North Pier Hotel

North Pier Hotel

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The North Pier Hotel is situated on the Esplanade in Cowes overlooking Western Port Bay. The hotel offers both accommodation and dining.

Access is via a ramp leading off the Esplanade that leads onto the outside deck.

Dining

Dining is available in three sections: The outside deck area, sports bar and a family bistro. Seating on the deck allows for wheelchair users with open-ended tables. The bistro is situated along the front of the building inside large sliding doors and full length windows. The bistro is well laid out providing ample room to get to the serving counter or to seating. The tables are all a low type design with movable furniture.

The sports bar is on the left side of the building adjacent to the main bar. Seating within the sports bar is all high top tables making it less suitable for wheelchair users or the elderly.

An accessible toilet is located at the far end of the bistro. It is a large room with side handrails for the toilet, a hand basin with knee clearance under it, lever action taps and a baby change facility.

Accommodation

The North Pier Hotel has one accessible room. It is a large multi-purpose room with a queen bed and two sets of bunks. It is on the ground floor with views over Westernport Bay. The bathroom is a full wet room. The shower has a sliding and detachable shower head, a fold-down seat and handrails. The toilet has a side handrail. The room also has a large wheelchair accessible work space/desk. The entry door to the room is 810mm.

North Pier Hotel

National Vietnam Veterans Museum

National Vietnam Veterans Museum

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The National Vietnam Veterans Museum is an independent Australian museum dedicated to the heritage and legacy of Vietnam veterans. It is located at Newhaven on Phillip Island.

A designated disabled parking space is located on the asphalt road at the side of the building, immediately adjacent to the exit sign. A concrete footpath leads to the front of the building. Entry is through a wide door with level access from the footpath.

Inside the entry is the ticket counter and cafe. An accessible toilet is located within the cafe. The toilet has handrails at the back and side. The hand basin is a bench with knee clearance under it. The taps are twin star style tap fittings.

Inside the museum the floor is painted concrete making it easy to navigate for people using all forms of mobility device. The main body of the museum, is open with plenty of room to navigate the major displays even when the museum is busy. The central section houses the major equipment displays. Signage is all below 1.2 metres making it readable by people of all heights including children and wheelchair users.

Around the outside of the main display areas are galleries. The galleries are wide and the displays rely heavily on photographic and video technology making the stories easy to interpret.

A function area is located at the rear of the museum. The floor is level and the room can be configured as required. The museum also has a mezzanine which is accessed by stairs or an elevator located on the western side of the building.

A caribou aircraft is displayed outside the museum. The pathways are a fine packed hard gravel. Access to the aircraft is by the rear ramp when the exhibit is open.

National Vietnam Veterans Museum
Maru

Maru Koala and Animal Park

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Maru has been a standout performer in accessible tourism over a number of years holding a Hall of Fame Award for Good Access is Good Business. Disabled parking is provided. The car park is hard packed gravel. Entry to the park is down a concrete path to the main self opening entry doors. Inside the building is a gift shop, cafe, accessible toilet and park entry gate. The toilet has a self opening door and the toilet has side and rear handrails. The hand basin has a lever operated tap. The room contains a fold-down baby change table. The cafe is spacious with movable furniture. The counter has a lower display section with a glass fronted cabinet. The counter is a dark timber with a ground level colour contrast strip that is an aid to people with low vision.

Entry to the park is through a wide gateway. All paths and boardwalks through the park are gently sloping making them easy to navigate for people of all abilities. Seats are provided at regular intervals.

The farm section of the park has a paved path throughout. It is entered through a double stock control gate that has a large section between the gates to cater for large power wheelchairs or prams. The elevated sections, that give views of the koalas in their trees, have clear sections below the barrier rails giving good visibility to people of all heights.

All enclosures have viewing windows to cater for people of all heights. The animal encounters cater for people of all abilities. The theatre has two designated wheelchair positions in the front row.

A second accessible toilet is located in the enclosure section of the park. It has side and rear handrails and a lever mixer tap on the hand basin that also provides knee clearance. The picnic pavilion has ramped access and easy to move plastic chairs.

Maru

Fishermans Co-operative Education Centre

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There are two designated accessible parking bays directly in front of the co-operative.

Access to the education centre is through a wide single door with level entry from the footpath. Inside there is good maneuvering room through the displays. The displays have a combination of words and pictures making them universally understandable for people who’s native language is not English or people with a cognitive disability.

Fishermans Co-Op

Fisherman’s Co-op – Phillip Island

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The Fisherman’s Co-op is both a fish and chippery and a fresh seafood sales centre. It is accessed by a ramp at the southern end of the building. Seating is available inside the building and outside on the veranda overlooking the eastern entrance to Westernport Bay. The outside tables have a pole at each end with fixed side seating making them unsuitable for wheelchair users. The inside seating has movable chairs making them suitable for people of all abilities. The fresh fish displays are low and glass fronted making the contents viewable by people of all heights.

