Located in Armstrong Street is Zambrero, Mexican Restaurant. It is an open plan design with ample space inside for people using mobility devices or wheelchairs. There are large gaps between the tables making it an ideal location for parents with prams. At the rear of the restaurant is an accessible toilet with side and rear rails and a backrest.
The Ballarat Aquatic and Leisure Centre is located in the Price of Wales Recreation Reserve, Lake Gardens. Disabled parking is available at the front and side of the building.
The centre contains a 50 metre, 25 metre, multipurpose and a children’s play pools. All pools have a variety of entry methods for people with a disability. The 25, 50 and multipurpose pools have ramped entry. The children’s play pool zero gradient entry. In addition, the 50 metre pool also has stepped entry next to the ramp. The centre a portable hoist that can be used at any of the pools.
There are three pool wheelchairs available. There are 4 accessible toilet and shower facilities and a full adult changing facility with table and ceiling hoist. The centre also has a cafe with full ramped access.
The Ballarat Botanical Gardens is situated on the edge of Lake Wendouree and occupies 40 hectares. It is a significant cool climate garden.
There is disabled parking at both ends of the garden in Wendouree Drive. The parking bays at the Nursery Dr end have an extended area behind them making them suitable for rear loading vans.
The terrain is flat making it easily accessible to wheelchair and mobility device users as well as slow walkers. The surface of the paths through the garden is either asphalt or fine hard packed red gravel.
Seating is provided at regular intervals throughout the garden as are wheelchair accessible drinking fountains.
The old conservatory has ramped access with handrails.
The new conservatory has level entry.
Accessible toilets are provided at both ends of the garden adjacent to the disabled parking areas.
The Ballarat Wildlife Park is located on the corner of Fussell and York Streets Ballarat East.
There are designated disabled parking spaces to the left of the main entry. The car park is gravel. A sealed path leads to the ticket box through Gate 1. Entry to the park is through the gift shop.
On exiting the gift shop the main path straight ahead leads to the reptile house and the path to the left down to the animal enclosures.
Initially, the path is gently sloping to the Koala observation area. The boardwalks provide excellent viewing and photo opportunities of the Koalas.
The pathway beyond the Koala area is steeper and is best accessed via the lower ramp from the Koala area.
All of the exhibits provide good viewing either over low walls or through transparent fencing.
The Little Penguin displays have clear glass panels at both the main viewing and upper viewing areas.
The reptile house has two main areas. The path leading to the lower part of the building gives access to the Alligator feeding display. On the opposite side on the lower area from the entry door is a designated wheelchair area.
The main reptile house is accessed from the upper path. All of the displays are glass fronted and low enough to be viewed by young children and people seated in wheelchairs. Beyond the reptile house, there is access to the upper level of the Alligator viewing area. There is ample space at the top of the tiered seating for wheelchair patrons. There is a small cafe on the upper level.
The parks only accessible toilet is located behind the cafe outside the main building. It contains a left-hand transfer toilet with side and rear bars and a padded backrest. There is also a baby change table and basin with a lever mixer tap.
Adjacent to the main building is the cafe. It is accessed by a wooden ramp. The door swings out and is difficult to open while remaining on the level platform. There is ample room with the cafe and a choice of seating locations.
As a wildlife park, there are some restrictions on service dogs due to the free-roaming kangaroos and alpacas. The tiger exhibit is off-limits to service dogs due to the safety risk to the park animals.
Two disabled parking bays are available in front of the club and access is available from a short level path.
An accessible toilet is available on the outside of the building and combined toilet and accessible shower with fold-down seat just off the entry foyer of the building.
The interior has a full bar and dining with space to negotiate the full length. There is an outside area access through wide double doors with level entry. Chairs are movable allowing a choice of dining options.
The club’s docks are equipped with two hoists to support their sailability program.
The Blue Pyrenees Estate is located in Avoca. The cellar door is located on the hill behind the main administration building. There is no step free access from the main lower car park. Accessible entry is by following the road to the left and behind the administration building and deliveries area to the cellar door. A designated accessible parking bay is located next to the building and access is gained by following the ramped brick pathway down to the front of the building. Entry to the building is through double doors with 75mm step. The tasting area is open. The main lower dining area is not accessible as it is accessed by a set of stairs. There is a smaller upper-level dining area. There is also an outside dining area. The surface of this area is fine but very loose white stones.
Cafe Sidra is located in Learmonth. It is a country style cafe and events venue specialising in local cider.
The cafe entry is through a large door with level entry from the sidewalk. Internally the cafe is spacious with a large choice of seating areas, including the back veranda area.
The cafe has a lower garden/function area and bar. The surface is fine hard packed gravel. There is no access from the veranda to the lower garden area. Step free access is via a gate at the side of the cafe.
An accessible toilet is located off the veranda.
Cave Hill Creek is a tourism award-winning group accommodation facility located in the picturesque Raglan Valley. It is a year-round operation hosting 10,000 guests annually on camps, walks and weddings. Cave Hill Creek can accommodate up to 140 people between the Lake View Lodge and the Glamping Village.
The main buildings are all wheelchair accessible with large level entry doors. With the Lake View Lodge, the ensuite rooms all have single beds that allow for a wheelchair transfer. There is a communal accessible toilet that services the lodge.
The glamping village has one tent with full ramped access. The bedding configuration can be changed to suit particular customer needs. The glamping village is serviced by an amenities block that is adjacent to the accessible tent. The amenities block has a full wet room/roll-in shower with large fold-down seat and detachable shower rose.
Cave Hill Creek is geared to groups and camps with a variety of outdoor experiences. It has tailored those experiences to cater for people with a disability, including climbing, bushwalking with a trailrider, canoeing and team building exercises. Programs are tailored to the particular groups with the appropriate equipment brought in to suit the program and the needs of the participants.
Craig’s Royal Hotel is located on Lydiard Street and is the quintessential Gold Rush era grand hotel. Accessible entry is via the bistro doors. The hotel has three main dining areas, the Cafe and Larder, Craig’s Wine Bar and The Gallery. as well as a lounge area and gaming room. On the first floor is a function room. The hotel is equipped with a lift.
The lounge and the gallery have a tiled floor. All of the tables and chairs are movable giving options for wheelchair-using patrons. Craig’s Wine Bar has a short nap carpet floor and again the tables and chairs are movable. There is an accessible toilet in the gaming room that services all venues in the hotel.
On the first floor is a partially accessible room. It has a roll-in shower, although it is narrow, and a toilet with ample manoeuvering room. A portable shower chair is available. There are no bars either at the side or at the rear of the toilet. All doorways are in excess of 850mm. This room would be suitable for some but not all wheelchair users.
Creswick Woolen Mills is an award-winning family owned spinning mill in Creswick. Visitors can take a tour through the mill, shop in the retail outlet and feed Alpacas in the adjacent farm area.
The entire mill building is flat on a concrete floor. All of the corridors on the mill tour are wide and easy to navigate. The displays are both written and visual with imagery telling the story of the mill and the spinning processes. The fonts are large and are in both English and Mandarin. The tour is also sensory involving touching the wool through its various stages of production. All of the displays are at 1 metre or less. Broad mesh fencing gives a good view of the equipment regardless of eye height.
The retail area is well laid out with multiple level displays. There are change rooms, however, none are large enough to accommodate a wheelchair.
An accessible toilet with side and rear grab rails and a padded backrest is located off the main entrance to the building.
A cafe is located in the retail area with ample space and movable furniture.
Outside is the animal feeding area providing an up close and personal interaction with the Alpacas. Ramps take a visitor down the pens which have a concrete access path.
