Designed for use on soft sand and for shallow water entry
- Adjustable for different sized riders
- Swing away armrests for easy entry
- Park brake
- Not suitable for independent use
- Walking aid for unstable surfaces and beaches
- Includes seat and back rest
- Easy to transport
- Suitable for users who can walk independently for short distances
- Not suitable for entry to deeper water
Community Engagement
On 7 December 2023, we began an eight-week engagement period with users of the Anglesea coast and the broader community. In this engagement we shared information on accessibility improvements at points along the Anglesea coast through onsite signage in Anglesea and via our website.
We heard from beach users and the community on experiences with, and preferences for beach mobility equipment use, the types of equipment the Authority should purchase for future use and how we can better communicate about accessible beaches along our coast.
We gathered this information through an online survey on our Have Your Say website, email submissions and phone conversations.
We are grateful for the individuals and groups who engaged with us on this project. The insights collected have given us a better understanding of how our community values accessible beaches, how they use beach mobility equipment in Anglesea and how we can continue to improve accessible beaches across the coast.
Have Your Say
This survey is now closed. You can still click on the button below to see what we asked during the engagement.
This project is funded through a $55,000 grant from the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. Funding has been provided for the installation of accessible beach infrastructure including wheelchair beach access matting and the installation of a portable lift at Anglesea Four Kings Carpark as part of the Universal Design Funding Round 2022.