Fishermans Co-Op
Cowes foreshore

Cowes Foreshore and Jetty

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The Cowes Jetty is reach via a gently sloping ramp from the Esplanade. The easiest path is via the information building and bait sales. Just below where the two paths meet there is a zip zag path that avoids the steepest section of the main path to the jetty.

At the head of the jetty is a kiosk. It has a wide level doorway and access to an outdoor eating area overlooking the bay and the beach.

Opposite the kiosk pavilion is a new beach access ramp. The ramp is designed for wheelchair users and parents with prams. The concrete ramp leads from the jetty directly onto the hard sand. The beach is gently sloping and well protected.

The surface of the jetty is concrete making it a smooth surface to the end. Handrails are provided on the western side of the jetty. The jetty is suitable for wheelchair users and those using mobility aids. The lower landings of the jetty have stair access only.

The foreshore park contains accessible picnic tables and an accessible toilet, which is located under the observation deck.

Cowes foreshore

Clip N Climb – Phillip Island

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Clip N Climb is the newest concept in indoor climbing. It is located at 6-8 Industrial way Cowes. Clip N Climb uses an auto belay system and a special harness making it safe and easy to use by people of all ages. The system can be used by people with limited mobility who have upper body strength.

The walls are of varying ability and there is a children’s learning area. The facility runs quiet sessions for people on the autism spectrum.

In addition to the climbing wall the centre has a cafe on both the lower and upper levels. In terms of accessibility, there is designated disabled parking next to the entrance. An accessible toilet facility is available on the lower level. The room is a very generous size and has a toilet with side and rear handrails as well as a padded backrest. The hand basin has knee clearance and a single lever mixer tap. A lift services the upper observation area.

Bimbadeen

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Bimbadeen is a 340 acre farming property on the Back Beach Road. It operates a farm cafe and store which is open Thursdays to Sunday’s 9am to 3pm.

The car park is a gravel surface that is well compacted. A ramp leads to the cafe and store buildings. The stores and cafe are all accessed through a wide sliding doors with level entry. There are tables on the outdoor veranda that overlooks the farm. The tables have movable seating.

Bimbadeen

Bassine Specialty Cheeses

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Bassine Specialty Cheeses is a small cheese making factory located in Bass. The cheese is made from the milk of their own dairy farm. The small cafe sales building has a designated disabled parking bay on the right hand side of the building giving direct access to the concrete veranda. Entry to the building is through a single sliding door. There is a 13mm sill at floor level. The door is 860mm wide. The small cafe is well laid out and easy to maneuver through. The display cabinets are low and glass fronted. At the back of the cafe is a low glass window to view the operation of the factory and the cheese being hand made. The cafe tables provide good knee clearance and the chairs are movable. Outside at the back of the building are two disabled toilets, one left hand and one right hand transfer. Both have side and rear handrails, padded backrests and a hand basin with lever mixer taps.

A Maze N Things

A Maze N Things

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A Maze’N Things is an exciting world of optical illusions, mazes, puzzles and magic. Inside the uniquely designed building, there are Illusions Rooms, a Mirror Maze, the Rotating Room, and a host of other things to enjoy, including the famous LookOut! Slide. Outside there is a mini golf course, high ropes adventure trail and the famous wooden maze.

There is an accessible parking bay immediately to the right of the main entry path. The path to the main door has a slight incline. Entry to the ticket office and cafe is through a wide self opening door.

From an accessibility point of view, Puzzle Island and the Magic Manor are the two most accessible attractions in the theme park. The maze is not wheelchair accessible due to the narrow passage ways and the tight turning circles required to negotiate the maze. The mini golf course has steps and obstacles throughout the course.

With Puzzle Island most of the areas are accessible. The Gravity Room has a steep floor and narrow walkways. The Shrinking Room also has a step floor to create the illusion required. 

The rotating room and the mirror maze can be negotiated by wheelchair users.

In the games room most of the activities can be undertaken by people of all abilities. The sudden drop Lookout slide is only accessible by a high set of steps.

Magic Manor is entered through a waterfall. The path is wide, flat and easy to navigate. Along the path to the manor there are several activities. These activities are suitable to people of all abilities. Once inside the manor the area is large and again all activities are accessible to people of all abilities. The time machine is large enough to cater for all types of mobility device. The arcade is wide with all shop fronts and activities suitable to people of all abilities.

The Magic Manor can be exited via the new Carousel. The Carousel has a ramped entry and a designated wheelchair position next to the operator. The ride does involve strobe lighting and rotation. The exit takes you outside and back to the cafe building.

The cafe contains a gift shop with a puzzle and magic theme. The shop is well laid out with good circulation space and shop items on easy to reach shelving. The cafe is on two levels with the lower level and serving area all accessible to wheelchair users. The cafe also contains an accessible toilet facility.

A Maze N Things